KUALA LUMPUR: A member of Parliament says Umno must understand why many parents choose to send their children to vernacular schools instead of national schools.
"Understand why vernacular schools are the schools of choice for many parents who want quality education for their children. This includes former Umno Youth chief, Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki," said Bukit Bendera MP, Syerleena Abdul Rashid in a statement.
She was commenting on Umno Youth's push for a single-stream school to ensure greater unity and understanding among the different races.
Syerleena said national schools faced infrastructure issues, to the point the government had to allocate funds for the repair of toilets.
"This is almost unheard of in vernacular schools," she said, adding such schools would raise funds on their own and resolve any infrastructure issues.
"Second, is the lack of teachers. The lack of teachers (in national schools) leads to overcrowding and this can affect the focus of teachers and students."
She also said the "ever-changing" syllabus in national schools is seen as a factor in the failure to prepare students for present-day challenges.
Syerleena, of DAP, also cited the lack of resources including funds, equipment, and books, as one of the weaknesses of national schools.
"There is also the gap in the quality of national schools in urban and rural areas."
She proposed the government invest heavily in the infrastructure of national schools, improve training and compensation for teachers, and bridge the gap in the quality of national schools.
"I urge Umno Youth to realise that vernacular schools enrich our education landscape. We cannot overlook the need to improve the quality of national schools.
"Only by acknowledging this diversity, addressing the challenges and weaknesses faced by the national education system, can we produce talent for the future."