By Saiful Bahri Kamaruddin

Pix Shahiddan Saidi

BANGI, 24 March 2015 – Serious efforts are needed to transform national schools so that they become acceptable to all communities.

Participants at a forum in The National University of Malaysia (UKM) have agreed unanimously that national schools have to change to reflect the aspirations of all Malaysians, and not just one community.

They acknowledged the present situation cannot continue as it will jeopardize efforts to unite the country and the credibility of the education system.

This forum called ‘Empowering Schools For Quality and Integration’ was jointly organized by the Institute of Ethnic Studies (KITA) at UKM, The National Council of Professors (MPN) and the Ministry of Education and chaired by KITA Principal Fellow Prof Dato’ Dr Teo Kok Seong.

They admitted that national schools had deteriorated in terms of not only the entry of non-Malay students, but some Malay parents also think twice before enrolling their children to the schools.

One of the four panelists of the forum Prof Dato’ Dr Zakaria Kasa said the Ministry of Education has set a target within 15 years (2030), that  national schools will be among the top three in the world.

What is important, said Prof. Zakaria, is the quality of national schools and acceptance by all parties, regardless of race with teaching staff made up of diverse ethnic composition.

According to him, this target will also reduce the achievement gap of pupils while providing value and experience shared by accepting diversity and efficiency. It is a system that maximizes revenue and student achievement.

“Before the year 2011, many Indian and Chinese students studied in national primary schools. In 2011 many students went to vernacular school,” he explained.

Prof Zakaria, who is the Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) and MPN member, said national secondary schools should unite students of all races, unlike private schools.

Many Muslim students chose to enter the religious secondary schools.

He blamed the British for creating an education system that allowed the Chinese and Tamil medium schools apparently to be fair but fostered social divisions.

However, another speaker Dato’ Hassan Mad of the Malay Consultative Council does not believe that the British deliberately created a divisive society through the school education system in the country.

“I do not agree that the colonial powers were to blame. Look at Singapore, they have no vernacular schools,” said Dato’ Hassan.

He said, when Malaysia became independent we should have assigned only one national school system with a single language of instruction while other languages ​​were taught as subjects.

He challenged educators to be courageous and ‘take back the responsibility of teaching’.

He also advised parents not to pass the buck of responsibility of their children’s discipline and education entirely to teachers.

“Parents should have children who are disciplined and smart to be sent to school. Do not blame teachers when kids play truant or drop out,” he added.

In the meantime another panel member Hashim Mohd Zain from the Ministry of Education raised the issue of deteriorating quality and teachers who are less motivated.

“More and more parents of non-Malays reject the school as an institution of national unity because of too much religious activity (Islam) such as the practice of prayers at formal and informal gatherings, including in the school canteens.

“However, some Malay parents complain of not enough religious activities,” he said.

Conversely, there are also Malay parents confident with Chinese schools because of the perception of broader career opportunities and the higher quality of the teaching of science and mathematics.

Jonaidi Osman of the National Union of Teachers (KPPK), said it supports the strengthening of national schools.

Jonaidi said it was unfair for parents blame the teachers for the deteriorating quality of teaching and discipline.

According to him there are double standards in perception between national schools and Chinese schools.

“The national schools when you give a lot homework, parents will complain. Chinese and Tamil schools have even more homework, “ he said.

In general, there are enough qualified teachers, but there are constraints in national schools.

“Too many teachers have to implement too many programmes. Some teachers wake up at 3 am to key in content of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) of pupils,” he added.

However, he believed that the situation in national schools is not as severe as reported in the newspapers.

About 100 headmasters, principals and district education officers attend this lively forum which lasted two and a hours.