Academicians press for single stream schools

The result of the 13th general election which has triggered the issue of national integration has given rise to calls for vernacular schools be changed to single stream schools to strengthen national unity.

The calls were made by academicians who were of the opinion that the problems of racial unity in the country were caused from an inconsistent schooling system, with the existence of schools of various streams.

Universiti Technologi Mara (UiTM) pro-chancellor Tan Sri Dr Abdul Rahman Arshad said vernacular schools developed at a faster pace and that only 10 percent of non-Malays studied in national schools.

"The rest are in vernacular schools. It is clear that racism is expanding widely, this continues with private secondary chools and national-type secondary schools," he said at the 'GE13 Post Mortem Discourse: Leadership Discussion and Survival of the Muslim Community' here, today.

He said if before the British implemented the divide and rule concept on education, now education "is dividing."

"Nowadays if said in this manner, it will be regarded as an accusation, but if we still allow such schools, don't ever hope to talk about unity, it will only be lip service," he said.

A more strident tone was used by former Appeals Court judge Datuk Mohd Noor Abdullah who wanted national-type schools (SJKs) to be done away with because they were not recognised under the constitution.

"SJKs only disunite the people. We should now have government primary schools, government secondary schools. The existing SJKs should be changed to government schools.

"Every student studies in the same classroom, eats at the same canteen, plays in the same court. Then we can strengthen national integration," he said.

This should be supported by the whole Malaysian society, he said, regarding those who disagreed with a single stream school as anti-unity.