01-12-2022, 11:40 AM
KUALA LUMPUR – Blaming vernacular schools for inculcating divisive politics, racism, and discrimination is reductive and unfair, said International Movement for a Just World president Chandra Muzaffar.
Instead, he said, a comprehensive study on the matter should be conducted as more students of different ethnicities and teachers of different backgrounds attend vernacular schools these days.
“This is something people have talked about for a long time – that our school system is divisive, which then negatively impacts national unity.
“Personally, it’s something Malaysians must study in depth before concluding if vernacular schools truly divide us.
“I know people who attended Chinese or Tamil schools, yet are very accommodative. At the same time, I know people who went to sekolah kebangsaan (national schools) and have had the chance to mix with other communities, but are quite narrow-minded,” he told The Vibes.
Before 2021 came to an end, the Kuala Lumpur High Court dismissed a 2019 application challenging the constitutionality of vernacular schools in the country.
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