How single-type schools can solve racial and religious intolerance

Malaysia is unique in the sense that many types of schools are allowed to coexist. There are national schools, Chinese schools, Tamil schools and religious schools, besides the private and international schools. The fact that we have such a diverse education system shows that the people have grown up segregated by race, religion and social class.

Every race or group seems to have a reason for choosing the school that they do. Some believe education should be in their mother tongue while others who are well off feel that private education is best for their children. Others feel that religious education is more important, to guarantee their children a place in paradise.

This diverse approach to our education system has created citizens who are less tolerant of each other when it comes to race, religion and social class.

Almost all of those who choose schools other than national schools believe that national schools are not up to standard. Many non-Muslims and open-minded Muslims feel that national schools have become more like religious schools.

It is true that too many unnecessary religious frills and trappings are put into national schools these days, which make non-Muslims feel like an isolated class. A smokescreen of religious fantasy has become part of national schools, where even religious teachers can override the policies made by school principals.

Meanwhile, the educated and well-heeled Malaysians feel that their children should have an exclusive, English education which national schools cannot afford to provide. They choose private schools where English is used across the board.

Mother tongue a compulsory subject at national schools

A neighbouring country decided to implement an education policy which has worked out well. It started with vernacular schools to appease the multiracial population, but also introduced national schools where English is the medium of instruction. The national schools attracted many students as parents felt their children should be educated in English. The vernacular schools were gradually abandoned by the parents themselves, and today the nation is seen as having one of the best education systems in the world.

Then again, bilingualism has been a key component of the state’s education system since the 1960s. English has become the language of instruction, with mother tongue languages made a compulsory subject in national schools as students are required to reach a second-language level of proficiency in their official mother tongue.

Today, teachers at those national schools are very competent in English. People in the state in general can speak fluent English. They can also speak their mother tongues as these are taught in national schools. Parents feel contented when they see their children getting a first-class education in English as well as being taught their mother tongue language. They are thus able to leverage on a bilingual and bicultural edge to take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves to the world.

The state took another nationalistic step by not allowing private schools to liberally flourish. International and private schools there generally do not admit local students without permission from the education ministry. Even when international schools are set up, they must follow the policies set by the ministry, specifically following the policies on bilingualism.

In Finland, for instance, only a small number of independent schools exist, and even then they are all publicly financed. None is allowed to charge tuition fees. There are no private universities, either. This means that practically every person in Finland attends public schools.

A subject of debate

Vernacular education, which includes the various religious schools, has long been a subject of debate in multiracial Malaysia. Those who support single-stream education believe all children should integrate under one system so that they are exposed to different ethnic groups from an early age. On the other hand, there are groups that insist the vernacular system should prevail. This dichotomy of thought has not helped the nation come up with a single education system for all citizens to foster national unity.

Malaysia does not need to go far to establish a worthy education system. As for the Japanese education system, perhaps we could accommodate the good values that the country imbibes in their children at the primary level – values that are seldom found in many other countries, including in the West.

In the local context, efforts must be made to make national schools the school of choice for all Malaysians. First and foremost, take away the religious image that has soiled national schools. Make religion and religious studies a personal choice for each race; don’t make it a government policy to bring religion to schools during regular teaching hours. Children can be exposed to religious studies, but this should not be done during regular school hours. Religion can be taught after school. Parents of all race and religions, if they wish, can be given space for religious studies for their children, but this should not be done during regular school hours.

Regular school hours should be a neutral period for all children where general subjects are taught. From academics to sports, there should be no religion factored in. School hours should be fully secular in nature. Then children won’t grow up feeling alienated just because they belong to a different race or religion.

Teaching the sciences in English

If students of all races studied under one roof, under one education system, the language of instruction would not be an issue. The approach to education could be trilingual. Mother tongue subjects could be made compulsory in national schools. As for English being fully used as the medium of instruction, this may not be easy for everyone in the Malaysian context.

But English can still be used to teach the sciences in all schools. The nation cannot afford to have separate English and Malay medium schools as this would again divide the students. But the Dual Language Programme (DLP) can be incorporated extensively within national schools. Science subjects can be taught in English if the parents wish. But those handling subjects taught in English must be proficient in the language. The students can also be given the option of learning these subjects in Malay.

In this case, there would still be two streams, but embedded within the national education policy to cater to parents’ requests. Students can opt for either one of these streams under the same roof. Again, national schools should reflect the racial composition of the country. Teachers employed and promoted to lead these schools must be done so based on merit, and should come from all races. From students to teachers, national schools should be seen as schools for all races.

After making national schools trilingual, the government should gradually stop funding vernacular and religious schools. All private schools should also be phased out. Government funding should be wholly channelled to boost and enrich national schools, to meet the present lack of facilities and educational resources and make them the school of choice for all.

With enough resources, the ministry will be able to afford more personnel to improve the learning environment. Better and even state-of-the-art academic and non-academic facilities can be provided at all schools, like those provided at some private schools and colleges to create a favourable learning atmosphere. This would help draw students to national schools.

A single-type school for all races

Some parents feel there is a lack of student discipline in national schools. Student discipline can be another non-academic issue in national schools that drains teachers’ energy. Teachers are having a real tough time handling delinquency among students.

To overcome this, there has to be an intervention programme so that normal teachers can focus on teaching. With enough funding, perhaps Malaysia could introduce teacher-cops or volunteer cops with police power who would handle disciplinary issues so that teachers can focus on teaching.

With enough funding from the government, regular health checks at schools can help ensure that students are not left behind due to health problems. Support teachers can be employed to help coach weak students with special educational needs so that they can cope with the lessons and need not depend on tuition classes beyond class hours. Teachers can then focus on making sure that each of their students completes the syllabus before moving on.

Teaching can be done in a much narrower and deeper way, with smaller numbers of students in each class. Teachers, for that matter, should not be bogged down with clerical work. Precious time should be spent with students, especially weaker ones. This will help them integrate better with their peers. Schools can then engage specially trained teachers to provide counselling, learning, behavioural and emotional support for students who face minor inadequacies such as dyslexia, autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

With all students going to single-type schools, there should no longer be schools and colleges for only one race. Since they all come under a single education system, schools and colleges should be open to Malaysians irrespective of race so that no one feels discriminated against.

Malaysians should think about adopting a single-type school system that caters to the needs of all races. This is the only way forward for a multiracial and multi-religious Malaysia, to ensure that students grow up to appreciate their differences and be more tolerant of each other.

Moaz Nair is an FMT reader.

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