Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Hj Badaruddin Pengarah Dato Paduka Hj Othman said that the bilingual education system should not be blamed for poor Malay proficiency, but authorities should take proper steps to improve students' Malay language instead.
During the National Storytelling Competition final, he said that the bilingual system, which was introduced in 1985, has produced generations that have succeeded in various fields.
"And now, it is producing generations that will continue to be educated through the bilingual education. From the naked eye, the new generations that are still studying are the English language generation. They are strongly influenced by English and not Malay language."
"Therefore, the concern expressed by relevant authorities on the decline in Malay language usage among students should think of the proper steps to take," he added.
English is the medium of instruction in core subjects, excluding Malay and Islamic Religious Knowledge.
Under the constitution, Malay language is the country's main language, but it also states English language as an official version for matters pertaining to the council or any written law and council regulations which must be printed and written in a version that is equal to the official version in Malay to be accepted as a valid document.
"Nevertheless, this does not reduce the value and importance of Malay language as the official language because it also states in the constitution that if there is a doubt or conflict between both documents, then the document which is printed or written in Malay language should be used," said the deputy minister.
Due to its importance, previous education policies up until the present SPN21 has given priority to Malay language by making it a core subject and requisite to pass major examinations.
Pehin Dato Ustaz Hj Badaruddin said that the poor proficiency level of students in Malay language should be deliberated by "important people in the culture and language sector".
"If there is indeed a decline in the learning of Malay language, especially if it is the students who are our youths who cannot master the Malay language, then it is difficult for us to depend on them to use and become Malay language speakers in the future," he continued.
According to him, the negative effects will be obvious in the language and cultural aspects of Brunei.
The deputy minister further suggested that the national storytelling competition be followed with other competitions that stimulate the use of Malay language "not only among children, but also their parents, individuals, government and non-government bodies".
"The significance of this matter is to further support the aim and spirit of the constitution to uphold the Malay language as the official language, so that the future of Malay Islamic Monarchy Brunei will not be affected if one of its components, Malay, is no longer used in the lives of people and the nation."
Hidayah Tul Fitri Hj Masri from Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Primary School in Belait District emerged as the 2010 champion of the storytelling competition.
The first and second runner-up title went to Hafizuddin Danny Sumbahan Iwanan from Pengkalan Batu Primary School and Md Hassanul Hadi Ikram Hj Dayang of Seri Mulia Sarjana Primary School.
Organised by the Language and Literature Bureau, the competition was conducted in Malay at Radio Televisyen Brunei.
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