LETTER: Intercultural and multicultural education is becoming more popular.
Malaysia is well known for our multicultural society with hundreds of years of history. But do we really understand and embrace multiculturalism?
To be able to confidently say we are a multicultural society, several requirements must be met.
They include understanding and recognising cultural diversity, mutual respect for differences, celebrating rather than tolerating differences, valuing other cultures' traditions, proactive and encouraging cultural contributions and being open-minded.
Some people worry that if their children are exposed to diverse cultures and thinkings, they may be swayed towards other cultures that do not fit in with their own.
These misconceptions need to be addressed with education. Children may look very well-behaved outwardly, but with the advancement of technology, we need to educate them clearly about morality, cultures and lifestyles.
When trying to foster mutual respect for differences, we may face challenges when some groups feel they are more superior than others.
Every child is born into a family, a community or a society that has a culture, a moral system and a comprehensive way of life.
Thus, it is only fair to respect all cultures without biases and that calls for multicultural education at all levels in our nation, including formal and informal multicultural education.
One of our neighbouring countries has "Unity in Diversity" as its main philosophy and way of life.
We, too, often speak about it in formal settings, but more needs to be done to walk the talk.
Tolerance is not needed in nations that embrace mutual respect. We in Malaysia should celebrate our differences rather than tolerate them.
Valuing other cultures not only creates a harmonious society, it also builds a solid group of citizens who can stand tall with all, locally and internationally.
We can weave a strong multicultural wall that holds pain and gain together in all aspects of life by valuing ourselves and those around us.
We must go beyond race, religion, colour and creed. It is time we transformed our education to focus on human flourishment rather than just human capital.
We need to be culturally confident no matter where we come from. Are we there yet?
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR DR VISCHALACHE BALAKRISHNAN
Coordinator of SULAM@Service Learning, Universiti Malaya Initiator of Service Learning International for 21st Century Education
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times