TOKYO -- Malaysia took top marks in an English skills test given to Asian nations, narrowly edging out Singapore, where English is one of the official national languages.
The Philippines, where English is also spoken as a national language, was excluded from the 60 countries and regions whose English skills were measured by international education company EF Education First for the 2013 English Proficiency Index.
Following Malaysia's independence from the U.K., English has been used for communication among different ethnic groups in the country, such as Malays, Chinese and peoples of the South Asian subcontinent, with children learning English starting in elementary school.
India came in third place, with South Korea ranking fifth. China, where the government and private sector are stepping up efforts to brush up English skills, took 11th. The country "has also improved, although less dramatically" than others, EF says. Japan ranked seventh, while Thailand finished at the bottom.
English proficiency may play a key role in decisions by companies about where to set up shop in Asia, people familar with corporate affairs say.
(Nikkei)
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