Nazir agrees with sultan, again urges another consultative council

Sherlock: There was no problem in the 60s and 70s when the national schools were truly national, with good teachers, good headmasters, and a good syllabus. However, things began to change when schools became dumping grounds for people who allegedly cannot find jobs to become school teachers and schools took on religious posturing.

Bring back the quality we used to have, then naturally we parents will flock to the national schools. It is that simple, no magic. Please let us not be in denial mode, just look at the differences between the operations (administration and quality of teaching) in the national schools compared to the Chinese schools.

Hati Awasi: Even family members with basically the same upbringing, and a common culture and language do not necessarily remain on good speaking terms.

In our English secondary school in those ‘good’ old days, we had pupils from Malay schools, Chinese schools and English schools (those who had primary education in such schools respectively before they entered the English secondary) playing sepak takraw or sepak raga (or kick volleyball) together.

The same scenario can be expected in our current national secondary schools given the right set-up with no ‘political or religious’ interference directly or indirectly. (By the way, how many Malays still play sepak takraw ?)

Anonymous #70881335: For starters, let education be a state matter up to tertiary level.

Primary and secondary schools should be under the states, then we can see how each state performs. Australia does this, and its education system is good.

Chokstone: It won’t bring unity or harmony to society by only putting all races into one class. It might only solve 5 percent of the problems and unhappy incidents among races all these years. All the problems or disharmony r caused by the racial politics (divide and rule) in this country and is the main cause of disunity.

Segregation in the administration and religious intolerance had deterred integration. ‘Special rights’, condoning the action of politicians who deliberately create racial conflicts, all these racial issues won’t be solved by studying in one class or by assimilation because most of the problems were purposely created by politician for their political interests.

Assimilation will happen naturally and gradually with time when racial politics in the country is totally abolished. The suggested education system could be a choice for the betterment of this multicultural society, but when people are forced to accept, it will contradict its purpose. Multicultural societies are the trend in this modern world.

Odysseus: Having SRJK schools is but only one of the many dividing factors within the education system in this country. Having a uniform system from Year One is not going to solve the unity issue. The bumiputera students will be offered places in residential schools in Form 1, Form 4 and then overseas scholarships after Form 5. Other bumiputera students will get places in matriculation, which almost assured them of places in local universities.

The non-bumiputera students are left to fend for themselves in an education system that segregates them because of their skin colour and religion. From Year One until graduating from local universities, that’s about 17 years of bitterness these students have to endure. For 17 years, their view of this country has been skewed by this policy, which favours one race over the others.

Unless an holistic review of the education system takes place to ensure fairness to all regardless or race and religion, only then can unity be achieved through the education system. Otherwise, it will remain a dream.

OMG!: In terms of international usage ie between nations using different languages, English is the de facto international language. Mandarin users are mostly in one nation, China, so the absolute number of speakers doesn’t mean it is the leading international language.

We were fortunate to have English schools and teachers for over a hundred years before 1957. The example of Singapore is positive in using a common language that is not the language of any one local race. Why do 80,0000 Malays send their kids to Chinese schools today? If Bahasa Malaysia had indeed helped unity, then I would be all for it.

But then why are there so many venomous remarks like pendatang, kafir, pencereboh, ungrateful immigrants, unpatriotic, etc hurled about? More BM lessons? That is thinking backward.

Hbasill: There should be language teachers to teach Mandarin and Tamil at every school. There should be daily classes in Mandarin/Tamil, etc. Is the education minister and his department equipped for this transition?

Whatshappening: Sorry, I cannot fully agree because the Chinese eat pork and non-halal food. And if a Chinese brings non-halal food and sits next to a Malay-Muslim, then the Chinese will be in trouble and there will be endless issues.

Existential Turd: The only way this could happen is if Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan (SRJK) schools that are more multiracial than the SRK school turn into the de facto national schools.

Shutting down SRJK(C) will not force non-Malays parents to send their children to SRK schools, it will only result in the burgeoning of private schools.

National integration will be worse off, because whatever little integration SRJK schools is promoting is shut off. What I am constantly seeing and hearing is that ‘unity’ is used as an excuse to bludgeon ‘good’ schools in favour of ‘bad’ schools that are actually allegedly the source of racism and disunity.

Voice: Indonesia is a good example where although the Chinese Indonesians had given up their mother tongue language education and even went the extra miles to adopt Indonesian names, the unity still not achieved. Alleged racist chaos and oppression against the Chinese Indonesians is still apparent.

In the eyes of some, all these Chinese or Tamil schools are a hindrance to national unity, whereas in the eye of others all these Mara and religious schools and racial policies such as bumi and non-bumi differences in treatment, etc are the hindrance to national unity. So, to achieve unity all this hindrances must be stopped or eliminated otherwise it won’t serve the purpose. All must be treated equally and given the same opportunities.

And no more master and servant relationship like in BN. All political parties must command the same power, duty and responsibility. Anyway, I don’t see all this national unity will be achieved as long as Umno is still in power.

Que sera sera, I tak peduli dah!: I have a nephew studying at one of the best engineering schools in Indonesia, the Bandung Institute of Technology where the medium of instruction is English and the institute’s emblem is the Hindu god Lord Ganesha, and the road leading to the school is Ganesha Road.

Anonymous 2298551435918033: Sorry, sirs, but to me integration starts with the constitution.

Correct that and everything else will fall into place. The problem emanates from there. But then that will be a tall order.

Not in a million years, I suppose.

The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now.

These comments are compiled to reflect the views of Malaysiakini subscribers on matters of public interest. Malaysiakini does not intend to represent these views as fact.