Updated on: Saturday, April 09, 2011
Among Asian countries where English is not the mother tongue, Malaysia has been rated most proficient nation in the use of English language.
It stands ninth globally as per a proficiency index report published here.
Education First, a global education centre, conducted online English tests on 2.3 million working adults globally from year 2007 to 2009. English proficiency was tested in four categories -- grammar, vocabulary, reading and listening.
In the Education First English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) 2011 report released on March 30, Malaysia overtook Hong Kong (at second place), South Korea (third place) and Japan (fourth place).
The EF EPI measures the average English proficiency of an entire country and compares English skill levels between countries.
The report in the New Straits Times does not make any mention of India and other South Asian nations where the English language is used by millions in education, commerce and public discourse.