| Don’t forget Tamil schools, ministry told |
| Apr 16, 08 2:41pm
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| Government consultation on vernacular education issues must not remain within the context of Chinese schools only, stressed Klang DAP MP Charles Santiago. He said the process should also include all other vernacular schools.
Although Santiago agree with the initiative undertaken by Deputy Education Minister Dr Wee Ka Siong to set up a coordinating unit with Chinese educationist group Dong Jiao Zong (DJZ) to liaise on Chinese education affairs, he nevertheless believed that more must be done. “The unit should be opened to all mother tongue education NGOs, including the Tamil Foundation and indigenous community representatives. “It’s the deputy education minister’s responsibility to solicit opinion from all communities that have been marginalised by the education policy,” said Santiago in a statement issued today. Apart from mere consultation, Santiago also believed that the consultation mechanism should be legislated to affirm its position in order to avoid sensitive troubles that may arise later. “The Ministry of Education has taken a good approach that resolves vernacular school problems premised on discussions and consensus instead of making decision in a unilateral manner. “It should regulate the consultation mechanism which is within the ministry’s jurisdiction,” he added. Build more vernacular schools He said that the matters that the coordinating unit should also concentrate include “adequate and sufficient allocations and to abolish the discriminating fully-subsidised and half-subsidised policy”. He also urged the unit to look into the review of the policy of using English as teaching medium for mathematics and science and to re-open the SRJK (C) Damansara. Santiago said that only be doing there would the government be seen as being serious in tackling vernacular education issues. He added that it was important that these were done with the participation of all the affected communities. He said that the ministry’s new unit must also take cognisance to a report by DJZ that about 98 Chinese primary schools were needed in the Kang Valley alone. “For Klang alone, seven Chinese primary schools and at least two new Tamil schools are needed to accommodate the growth in the number of students. As the parliamentarian for Klang, I am willing to join the coordinating unit as Klang’s representative,” said Santiago. |
17 April, 2008
Charles Santiago: Build More Vernacular Schools
Posted by charlessantiago under General News/Issues, Interventions[2] Comments
20 April, 2008 at 11:35 pm
It is true that we need more schools in Klang but before I wholeheartedly jump in to say “yea” for more chinese schools, I would like to suggest that the system on how it is run be looked into.
Having a child in that system has definitely opened my eyes (my main aim of sending my child to a chinese medium school is for him to gain an additional language). The system is too demanding on the children and actually leaving them feeling stressful and pressurized.
They are also making the children taking on tuition classes that most of the time are just making them do the same work without correcting the mistakes that the children have made earlier. It is a total waste of time.
24 April, 2008 at 11:06 pm
More vernacular schools? Chinese schools may produce smart kids but they lose out on EQ.Their teachers are a stressed out lot who use severe punishments to “bring out the best in kids”.Tamil schools are a sorry state with demoralized teachers and in dire need of fascilities.
Why not make Sekolah Kebangsaan so attractive that parents would rush to register their kids? If only SK schools would do away with impressive paper work which is deceptive and unproductive,confine religious practices to themselves and have good management.The SK’s have it all. What is needful is a paradigm shift.