Monday, May 18, 2009

Satu Sekolah Untuk Semua...

Do you believe that there should only exist in this country singular-language "sekolah kebangsaan" and that vernacular schools should be abolished?

Do you second the call for the government to look into making this a reality?

If you do, do join the Satu Sekolah Untuk Semua campaign and sign the petition.

If having sekolah kebangsaan for all will help fortify national integration and unity, I am all for it.

It is easy to get emotional over this issue, as we have witnessed all this while. Arguments become racial and racist.

Let's not be tempted to fall into the broiling racist stew.

Just ask ourselves if doing away with vernacular schools will help in further forging national unity.

I believe it will. Indeed it will. You need to start somewhere and some time. It will be a long process. But healing.

But I must say here that in tandem with this, the ministry must ensure that national schools are not run like "Malay" or "Islamic" schools.

Because, if we all want national integration and unity, we must eliminate segregation in schools. And segregation cannot be eliminated if our national schools are hotbeds of racial polarisation because the system promotes that. Having very narrow-minded teachers who themselves are poor examples of anak Malaysia does not help.

Indeed, Bahasa Malaysia is our national and official language.
And yes, our schools should have Bahasa Malaysia as its medium of instruction (with the exception of a few subjects). No question about it.

But. let's not force Malay-ness down the throat of our pupils. Because, if you do that, you're not going to get that integration or unity that we so want.

I know of standard one non-Malay kids being humiliated by their teachers for not understanding Malay. I don't know how widespread this is but in 1997, a friend of mine was forced to take her 7 year-old out of school because the child was in fear and trauma from his teacher's unrelenting humiliation and harangement.

The little boy was struggling with a language he was just beginning to learn. His teacher was unforgiving.

But...aah. I am digressing.

In my own secondary school experience, (from 1968 to 1972), I remember classes known as "remove classes".

These classes were of pupils from the Chinese-stream schools. The girls would be placed in these classes to prepare them to be enrolled in regular classes.
Every year, there would be large enrollment of pupils from these schools.

Being proficient in Mandarin, I had many friends among these girls. It was a strange relationship as I'd insist on speaking Mandarin while they insisted on improving their English. (The medium oif instruction then was English.)

Today, more and more Chinese kids are being enrolled in Chinese schools because I believe their parents are either concerned about the prevailing "Malay-ness" and "Islam-ness" of national schools or feel that the standards of these schools have declined, or both.

Meanwhile, we are also seeing more and more Malay children enrolling in in Chinese schools.

My hope is that as we work hard to achieve this objective, we should, at the same time, ensure a high standard of teaching English (in the English language subject) so that our future generation will not lose out in this competitive world.

Bahasa Jiwa Bangsa!
Satu Bahasa, Satu Bangsa, Satu Negara!

23 comments:

hari said...

while at it i suggest that the government also introduces satu universiti untuk semua....why not start a petition for that too....

Unknown said...

UMNO mesti berfikiran positif. Lagi lama Perak berada dalam keadaan krisis, lagi akan menambah kemarahan rakyat kepada Najib. Ditangan Najib ada 'pisau' dan dia ada pengaruh untuk membubarkan DUN Perak.

Kesan dari krisis ini akan memberi imej yang sangat buruk kepada Najib pada pilihanraya umum ke 13 nanti. Malah UMNO dan BN akan kalah lebih teruk dari pilihanraya yang lepas.

BN dan UMNO sebenarnya tidak rugi apa-apa kalau bubarkan DUN Perak kerana sebelum ini Perak memang kepunyaan PR. UMNO tidak hilang apa-apa kalaupun kalah di Perak.

Yang lebih penting kepada UMNO ialah fikirkanlah nasib UMNO pada pilihanraya ke 13 nanti.

Jangan jadi, nak untung secupak rugi segantang.

Anonymous said...

one system national schools ? YES YES YES = in ENGLISH !!

khensthoth said...

"If having sekolah kebangsaan for all will help fortify national integration and unity, I am all for it."

You said "If". I hope that were true too. Sadly, I cannot be sure of it, and I cannot be until there's an impartial studies on it.

"Today, more and more Chinese kids are being enrolled in Chinese schools because I believe their parents are either concerned about the prevailing "Malay-ness" and "Islam-ness" of national schools or feel that the standards of these schools have declined, or both."

That's generally the perception. No one should impart their race, religion or morality onto any other people. Regarding the perceived quality of education in national school instead of vernacular school, we just need to compare the average results for major standardised exams - UPSR to STPM.

I yearn for a one school system, just not under the current one. It is outdated, out-focused, and in a way brainwashes children instead of nurturing them. It's the same in all schools, sadly.

Anonymous said...

Oh ! THE SPIN TEAM is at it again.
Petition pula ! Thats harris's forte

leekh said...

