EDUCATION: The sooner the better

2009/11/05

JOE CHELLIAH, Seremban

IT is heartening to note that the idea of having a single-stream school system for better national unity has finally reached Parliament and is supported by lawmakers from both sides of the political divide.

As far as I know, there is no other country in the world that has five to six types of education for their children, as is the case in Malaysia.

We have an assortment of national (Malay), Chinese, Tamil, Arabic, madrasah and international (English) types of schools.

National unity is the primary aim and focus of the Razak Report of 1956 that laid the foundation for education in Malaysia. Having our children schooled in different types of schools and in various media of instruction has not worked out well in bringing about the desired outcome.

Even having Bahasa Malaysia as a compulsory subject in the different schools has not brought about true national unity as envisaged in the Razak Report.

Perhaps the time is ripe for us to work towards a single-stream school system for all children as is happening everywhere else in the world.

However, I believe that it would be better to start from the early years instead of waiting to implement it only at the secondary level.

Habits, attitudes and prejudices tend to be irreversibly entrenched in the young by the time they reach puberty.

By then, it may be too late and it becomes increasingly difficult to change mindsets and outlooks that have been entrenched.