HIS vision school policy never took off on the scale he envisioned but Dr Mahathir Mohamad believes it’s still the answer to Malaysia’s problems with national harmony.
He also believes that vision schools can resolve the politicisation of education, the portfolio he now handles following the resignation of Dr Maszlee Malik earlier this month.
In a breakfast interview in Langkawi recently, the prime minister said educational issues are no longer being analysed or discussed for their merits and benefits to pupils and the country but dragged down by political rhetoric.
The issue of national schools and vernacular schools is an example of how education has been politicised.
This, he said, could be resolved by vision schools, whereby national schools, Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools are housed together under one roof so that pupils learn, play and eat together with the aim of building an integrated Malaysian identity.
Dr Mahathir introduced the policy during his first tenure as prime minister from 1981 to 2003. Today, only five vision schools exist.
Dr Mahathir spoke of his frustration over the way something as fundamental as education is being politicised, making the government’s work difficult.
“When the government makes a decision, people (should) see it as the right decision, we are not making decisions for one group or the other.
“But now the pressure is so strong… (until some say) we will not support (the government) and all that.
“Everything is politicised. It is unfortunate,” he said.
This is the first time Dr Mahathir has spoken about the education system extensively since taking over the portfolio earlier this month.
His statement comes hot on the heels of the introduction of Jawi writing to year four vernacular school pupils, which saw months of racial and religious rhetoric as the public debated the issue.
Middle ground
Dr Mahathir stands his ground that vision schools will unite Malaysians who are enrolled in separate schools, according to the medium of instruction.
He, however, admitted that implementation is not easy.
“Vision schools are a little bit of a problem. We are very tolerant. We allowed a lot of things demanded of the government.
“No other country is as tolerant as Malaysia,” he said, referring to the government’s position on vernacular schools to allow the use of mother-tongue languages, instead of a single language, as a medium of instruction.
He cited examples of countries which only use the national language as the medium of instruction.
In the Malaysian context, critics of vernacular schools have cited this method as the best way to ensure racial integration and national harmony, but vernacular education groups have resisted.
The government’s support for vernacular schools has driven a wedge between its pupils and those who attend national schools which use the national language, Bahasa Melayu, he said.
“Language identifies your nationality. If you want to learn other languages, that’s fine.
“But you hold to a system (of education) in a different language (that is to the national language), then you are separating people.”
Chinese education group Dong Zong has opposed the vision school concept since Dr Mahathir’s administration approved it in 1997, on grounds that they will erode the identity of Chinese vernacular schools.
Dong Zong’s objections drew sharp rebuke from Dr Mahathir, who called the group “extremist” for opposing an effort to unite Malaysia’s different racial groups through education.
The first vision school was established in Subang Jaya, Selangor and commenced operations in 2002.
There others are two in Perak, and one in Penang and Kedah.
The latest education issue to pit Dr Mahathir against Dong Zong is the introduction of three pages of Jawi in the Bahasa Melayu textbook for year four vernacular school pupils.
Following Dong Zong’s opposition, Dr Mahathir called the group “racist” and said it always objected to the government’s plans for education.
The failure of vision schools was mentioned by Dr Mahathir in an interview with The Malaysian Insight, where he expressed regret that the policy stalled after he stepped down in 2003.
After he took over the education portfolio on January 3, another Chinese group, LLG Cultural Development, was quick to say it didn’t want a revisit of old policies, such as vision schools and the teaching of science and mathematics in English (PPSMI). – January 22, 2020.
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Posted 4 years ago by Jordan Lee · Reply
Now with the STEM programs, education will be brought one step forward further. Your focus on the vision schools will pay off in due time.
Independent schools are nothing to be afraid off. They are born out of circumstances and should be allowed to exist in a democratic society.
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