Why Sarawak Wants to Make Multilingualism a National Requirement

Sarawak has been shaking things up with its own education policies lately. Now, Deputy Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development Datuk Dr. Annuar Rapaee is calling on the federal government to step up and match the state's level of commitment .

Doing things differently for Sarawakian students

Dr. Annuar, who is the assemblyman for Nangka, has been a strong supporter of Sarawak's decision to teach Science and Mathematics in English. While the move faced some pushback at first, he says it has since proven to be the right call .

Beyond language, the state has also introduced free tertiary education and set up its own international schools. The goal is simple: to make sure students from all walks of life—especially those in rural areas—get a fair shot at a quality education .

Pushing for better national standards

Dr. Annuar isn't just focused on Sarawak; he wants to see changes at the national level, too. He has previously suggested that the Education Act 1996 should be updated to make multilingualism mandatory. His vision? Every student should be proficient in Bahasa Malaysia, English, and their own mother tongue .

He argues that if the federal government really wants to improve English proficiency, they need to stop just talking about it and actually make it a formal requirement in Parliament .

Solving the doctor shortage

Dr. Annuar is also looking at how to fix the medical workforce gap in East Malaysia. After reports showed that many medical officers were not showing up for their postings in Sabah and Sarawak, he proposed a "National Medical Service" initiative .

Instead of standard postings, he suggests creating a structured career path with better benefits to encourage doctors to serve in remote areas .

A call for teamwork

Regarding the recent Budget 2027, Dr. Annuar welcomed the news that Public Service Department scholarships for students in Sabah and Sarawak have doubled to 4,200 spots .

However, he reminded everyone that education is primarily a federal responsibility. He believes Putrajaya needs to keep taking concrete steps to ensure students everywhere have equal access to opportunities, matching the proactive investments Sarawak is already making .