Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad speaks during a press conference after the Cabinet meeting in Putrajaya June 6, 2018. — Picture by Ahmad Zamzahuri

PUTRAJAYA, June 6 — The federal government will introduce an English language competency test for senior civil servants to improve the quality of public services in the country.

Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Cabinet members have expressed the importance of the English language and the need for civil servants, especially senior-ranking officials, to be proficient.

“Senior civil servants must be proficient in the English language because they often have to negotiate with outsiders on matters of government policies,” he said after chairing the weekly Cabinet meeting at Kompleks Perdana Putra today.

During his first tenure as prime minister, Dr Mahathir introduced the now-scrapped education policy of Teaching Science and Mathematics in English but this policy was reversed in 2012.

Meanwhile, Dr Mahathir also announced that the government was focusing on innovation to improve the competency of the country’s civil service.

“For that purpose, the government has decided to send a representative team to India to study innovative ideas initiated by the Indian government to increase the efficiency of public services,” he said.

Last Thursday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on Dr Mahathir to personally extend his congratulations on Pakatan Harapan’s victory in GE14 and his appointment as the prime minister in a brief stopover en route to Singapore.

This was the first meeting between the two world leaders. Modi last visited Malaysia in November 2015.