The Selangor state-level Christmas celebration, held at One Utama Shopping Centre in Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, on 14 December, was hailed by Menteri Besar Dato' Seri Amirudin Shari as a testament to the State Government's commitment to foster unity and celebrate diversity among the state's multiracial residents.
In a statement, Amirudin, who officiated the event, stressed that diversity is Selangor's strength, forming the foundation for harmony and understanding that are continuously preserved, in line with the “Kita Selangor, Maju Bersama” (We are Selangor, Progress Together) principle. "Differences in language, culture, and belief should be a bridge for mutual understanding, not a dividing line. There is no place for extremists who fan the flames of racism and hatred in Selangor," stated the Menteri Besar.
He added that this year, RM442,500 was channelled to churches in the state, while RM71,000 was allocated to church associations to support programmes and improve facilities. Furthermore, starting next year, the State Government's allocation for five religions besides Islam will be increased from RM6 million to RM8 million.
Selangor Government will offer FREE foreign language classes next year!
Moreover, Amirudin, during the Christmas event, also announced another noteworthy initiative to foster unity in Selangor, which is to offer free foreign language classes starting in 2026. The Menteri Besar was quoted by the official state media, Media Selangor, as saying that the free classes will be conducted online and will include Tamil, Mandarin, Arabic, French, German and Spanish.
Amirudin asserted,
“Language should be viewed as a strength allowing us to compete on the global stage. That's why starting next year, Selangor will offer free online Arabic, Mandarin, Tamil, French, German and Spanish language classes, so that the rakyat would be fluent in at least three languages, including Malay and English.”
Amidst recent controversy, the Menteri Besar revealed that Selangor has recognised the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) since 2015 because the state believes that multi-stream education gives students options to improve the standard of living and strengthen national identity. “If we continue to debate on who should learn what language, we will fall behind as a society,” Amirudin quipped.
It's a continuation of the “Language Discovery” programme
As for the foreign language classes, Amirudin, who is also the assemblyperson for Sungai Tua, explained that the initiative is nothing new in the state, as the free online classes will be an improved version of its current iteration. The language classes were introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic by the State Government under the Selangor Public Library Corporation (PPAS). The programme, known as “Language Discovery”, was implemented in collaboration with language centres, with a fee starting from RM10.
The Menteri Besar announced that starting in 2026, the six foreign language online classes will be free and will serve as a foundation for a more in-depth study of the languages. As of the time of writing, though, the State Government and PPAS have yet to reveal further information on the programme, how to register for it and whether it's restricted to Selangor residents.
How the language classes are currently conducted
However, if the current iteration of the programme is anything to go by, registration will be made via the PPAS official website here.
Currently, the online language classes are offered in a three-month basic course, consisting of four 1-hour sessions per month. The fee is RM10 per hour or RM120 for the whole course.
There are thirteen courses on offer as of the time of writing, which are for:
Of course, it is currently unknown whether the aforementioned six free foreign language classes next year will follow the same structure as the current iteration (minus the fee). Well, we just have to wait for the official announcement from the relevant parties.
Regardless, this upcoming initiative is definitely commendable and something that other State Governments, or even the Federal Government, should emulate.
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