Please get real! Why not call for the abolition of UMNO, MCA, MIC and all types of race-based organizations? It is obvious to everyone that in "our" country, only one race can go round shouting and promoting its race and religion. Other races are supposed to keep quiet. Call for unity and to "fight" for their rights! What will the majority race do? Think Nuraina! Think!
What is wrong if they want to learn their own language? After all they are not depriving the Malays of anything! If you look at the total amount of money spent on education you will see that most of the money - a good guess is that 80% of it, is spent on the Malays! And if you remember who is paying most of the taxes and the official 30% quota, the Malays under the current system never had it so good!
The question that we all should ask is whether the government or the Malays want integration and national unity? Work from there.
But if you really think that there should be one school system, then why dont we start with the best? If the SRJK(C) is the best then logically we should abolish the so called national school and have only the SRJK(C)! We can rename them Malaysian National School! There would not be a problem with BM as the medium of instruction.
Unthinkable? Well if that is the case then you should realize that all those who talk of abolishing the SRJK schools are just interested in that; national integration is far from their minds.
Imagine you should do away with the Science Schools, MARA Colleges, the Premier schools. And then you should remove religion from the school or you should allow all the different types of religious beliefs to be promoted in all "national schools"?
What about the discriminatory policies of promotion of educational officers? How come all the Directors and Assistant Directors of Education and the PPDs and assistants PPDs are Malays? Surely a national system cannot be promoting injustice and inequality. How many of our best officers have been side-lined because of race?
Please investigate into the details of the way the whole MOE is set up before you go round supporting this campaign. DOnt be trapped by racialists who dont have the interests of the nation.

Anonymous said...

Let's look at the irony. I sent my first two children to national school from primary to secondary. What I have gathered from them was that the school administration was racist and the teaching was low standard. Many of the teachers were lazy and not motivated. Most of the time many teachers were absent from classes. School activities that have been allowed also run on racial tone which prohibit certain activities. The racial ranting by some teachers towards certain group of students has been a fact. This is the result of the BTN brainwashing programme by UMNO led government onto the school administrators and some teachers. My sons felt intimidated by all this racism running in the national school. So I send another son to the vernacular primary but to the national secondary school. While at the secindary, he and a few of his malay and indian schoolmates got the support of a malay teacher to form a lion dance club although with some resistance from the school administrator initially. For those "pro-unity", it is not so much as the vernacular school that is anti-unity, it is those racist adults in the schools, especially those who have been brainwashed to be racist, they are the obstacles to unity among the young students. They are the racist bigots that always remind the young minds about the difference among the races, about why some of them will be lesser citizens in this country just because their forefathers generations ago were given citizenships and now these young growing children have to suffer as second class citizens and subjected to discrimination and deprivation which they don't understand, about why human being can be so arrogant to claim to be more superior and to be given priviledges and anyone challenging these priviledges will be deemed arrogant and to be threatened and put to jail....So for you "pro-unity" guys please don't just talk about half the story, go to the full story...how to have unity at the same time you also want to "divide and rule" with special conditions for one group here and there???

Donplaypuks® said...

Dear Nuraina

When I entered Std 1, I had only a smattering knowledge of BM gained from Malay neighbours. But due to good and persevering teachers and encouragement from my parents, I picked it up fairly well.

Many years later, I sat for the Govt paper on History in BM and passed.

So, learning BM will never be a liability. Acquiring any second language can never be a liabilty!

I, although a non-Malay and non-Muslim, am all for doing away with vernacular schools as "our schools should have Bahasa Malaysia as its medium of instruction (with the exception of a few subjects). No question about it" provided:

1. No religion in school includng Islam. Why should taxpayers' fund it?
2. Make Pupils' Own Language mandatory (2 one hr classes per week). I picked up on my own mother-tongue between Std 1-6 at a local SKR.
3. Introduce English Language and English Literature from Std 1. We need to master 1 Euro language. Given English is the lingua franca of the world and most ref books nad the WWW are in Eng, this would be a wise choice.
4. Balance out male:female as well Malay:non-malay teacher, HM and admin staff ratios at schools and Min of Ed.
5. Make graduate entry the minimum qualification for teachers at all levels, while exceptional diploma and non-diploma holding teachers can still be drafted in.
5. Ensure inclusion of compulsory students' participation in extra-curricular activities such debates (BM & Eng), oratory, choir, drama as well as in societies (scouts, school band, science & maths etc), sports and games, at least at inter-class and inter-house levels for the not so gifted.
6. Pay our teachers well and give them due recognition. This system has worked wonders in s'pore!

There are many other points to iron out. But if we get the foundation right, parents on their own will will ensure the 1 School System a resounding success!

Then we can do away with tuition to make up for massive teaching deficiencies and private schools will die a natural death!

