The Tunku Mahkota of Johor, in speaking of his vision of “Bangsa Johor” schools eventually replacing vernacular schools, has reignited the debate on the role of the education system in promoting national unity.
He said his proposed Bangsa Johor schools would teach children about unity and respect for all races and religions, and he implied that this was what vernacular schools had failed to do.
There is no denying that having separate school systems cannot not foster national unity as well as having a unified system will.
However, while it is true that in the past vernacular schools catered almost exclusively to the Chinese and Indian communities, this is no longer the case, especially with Chinese schools.
Chinese schools are attracting more and more non-Chinese students each year and should no longer be seen as catering to the Chinese alone.
Just last month, FMT reported that research carried out by the National Education Advisory Council revealed that Chinese schools may, in 10 years, replace national schools as mainstream schools.
There must be a reason for the decision among increasing numbers of non-Chinese parents to send their children to schools which are outside their comfort zones.
Parents will take many things into consideration before deciding which school system to enrol their children into. But at the end of the day, all they want is what they perceive is the best option they can afford for their children.
Instead of seeing vernacular schools as stumbling blocks to unity, perhaps our planners should realise that the key to fostering unity is to have the best education system possible. If the Bangsa Johor schools can accomplish this, then vernacular schools in the state will die a natural death.
However, until national schools are perceived as offering the best public education, there will be parents who opt for non-national schools for their children. If there are no vernacular schools, they will choose private schools, even if they have to pay more money.
When it comes to educating their children, there is no sacrifice most parents would not make.