COMMENT | Bahasa Melayu (BM) is Malaysia’s national and official language. It serves as a vital bridge connecting citizens of diverse ethnic backgrounds and is the primary medium for official communication and education.

However, a growing concern remains: to what extent is BM truly understood and mastered by students in vernacular schools such as Chinese private secondary schools (SMPC), Chinese national-type primary schools (SJKC), and Tamil national-type primary schools (SJKT)?

Although BM is a compulsory subject in all schools, numerous studies reveal that...