Let me make it extremely clear that I attended a national primary school from 1998 to 2003 and a national secondary school from 2004 till 2008. Yeah, the memories were just wonderful, the experiences heart-warming and the friends I made will be treasured for a lifetime. But throughout my 11 years of academic pursuit, there is one particular issue that I think I have the responsibility to highlight, which is the distinct segregation of races in the schools of Malaysia.
First, let me walk back through the majestic memory lanes of my childhood schooldays. In primary school, we were like brothers: I don't mind if I shared my keropok with Kumar, played hide and seek with Taufik or stood up for Mandhir Singh when he was bullied. Regardless of race, we played together till we got struck in the buttocks by the discipline master, joked together till the whole class looked like a circus, teased the teacher together till she cried, went spider-hunting together in haunted forests and participated in many activities a restless child could possibly think off, always abundant with laughter and pure joy. I really miss those days. Unfortunately, the recent trends that I witnessed over the last few years hasn't painted a rosy impression at all to me. Things have changed for the worse.
Today, ever since we were young innocent angels who were as naive as we were colour-blind, we have been irrationally separated from the other races from the first day we attend primary school. The Malays attend national schools, the Chinese dominated SRJK(C)s and the Indians were the indisputable majority in SRJK(T)s. I was shocked to hear from my younger brother who was from a Chinese primary school that there were only 3 Malays and no Indians at all in his school. But I guess you can't expect more than that. But what shocked me even more is when I heard that my former national primary school has only 5 non-Malay pupils this year. Our last hope, the sekolah kebangsaan which acts as a tool for racial bonding, has failed us.
How are we supposed to practice racial integration when the young generation, at such a tender age, have already been pulled apart from each other? How are children supposed to know the cultures of other races, to respect the customs of other races and to forge close bonds with the other races? What for do we learn the Malay idiom of "melentur buluh biarlah dari rebungnya"?
When these generation of pupils continue their education in secondary schools, I wouldn't say the scenario has even changed one bit. The elite Malays who scored in their UPSR examinations go in hordes to boarding schools, Sekolah Sains and Sekolah Agama all over Malaysia. In the case of some who did stay at regular day schools, they will also eventually depart to Maktab Rendahs and institutions sponsored by MARA after PMR. So, what do we get at regular day schools, like my school for instance? You don't need a Mathematics professor to tell that there are more non-Malays than Malays!
And it doesn't end there. I can bear witness that the different races do not mix together at all! The Chinese will gather in one spot in the classroom, the Malays in another and the Indians in another. What do you expect when everyone speaks their own mother tongue? How can a Malay mingle with a group of Chinese who communicate in Mandarin? And then comes the so-called "Kelas Rancangan Khas" where academically excellent Malays are placed in the top two classes while the non-Malays are taught in other classes. Can you imagine how ridiculous this school policy is? What does the "perpaduan kaum" and "saling menghormati antara kaum" mean in our Moral classes when we can barely see the faces of other races, what more understand them?
Sorry to say, it still doesn't end here. Over the years as a person active in co-curricular activities, I can honestly say only a blind man cannot witness the dominance of one race in every single club and society. For example, the Interact Club, Leo Club, St.John Ambulance, Tae Kwan Do and Chinese Society have almost 95 percent non-Malay members. On the other hand, the Malays make up most, if not all, of the Kadet Polis, Kadet Remaja, Kadet Bersatu, Bomba, Persatuan Bahasa Melayu and Silat societies. I believe the situation is similar in almost every school in Malaysia. Go ask any student and I bet they will tell you the same thing. That's why I call my friend dumb when he wrote co-curricular activities as the main point in his essay of "Cara-Cara Memupuk Perpaduan Kaum di Sekolah".
What about higher education? Needless to say again, the non-Malays will opt for the STPM and private colleges while the Malays will enter Matrikulasi, UiTM, UIAM and many other public universities. You see, the races in Malaysia are as if living in different worlds since they were young till they enter the workforce as adults. Something is seriously wrong with the education system and a total immediate revamp is needed for the sake of our country before it is too late. It is silly because as we speak proudly of a first-world nation in Wawasan 2020 with our heads held high, it is a shame that the very foundation of our country's development is being shattered by irresponsible policies and myopic mentalities of Malaysians.
Before I end this article, I want to share something with you all. As I passed by my mum's school where she is a teacher, I saw the most beautiful sight I could ever hope for. A Malay girl running with adorable chuckles chased by an Indian and a Chinese girl who were laughing so happily, oblivious to the outside world without any worries whatsoever. They were playing a game of chasing, just like when I was young a long time ago. Immediately, the barriers of my emotions broke down and tears flew down my cheeks. You don't need a PhD in Psychology to know why I cried. Even a 17 year old like me understands that.
Check out my other blog
here!
7:49 AM
Wei Jiet
