YOURSAY | Vernacular schools reflect divided society, not its cause

YOURSAY | ’Politicians use education system to further divide and rule the country.’

COMMENT | Disunity in political system, not in vernacular schools

BrownCheetah9736: It’s politicians who caused the division in our society, starting with policies that are apartheid by nature and escalating into abuses within the system amongst the elite majority.

As for schools, let’s be clear about one thing. You can build as many schools as you want, be it national, vernacular or private schools, but why are parents flooding vernacular schools instead of national schools which are under-enrolled?

Is it purely a race thing or is it due to the higher standards of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (Stem) education in vernacular schools?

I would argue that if there were English streaming schools strong in Stem that were affordable or free, those schools would be overpopulated as well.

Mind you, even amongst Chinese and Indian vernacular schools, there is a disparity in the standards.

So again, ask yourself the question if sending children to vernacular schools is all about race and culture, or more about the standard of education, especially Stem.

If the standards in vernacular schools are higher than national schools, then it is quite natural for impressionable children at vernacular schools to thumb their noses at national school students.

It has nothing much to do with racism or race. It’s the same as Universiti Malaya students thumbing their noses at other inferior local universities.

Apanama is back: Former Penang deputy chief minister P Ramasamy, your last paragraph speaks volumes. Even my Malay friends told me the same.

You put it well as far as vernacular school is concerned. The three types of schools; vernacular, national and religious schools are here to stay.

I would say it was a big political mistake by our politicians. While I respect mother tongue education, when we gained independence, we should have focused on one type of school - the national school - as Singapore did.

However, racism has been thick since independence and the politicians are focusing on something else rather than the education system.

Even now, it is still the same. They use the education system to further divide and rule the country.

However, as you mentioned clearly, "the discrimination of non-Malays has merely fuelled the interest in preserving the vernacular school system."

This is the root cause of why we have three types of schools. The blame goes to the politicians, not the schools.

Politicians are merely using the schools to further their divide-and-rule agendas. They need a "kambing hitam" (black sheep) to blame for their own mistakes.

Therefore, vernacular schools are a kind of self-defence against the discrimination faced by minorities.

The root cause is the government’s discriminative policies over the decades towards minorities. We need to live with it for the foreseeable future.

OMG!: In 1957, Malaya was a consociational state. Today, we are largely a majoritarian one.

The decisive turning point was in 1969, an event where the victims were blamed for having brought it upon themselves.

Ramasamy gives a good analysis. Clarity of thought, as always in tough situations, is what we need. If our leaders prefer not to exercise their grey matter, what can be done? It's not just IQ.

Dr Edward de Bono, who coined the term "lateral thinking", said that smart people may not think well. Instead, they use their brains to think up ways to justify their poorly thought-out solutions.

So why do we remain locked in structural contradictions as encapsulated within our 67-year-old Federal Constitution?

Why do we still allow political parties based on race, where Malaysians can be legally excluded from membership?

Why are people willing to join the supporters wing which bars them from voting in party elections?

As pointed out, vernacular schools reflect our divided society, they did not cause the division.

The burning question is: Why is Malaysia not sitting down to have serious discussions about what are the things bedevilling the nation?

Are we terrified all hell will break loose? Are we sanguine that we already have a perfect system? Rama, thanks for your contribution.

OrangePanther1466: In the earlier years, it was natural for students to gravitate to their own ethnic educational institutions.

Now, it is not entirely true as there is about a 20 percent enrolment of Malay students in Chinese schools.

Vernacular schools, especially the Chinese ones, have over the years built a reputation for quality education and this has naturally attracted Chinese families to send their kids there.

This is largely because the present national school system leaves much to be desired.

There are so many things wrong with these schools, especially the teaching standards. So do not blame parents for sending their kids to vernacular schools or international schools, which is another growing phenomenon.

I will not deny that vernacular schools do contribute to divisions and racism. It's a natural course after all.

You feel comfortable in an environment you are familiar with but with increasing enrolment of other races - Malays, Iban, Kadazans etc - that argument will be diluted and in time will not hold. It's like our healthcare system.

Twenty years ago, going to government hospitals would be the last resort for patients who can afford private healthcare. However, today, it's a different story.

The facilities in many of our general hospitals are first class with trained doctors to manage them. If you are a pensioner or retiree, the fees are nominal.

Similarly, our national school can undergo that type of transformation given time.

Stop moaning about the ills of our education system. Just go and fix the problem. Don't tell us your superficial views of racism in schools. Give your solution.

MS: Thank you, Rama, for a most insightful piece. It should educate even the more obtuse readers.

As you have correctly said, vernacular schools only mirror the larger political system which, from the very outset in 1957, was propped up on and shaped by the racial politics of its three champions - MCA, MIC and Umno.

PAS also fuelled the madrasah and “sekolah pondok” now littered across the land.

For a fellow like former professor of ethnic studies at UKM Teo Kok Seong, to now bemoan “racism” which he unabashedly personifies and propagates for entirely personal reasons, it is simply disingenuous.

Malays, like Indians, have long recognised the need for good schools, which is what vernacular schools are when compared to national schools, and will gravitate towards them despite the periodic rantings of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad or Teo.

The so-called national schools, one of the early victims of “ketuanan Melayu” (Malay supremacy), will continue to repel as the damaged goods spilling out of them provide the reason to do so.

ScarletViper9930: It is the human right of everyone to practise their culture, that is the long and short of it. But it is to the vernacular schools' advantage that they generally operate with greater efficiency than national schools.

It is very simple. Overhaul national schools, make them so high in quality and standard. After that, everyone will naturally go to national schools. Problem solved.

But do we have the political will to do that? Or we are so apathetic that we grind on year after year with substandard schools and systems.

So stop wasting time on this issue, vernacular schools are here to stay, simply because the government cannot provide anything better.

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