Referring to the survey put up on the ministry’s website on Aug 22, the United Chinese School Teachers’ Association of Malaysia (Jiao Zong) called for those who care about Chinese education to go online and respond to it.
The group had claimed that the questions asked in the survey also contained elements that could be harmful to the existence of Chinese primary schools and hoped more people would be aware of the issue.
Jiao Zong secretary-general Chen Qing Shun said anyone concerned over the status of Chinese education and who wish to protect it should respond to the survey, which the local Chinese daily said was entitled “Five-Year Roadmap for Unity in Education”.
The online survey called for input that will then lead towards policies on unity in schools over the next five years. The closing date for the survey was given as Sept 16.
Two questions in particular alarmed Jiao Zong. They are:
Question 5: “In your opinion, will the introduction of a policy that allows for more racial diversity among the teaching staff in schools lead to greater unity among children in schools?”
Question 12: “If the use of Bahasa Melayu is imposed on students as the compulsory language of communication/interaction in all schools, would such a policy help to create a more unified environment in schools?”
While understanding the intention of the survey and the need to boost national unity, especially in schools, Chen said that he was concerned as to the possible impact on Chinese primary schools should the response in the surveys be turned to policy by the ministry.
According to Sin Chew Daily, Jiao Zong would be meeting with Deputy Education Minister Chong Sin Woon, to discuss the survey and its implications.
Click here to respond to the survey.