COMMENT Newly-minted Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is not the first one to ask for the removal of vernacular schools and he is not going to be the last one either.In fact, many have raised the issue of vernacular schools in the past as something inconsistent with the larger aim of national unity in the country. Those who are opposing the vernacular schools are, at the same time, advocating the pursuance of a single-stream education policy.

The move to do away with vernacular schools, mainly Chinese and Tamil, stems from the belief that the existences of these schools do not contribute towards national unity and makes a mockery of the existence of a single-stream educational system.

While the majority of those who are opposing the existence of different streams of education have come from Malay extremists, both in the government as well as in the opposition, occasionally there have been  some political opportunists from the non-Malay component parties who have  championed for a single-stream of education.

The formation and continuation of vernacular schools in the country is a historical legacy and was never intended to throw the spanners in the process of nation-building.

However, from the time of political independence and until today, the issue of vernacular schools have been debated by both the forces, those opposing and those in favour.

The question foremost in the minds of the public is whether there is evidence to suggest that these schools really stand in the way of national unity or integration.

However, it must be understood that the earlier argument of ethnic assimilation has been thrown into the dustbins of history.

What is interesting and worthy of inquiry is not so much the formation of vernacular schools but why vernacular schools are being pursued by the two ethnic communities with vigour.

National schools that mainstay

National schools, at both the primary and secondary levels, are the mainstay of the national educational system. Chinese and Indians communities might send their children to vernacular schools, but after primary they have to opt for the national stream.

This might not apply to those who send their children to private English or Chinese schools. In fact, there is very little debate as how why the elites tend to send their children to expensive private schools in the country where the medium of instruction is invariably in English!

There are number of reasons why parents tend to send their children to vernacular schools.

First, the quality of education has declined in national schools in comparison with the vernacular schools.

Second, national schools with emphasis on “Malayness” and “Islam” tend to alienate the non-Malay children to the point where they have been subjected to derogatory insults.

Third, the promotion prospects of non-Malay teachers in national schools are virtually non-existent. There are very few non-Malay headmasters in national schools.

Fourth, non-Malay students and teachers in think that they have “no place” in national schools.

Conversely, vernacular schools have become very attractive to Chinese and Indian students.

The quality of education, the effectiveness of teachers and the sense of belonging imparted by these schools to their respective ethnic communities have enhanced their reputation as good learning centres.

In the last two decades, the student enrolment in both categories of vernacular schools has increased. While Chinese schools have always registered high increases, in recent years, Tamils schools have registered marked increase in enrolment!

‘Instruments of oppression’

It is not that the national schools cannot be revamped and improved. But what is problematic is that the national schools have become instruments of “oppression” and “marginalisation” of non-Malays.

If this is the way the ruling government tends to project the image of national schools, then it would be near impossible to remove the national schools from the clutches of Malay supremacists and racists!

Anyway, those pseudo-nationalists and racial champions cannot just do away with vernacular schools on the basis of their whims and fancies. Interest in national schools will only emerge if national schools move away from racism and religious bigotry.

This means that the country must move in the direction of politics based on issues, rather than race and religion.

In other words, the fault is not in the schools, either vernacular or national, but in the way politicians in Umno/BN manage the affairs of the country’s education.

The mere presence of vernacular schools does not imply that they are non-integrative in nature and that the presence of national schools is divisive in character. The problem lies in the management of ethnicity and religion and how such a management gives important to all nationalities and rights.

In fact, the fervour towards vernacular schools might decline, if politics at the macro level moves in the direction that is inclusive, integrative and where a person is not discriminated and insulted on the basis of race or religion.

Are we moving in this direction? Or are we sliding backwards towards embracing the politics of the worst kind that places emphasis on the revival of primordial sentiments of race and religion.

It is big shame that after 59 years of independence, we are still harping on the need to do away with vernacular schools.

And, of course, our recently-minted deputy prime minister has nothing to offer by way of ideas, but goes back to the vernacular schools issue. Disgraceful, to say the least!

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P RAMASAMY is Deputy Chief Minister II of Penang and the state assemblyperson for Perai.