MALAYSIA’S multiple-stream school system is a reflection of the country’s diversity, said Parents Action Group for Education (PAGE).

“The people of Malaysia are a multitude of sorts. Our strength is in our colourful diversity. Our education system reflects the spirit of what is Malaysia,” the education pressure group told The Malaysian Insight.

The group was commenting on Prime Minister Najib Razak’s claim that the country’s segregated school system is a bane for unity.

PAGE believes that attempts to impose a single school system on Malaysia’s diverse ethnic and religious groups in the name of unity would do more harm than good.

“If a single education system is introduced now, we believe there will be more disunity along the way,” said the group.

It said if the Education Ministry were to impose national schools on all Malaysians, all other types of schools: Chinese, Tamil, religious, tahfiz, international and boarding schools would have to be phased out.

“To non-Malays, as it is with Malays, our cultures are crucial to our survival. To take away vernacular schools is to kill age-old cultures,” it said.

“After all, ‘one-size-does-not-fit-all’ has been the mantra of the Education Ministry. To seek an imaginary and supposedly perfect single education system in the belief that it will unite the people has yet to be proven, and goes against the grain of our multitude and diversity.”

PAGE said English-medium schools had united Malaysians in the past and were popular in the early years of independence.

However, after the May 13 tragedy in 1969, the government decided to strengthen Malay-medium schools and phase out English-medium schools.

While Chinese vernacular schools became more competitive over the years, many Malay-medium schools are still struggling to raise their academic standards.

“Recently, the belief that liberalising international schools would revive and strengthen (Malay-medium) national schools didn’t materialise either,” said PAGE.

Rather than vying for a single-stream system, PAGE said the government should focus on improving the quality and delivery of the existing multiple streams schools in the national education system.

The group said it is more important to instil inquisitiveness, creativity, problem-solving skills and language fluency among Malaysian youth to promote unity.

“Our children should occupy themselves with self-development, growing the nation together and enjoying an enriching and balanced way of life,” said PAGE.

Yesterday, opposition politicians and education activists slammed Najib for his “hypocrisy” in blaming Malaysia’s multiple-stream school system as a cause of disunity.

They said BN should look in the mirror as the ruling coalition is guilty of exploiting ethnic and religious sensitivities to keep itself in power. – February 25, 2017.