The racially-based streaming of classes at Sekolah Kebangsaan Pelabuhan Kelang where Indian students placed among the top five in their form are relegated to the second class is outrageous, against national unity, the Rukunegara, the Vision 2020 and Bangsa Malaysia concept.
The Education Ministry should take firm exemplary action to suspend and discipline all those responsible for such racial segregation of students as a lesson to all education ministry officials, principals and teachers to be model Malaysians rather than racists.
What is the use of the government talking about Vision Schools to promote national unity when Education Ministry officials and principals are allowed to turn schools into racial ghettoes by racially-based streaming of classes?
The reason given for such racial streaming of classes - to make it easier to conduct religious classes for the children and for the benefit of weaker pupils - is completely unacceptable and raises the disturbing question whether this is one of the immediate consequences of the government declaration that Malaysia is an Islamic state.
There are many things which are very wrong with the education policy,
measures and practices in the country, and Abdullah should exercise
pro-active oversight of the Education Ministry, as in also calling on Musa
to explain other outrageous educational practices, such as:
In today’s Star, the Malaysian Academic Movement (MOVE) chairman
Dr. Wan Abdul Manan Wan Muda confirmed the existence of the outrageous
and unreasonable regulations governing the conduct of research projects
in Malaysia by foreigners or Malaysians studying in foreign universities
which are totally inimical to the twin concepts of academic freedom
and excellence.
Wan Abdul Manan said that such a policy had already been in place for many years and he urged the Government to lift restrictions on local academics.
The question is why local academicians and their representative organisations had not protested against these ridiculous and unreasonable regulations, in particular the most recent one forcing local academicians to be “spies” over foreign researchers.
It is sad that I had to learn of these ridiculous and outrageous regulations on research students and scholars from overseas (including Malaysians in foreign universities) when I visited London last week from aggrieved research students and scholars, raising the question as to why the Malaysian academic movement has become so tame and submissive in the protection and promotion of the legitimate academic interests in the country. Under these circumstances, what right or hope has Malaysia to claim to want to be a knowledge economy and information society?
(18/12/2001)