Vernacular schools will not be sidelined

The National Education Blueprint 2013-2015 does not intend to sideline any vernacular schools which exist in this country, said Education director-general Tan Sri Abd Ghafar Mahmud, today.

Abd Ghafar emphasised that the Education Ministry will ensure that every government and government assisted school received access, equity and quality education.

"The existence of National Type Schools (SJK) is also enshrined in the Education Act 1996 (Section 28) and further strengthened in the Blueprint (Chapter 7, pages 7-16)," he said in a statement.

The statement was issued in response to a memorandum from the United Chinese Schools Committees Association of Malaysia or better known as Dong Zong, querying the status of Chinese education.

A total of 20 Dong Zong, led by its chairman Dr Yap Sin Tian, had presented the memorandum to Minister in Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz, on Sept 26.

Abd Ghafar said the government had no intention of changing the status or features of national-type schools and that even the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister had mentioned that Malaysia had the edge from various legacies, being the only country, outside of China, to have national-type Chinese schools.

Abd Ghafar also said it was not accurate to say that additional time given to Bahasa Malaysia, to 570 minutes a week, may jeopardise their mother tongue.

He said the additional time was only for students in rehabilitation classes at SJKC who were weak in the language, who were only about 30 per cent of the students.

"The Primary School Standard Curriculum (KSSR) has been implemented in stages since 2011 beginning with Year 1. In 2014, this 2011 Year 1 cohort will be in Year 4 (Level 2 KSSR). "The increase in Bahasa Malaysia learning time for the Level 1 SJKC is from 270 to 300 minutes, while for Level 2, from 180 to 270 minutes, " he said.