chinese schools not culprit after all?

So Utusan Malaysia has decided to calm down after having played the racial card in response to MCA's request for more Chinese type schools in urban areas where demand clearly exceeds supply.

Unfortunately, the action may be too little too late when the media has managed to squeeze in reports such as this from our former prime minister. The public has certainly been riled up, the evidence in the countless letters to the editor of MalaysiaKini, as shown in this list:

• "Malay-ness" of national schools tragic
• Mandarin: language of the future
• Don't deny our children their education
• No public confidence in education system
• National schools poorly managed

I still can't understand why issues such as this are always discussed from the racial point of view. My best guess is the need for the ruling coalition of Barisan Nasional to appease the respective communities that each component party represents. It's the only advantage that they have to keep their firm grasp on the power they wield over the people of Malaysia. Divide and rule, each race party - UMNO for Malays, MCA for Chinese, MIC for Indians - seemingly working in harmony, but in fact just playing a cleverly designed game. Some observers note that the whole fiasco of UMNO and MCA playing political ping-pong is in the hopes of garnering support from the resepctive race.

The amazing thing now is the "truthful" speech emerging from former PM Tun Mahathir, pleading the public not to be too "nationalistic" when it comes to education. However, many citizens of today remember the good days when English medium schools were aplenty, and the standard of education was something to be proud of. However, citing racial unrest as the key justification, the entire education system was revamped to provide a "more equal playing ground" to redistribute economical power. In plain terms, it means providing special assistance to the underachieving Malay race. Hence education in Bahasa Malaysia was promoted as the ultimate saviour to education. Some 20 years later, analysts realize the negative repercussions emerging from this "nationalistic" education system (which incidentally was suggested by Tun M himself). English is being reintroduced to sciences and mathematics.

But why?

The argument is that many science and mathematics journals, books and references are written in the English language. Also, the Malay language is inadequate to handle al the scientific terms that appear, frequently resorting to "direct translation" or "borrowed words". Hence the supposed importance of English.

So what does politics have to do with any of this? Nothing at all! Education is the same no matter what language it is taught in. Some languages are better suited for certain subjects like the sciences, while subjects such as history could be better off being taught in Malay. Then again, subjects such as basic math could be better conveyed using the often monosyllabic Chinese language. All that matters is the knowledge that can be transfered from teacher to student, and from student to student.

But in the end, it is the schools' administration and the teachers that implement any policy the government has set. Schools are an avenue for students to receive knowledge and education. Rote memorization will get you nowhere. Exam-centric syllabus will not encourage imagination and creativity. It has been observed that SRJK(C)'s produce better students: more hardworking, disciplined and resilient. But are these students all-rounders, or mere examination achievers?

On the other hand, national schools do promote unity by allowing different cultures to mingle in an open environment. What the authorities need to do is to remove the "religious connotations" in national schools. Let the school be the place solely for education of all citizens. Let's not rush in to impose our supposed "values" toward others. Let the pupils decide for themselves.