COLOMBO (SRI LANKA): Malaysian will consider sending Bahasa Melayu teachers to serve in Sri Lanka as an effort to assist the Malaysian Muslims residing here in re-learning the national language.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said initiatives will be made following a request by the Sri Lanka chapter of the Malay World Islamic World (DMDI) who wanted the teachers to help revive the Malay culture and language.
"Sri Lanka has some 70,000 Muslims from Malaysia who have been living here for a long time. They have shown interest and requested our cooperation to send the teachers to help teach the language in Sri Lanka.
"They hope the teachers will assist the community as most of them are no longer able to speak the language proficiently. I believe they are genuine and not just being nostalgic," he told the Malaysian media after attending a meeting with the DMDI group here today.
Zahid said sending Malay language teachers will help the community (Muslims from Malaysia living here) to have a better understanding of the language.