Negaraku in Mandarin to help pupils, no encore

Updated 6 years ago · Published on 7 Dec 2019 10:41AM · 3 Comments

Negri Sembilan officials say the Negaraku incident shows more needed to be done to improve pupils’ understanding of the national language. – EPA file pic, December 7, 2019.

A TEACHER of a vernacular school in Seremban had translated the national anthem into Mandarin so her pupils could understand it, reported The Star.

Negri Sembilan education, entrepreneurship, investments and industrialisation committee chairman Mohamad Rafie Ab Malek said the pupil involved were in Standard 5.

He did not say what action would be taken but the incident should not to be repeated as Negaraku should only be sung in the national language.

“It is not proper to sing Negaraku in any other language,” he was quoted as saying, adding that more should be done to ensure vernacular school pupils improved their Bahasa Malaysia.

A short video of schoolchildren singing the national anthem in Mandarin has been making the rounds on social media since yesterday.

Rafie said investigations found that the video was recorded in September last year.

He added that the incident showed more should be done to ensure pupils in primary schools had a better grasp of the national language.

Education director-general Amin Senin yesterday said the singing of the national anthem in Mandarin had not been done at any official event of the school, and took place in a classroom.

He added although it was translated into Mandarin to help the pupils, schools to exercise discretion when national symbols were involved to avoid misunderstanding.

He said under the National Anthem Act 1968, Negaraku must not be altered or amended in any way regardless of where it was performed. – December 7, 2019.

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Comments

  • The teacher has cow sense.

    Posted 6 years ago by Tanahair Ku · Reply

  • Wow, these self appointed moral police will pounce on every opportunity to show their false sense of superiority.

    Posted 6 years ago by J Zhen · Reply

  • Not only mandarin.. should be in Tamil as well. Barulah muhibbah! And definitely not in Arabic.

    Posted 6 years ago by Kinetica Cho · Reply