PUTRAJAYA should focus on improving the national education system rather than trying to establish elite kindergartens, said academics.

The plan is unnecessary, they said, as elite preschools would only create social gaps and erode unity.

These academics told The Malaysian Insight that there are bigger educational issues to sort out first, including lifting the standard of teaching and providing better schools in rural areas.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Sharifah Munirah Alatas asked if the elite kindergarten proposal is to divert the people’s attention away from the real problem in the country’s education system.

“The government should focus on the real problems, such as educational access for the poor, low quality of teachers, corruption involving education funds and the bad infrastructure in rural areas in Sabah and Sarawak.

“These are the issues that we should be focusing on. Not to create elite kindergartens,” she told The Malaysian Insight.

The idea, she said, is a form of discrimination that could lead to a bigger gap between the rich and the poor.

Naming a government educational institution as “elite” will also sow hatred among Malaysians, she added.

On Tuesday, Deputy Rural Development Minister Abdul Rahman Mohamad was reported as saying the ministry plans to set up elite preschools under Kemas for M40 children, who will pay higher fees.

A working paper is being drawn up on the initiative, which will see improved facilities and learning modules.

If the proposal gets the nod, Kemas (Community Development Centre) will carry out a pilot project, which will eventually expand to 150 kindergartens nationwide.

According to Rahman, the number is less than 1% of the existing 10,900 kindergartens for non-elite citizens, and would involve science, technology, religion, engineering, arts and mathematics modules.

The opposition criticised immediately the proposal.

Rahman then gave an assurance that there will be no difference in the quality of education between the elite kindergartens and existing ones.

Contradicting education plan

Sharifah Munirah said if it’s true that there is no difference in the co-curriculum and teacher learning methods, why the need for an elite kindergarten in the first place.

The overall education system is already chaotic, she said.

“Until now we have not been able to resolve the bilingual issue, as well as the issue of national and vernacular schools.

“So why does the government want to introduce another dimension in a chaotic system?”

UKM senior lecturer Dr Teo Kok Seong shares Sharifah Munirah’s views, saying that the plan is inappropriate and contradicts the aspirations of the National Education Development Plan 2013-2015.

The plan has five thrusts, including access to education for all races, equal education and to close the gap between races, genders, cities and rural areas, he said.

“This public term covers all citizens regardless of the rich, poor, urban or rural people. It must be equal for all.

“Indeed, we are very surprised by the thinking of our leaders to the point of wanting a social classification while our goals are to close the gap.

“But what message do we want to convey to the people if we want social classes?”

He did not reject the idea that elite kindergartens are purely for profit.

“Of course, if you do not want to make money, why open kindergartens for children whose parents can afford to pay more?

“But making money is not the government’s affair, it is the private sector’s affair. Let the government take the taxes from the private sector. The government’s job is to provide the best education equally if possible, but we understand it is quite impossible to do.”

Elite kindergartens would only damage unity, he said.

“Kindergarten is the stage where you form the children’s characteristics. They should be taught how to respect each other, whether the poor or not, but what we are doing is we are dividing them.

“And even now, there are elite schools and if possible, the government should slowly abolish them. This is not good for unity. What is special about these schools?”

Former deputy prime minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail slammed the proposal for elite kindergartens, saying that it would widen the gap between the high- and middle-income groups.

“I urge the government to dismiss the suggestion to build such kindergartens as it will widen the gap between the B40 and T20 groups.

“Malaysia should be taking steps to democratise the education system for early childhood education to provide equal and quality education to all,” said the former women, family and community development minister in a statement yesterday. – October 5, 2020.