KUALA LUMPUR: The government aims to enrol about 3,400 students of all ages for the Bahasa Inggeris 1Malaysia (BI1M) programme.
The BI1M programme is a nationwide initiative which intends to uplift the income, particularly those from the B40 group and will be implemented in 17 Urban Transformation Centres and Rural Transformation Centres nationwide.
Finance Ministry’s National Strategy Unit director Dr Aminuddin Hassim said the programme would teach free, basic communicative English in urban and rural areas.
He said with the increased proficiency of conversational English among Malaysians, it could help employability and boost confidence.
“When our local people can speak in English, it can help them to converse better with tourists and contribute to Malaysia’s growth, in line with our aspirations to emerge as a developed economy,” he told reporters at the BI1M programme launch here yesterday.
Aminuddin said the programme was an initiative under the National Blue Ocean Strategy, implemented by the finance ministry, in partnership with the Science of Life Studies 24/7 (SOLS 24/7) Malaysia, a humanitarian organisation committed to serve, educate and empower the poor.
Meanwhile, Subashi Mannon 60, a retired teacher who volunteers with SOLS 24/7 said the English language was essential to communicate in today’s globalised world. — Bernama