"I have a dream..."
http://donplaypuks.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Maybe you do not realise it.

It is seditious to even mention this one school for all.

Btw who give you guys the idea that having separate schools is the cause of national unity?

Please for heavens' sake , look around ... it is not the schools it is the racial politics and narrow agenda by a few.. that is causing disunity.

K L said...

Vernacular schools should mean to include Agama schools as well !
I think we should talk more on knowledge based society rather than language, religion, race and politic !

Totalcare said...

Satu Sekolah Untuk Semua hanya boleh dilaksanakan kalau semua rakyat Malaysia diberi hak yang sama tanpa kira kaum.

Masalah sekarang adalah masalah hak keistimewaan satu kaum tidak boleh diganggu. Apa yang dikatakan 1 Malaysia?

Anonymous said...

Politician come and go. Education system is for the future generations. I am sick and tired of the education system being politisized.We need quality education and make non racist and level headed future generation who will not sell the country for money!

One school system what ever -make sure it is fair for all. No race or religion is above all. All kids are treated eqaully with respect. Rockey is talking about Singapore modle. can we adapt it all. It we can then I am for it!

joenathan said...

Dear Nuraina,

1)To accuse the vernacular schools as per is an astute manipulation of facts.
2)It is like treating a part of the symptom of a disease but completely failing to treat the disease itself.
3)If one fails to identify the root cause of a problem in order to adress it,the problem would never go away.
4)Many of us are for a 1school system and BM has been already accepted as our national langguage,as we need it as a binding force.No doubt about it.So plz dont get emotional,Nuraina.

5)The pertinent questin is,how can one achieve the concept of 1school system,when the so called national school itself is not truly national?

6)How can one achieve it,when we have many schools where students are being segregated as non-malay and malay?

7)How to achieve it,if we have racist institutions like BTN and residential schools and a certain higher learning institute which caters predominantly to a certain ethnic group.Dont you think there are others who are also very poor and need assistance(not hand outs)?

8)How to achieve this object,if we have teachers who suppose to instil good values in young minds,chooses to abuse them racially then gets 'promoted'instead of being reprimanded?

9)How to achieve it if we have 2 different systems to enter the universties?Namely the matriculation and the STPM?

10)In my humble opinion,to achieve a 1school vision,first of all the politically created invisible walls separating the people have to be brought down.

11)To achieve this,we must remove irresponsible,myopic and racially inclined politicians.This means,get rid of race based parties.

12)Just take a look at our parliament proceedings,the so called YBs never fail to throw racial slurs,such despicable acts only degrade and subvert racial cohesion.Its not the vernacular schools.

13)National schools must first be re-structured and treat all students fairly,like they were in the 50s,60s and early 70s.Revamp the history books,get rid of racial,religious and political elements.Hire intelligent and enthusiastic teachers of all ethnicity,but only the best brains.In this way the vernacular schools will die a natural death.Dont you think so,Nuraina?

14)Address the other points I mentioned above,and we can move forward as a strong and a brilliant nation,as we have all the potentials to be one.

15)Well I really cant decipher ,why the govt is reluctant to restructure things for the good of the nation,may be you can enlighten me on this .I probably may have missed some salient points.TQ.

wyk said...

Why is my comment not published? :)
98% of Non-Malay parents will not agree with the suggestion.
You yourself has stated that more & more Malay parents are also sending their children to the Chinese schools.If fact the government statistic says that there are more than 60,000 Malays enrolled in the Chinese school. This means that there is a percentage of Malay parents also do not agree with this suggestion.
In fact I will honest with you, if you really love your children and really care for their up-bringing and education, you should send them to the Chinese schools.
I practise what I preach. I sent my children to the Chinese school. One is a lawyer and another a doctor now - internationally recognised not the syiok diri sendiri recognition.
I can write a full Ph.D thesis on the good points of the Chinese schools, but I do not see the need to bcos you just cannot deny the truth. No free mouthing nor any spin from any blogg can deny that truth, no matter how hard you try. Suffice for me to tell you that because of their Chinese school education my children are no mat rempit nor bosiah, so do all their classmates!
Myopic people please take note, the world out there is ever changing. With the rapid emergence of China, the 21th century is the Chinese century - pl ask where will your children be be if they do not understand Chinese? What more India is also rapidly coming up and Indoenesia attracts more FDI than Malaysia ?
Did these ignorant and myopic people know that a famous American investor has even move his whole family to Singapore so that his children can study Chinese in a predominantly Chinese environment. Open your eyes and ears, come out of your coconut shell to see the real world. Move forward and not backward. That suggestion is very stale.Keep harping on it at your own perils. My children and their children's children are moving/advancing very rapidly forward. If your children believe you, may God have mercy on their future.
As a parting shot, to paraphrase from the film Gone With The Wind : My Dear, ignorance is not a bliss !.

