Let the Chinese schools return to equal status

Written by：Yan Jian Pin

Kwong Wah Yit Poh, August 12, 2016

Based on the principle of “provide education for all people without discrimination”, we seldom heard about the authority of Chinese schools make things difficult for non-Chinese students. Basically, the board of directors of the Chinese schools viewed positively the trend of the increasing number of non-Chinese students; in fact they are more concerned about when will the government treat Chinese schools equally.

According to a two-year research carried out by the National Education Advisory Council, Chinese schools may turn into mainstream schools in 10 years, as the number of Malay parents registering their children already stood at 18 per cent this year.

Although the notion that national schools may be taken over by Chinese schools as the mainstream schools in the future is over exaggerated, it is sure that it will become more and more common that non-Chinese parents are sending their children to Chinese schools. In fact, this trend has emerged in the past ten years, whether in the large Chinese schools in urban areas or the micro Chinese schools in rural areas, non-Chinese students can be seen studying there.

Generally, non-Chinese parents sending children to Chinese schools with the hope that they can learn Chinese language especially nowadays the international status of Chinese language has been greatly elevated. In addition, the learning environment in Chinese schools is also better than national schools.

Many non-Chinese students performed well in government examination, this has also enhanced the confidence of non-Malay parents sending children to Chinese schools, hoping that their children will grow up and become a useful person in Chinese schools. The difference between Chinese schools and national schools is Chinese schools are more discipline, this is also one of the factors non-Chinese parents sending children to Chinese schools.

However, some Chinese have negative perspective on Chinese schools became the choice of non-Chinese parents. To a certain degree they felt that the non-Chinese students are actually sharing the resources of the Chinese community, as most of the Chinese schools are partially-aided schools. Moreover, some people opined that the trend will cause Chinese primary schools to change its characteristic such as the Parents and Teachers Association must accommodate parents who don’t speak Chinese to use Malay language in the meetings.

Actually the negative perspective expressed by some quarters in the Chinese community is understandable, as there is a big difference between Chinese primary schools and national schools in terms of government treatment, it is even more obvious on the hardware facilities in Chinese primary schools which are much inferior to national schools. The big buildings or new facilities in Chinese primary schools are set up on the funds raised by the Chinese community.

Of course, there should be no favor in education, and also it should not be mixed up with narrow racial sentiments, it is not a problem at all for non-Chinese students to study in Chinese schools. Instead, people with Chinese educated background and Chinese educationists should feel proud as it proves that the Chinese education system is being recognized. Besides, this has also enabled the Chinese primary schools to have an important position in this plural society and in national unity.

In fact, most of the board of directors of Chinese school does not focus on the narrow view of accusing the non-Chinese students for sharing the resources of Chinese community; instead they are more concerned that the government must change its policy, and also to seriously review the different treatment accorded to Chinese primary schools and national schools. From another point of view, this will also enable the non-Chinese community particularly the Malay grass root community to understand that Chinese primary schools did not receive equal treatment from the government.

Of course, never think that the government will take the initiative to improve its policy, to certain extend we still need the political means to let the Chinese education return to the status where it can enjoy constitutional protection. The question is who can play the role to lead the government to seriously look into the phenomenon where Chinese primary schools have been receiving deviated treatment for long time?