Anonymous said...

Sekolah Vernakular (SJKC dan SJKT) adalah punca utama ketidakserasian dan ketegangan kaum di negara kita tercinta"

Betul? these idiots, I mean patriots, really wanted racial harmony?

What about Ketuanan Melayu and all sorts of racial and religious discriminations which are too painful for most of us to even try to list down.

Rocky talked about the Singaporean model in such a silly manner exposing his unfortunate ignorance. Does he know how many top students from our Independent Chinese Schools were absorbed into Singapore every year? Go read LKY's NO Man Is An Island to understand the position of Chinese Language in the mind of LKY.

Of course I do not expect all these inward looking patriots or idiots to understand that diversity is strength and definitely not a weakness.

There is a saying in Chinese that its no point describing or explaining what snow is all about to certain incects that live only shortly during summer.

One school for all? I say NO! Just like I would say No to one cuisine or one religion or one culture for all.

Dear Nuraina, this is indeed an emotional and painful issue. How can the vernacular schools be blamed for racial disharmony? Do you think NEP, ketuanan Melayu, Bumi non-Bumi identification impliy that there is no sincerity on the part of the present government to promote unity or racial harmony.

Please try to conduct your own soul searching and try to understand our unspoken pain.

Raison D'etre said...

Kak Aina,

Wanted to add my signature to the petition but stopped when I read its preamble in BM.Satu Sekolah untuk siapa was my immediate thoughts.

Good cause wrong nawaitu?

Anonymous said...

look at LKY time of education = GOOD, bukan kah !?

BrightEyes said...

Anon 2:59, it should not be seditious to question anything, especially this matter.

Wyk, as for me... if I ever do have kids... I will not... firstly... send them to a Chinese school. I do not wish to have them turned into automatons that can correctly count, memorize, get straight A's, but cannot think, have a narrow view on life, & possibly suffer academic-related depression in their teens.

On the other hand, most of the national schools have serious issues when it comes to educational quality.

That will unfortunately leave me with the very few remaining good national schools left... like VI, MBS, St.John's, La Salle PJ, or Convent.

And while I support a plan to unify our education system, I cannot support this ham-fisted campaign because of its real agenda. That's not a surprise, if you see the people that came up with it.

wyk said...

Mr/Ms BrightEyes,
t q for taking the time to read my comment.Am sorry for this late reply bcos I was out flying-kite and when I came back, I could not get connected - 3 loud cheers/jeers to Streamyx Boleh ! Malaysia Boleh ! Boleh apa ??? :)
After reading your comment I double check with my children & their classmates on line and throw this Qns on them : R u all automatons, cannot think, have a narrow view of life & suffered from depressions, etc ?
They replied : Uncle, I am an actuary now; Uncle, my girl fren and I are auditors in Vietnam & Uncle they pay our salaries in US dollars!; Uncle, I am a plastic surgeon in USA;Uncle, after much soul searching I am now a Singaporean pursuing my specialist training,my Professor knows u, he was your classmate in Penang, eons ago,he asked me to send his regards; Uncle I am selling my own brands of shampoo,toileteries in Burma, Cambodia & Laos where the competition are not so intense, etc.etc ( rattling away like in The King & I ).
Hmm,I am sorry I cannot agree with you, BrightEyes. But don't take to heart,you do find 'Apiah' in Chinese school but then again the other school system also produce 'Apiah,worst still homo, in addition to what I have mentioned previously.
Nonetheless as a whole, Chinese school is so much better,if I may humbly say with the hope of not offending others - so much more superior relatively speaking.
Good nite/Wan Ann/Selamat malam.

MalayaBoy said...

satu sekolah untuk semua tapi bahasanya nanti bahasa apa? saudari kata dulu menyokong ppsmi. apa bahasa perantara yang sepatutnya di sekolah untuk semua itu kelak?

lagi satu, jika berjaya kempen saudari ini, sanggup ke pulak UiTM dibukak untuk semua? sanggup?

siakap senohong ikan duyung,
cakap bohong lama-lama nanti terlopong.

Anonymous said...

my 2 children were in convent schools in the 80s & luckily they went to the church from sunday schools onwards = speaking good English NOW otherwise ....SIGH !

Anonymous said...

berbanggalah dengan apa yang anda ada dan jangan bersungut terlalu banyak...dah nampak sistem tak betul apa lagi all of you have the rights...next PRU ... faham sendiri lu pikir la sendiri...eei malas nak layan ngan pendapat2 org yg tak berada dilandasan petugas pendidikan...ppsmi is a killer to all races... tak caya tanya la murid2 tu...

Anonymous said...

You are right but I would say its a good try. What makes you think the 40% will just give their rights? Vice versa!