Chew: Instead of forging unity, it could harm Malaysia’s multi-linguistic charm

Chew: Instead of forging unity, it could harm Malaysia’s multi-linguistic charm

Hello there!: Chew (front) and other state MCA officials arriving at the venue of the forum attended by 228 teachers and educators.

 

GEORGE TOWN: Single-stream education will not help to promote national unity but could dampen the advantage of the country, said MCA vice-president Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun.

“Malaysia is the only country with a multi-stream education system where students are allowed to study in their mother tongue.

“This is what make Malaysia unique and it helps to increase our global competitiveness, and people around the world look at Malaysians as people who are talented in languages,” she said in her speech at a Chinese Education forum at the Tunku Abdul Rahman University College Penang branch hall in Tanjung Bungah yesterday.

Chew, who described the idea of adopting a single-stream education as short-sighted, said not only Chinese families send their children to vernacular schools but other races do the same as they are aware that being fluent in Mandarin gives them an advantage.

“Therefore, to implement a single-stream education system in Malaysia will lead to a lack of knowledge in the students’ mother tongue and this will reduce the competitiveness of our future generation.

“Being fair to all races will help to promote national unity, and education should not be blamed for racial harmony issues. Even coun-tries like Bangladesh and Pakistan formed by a single race and religion are facing such issues,” she said.

Chew added that the party had high expectations of the newly appointed deputy education minister Senator Chong Sin Woon who will follow what Datuk Wee Ka Siong had done in dealing with education matter.

Forum Organising chairman Ong Tang Chuan, the Bukit Mertajam MCA division vice-chairman, urged teachers to not focus on the students’ results so much, but to focus instead on the learning process.

“Certificates are not everything, teachers should not give up on students who are poor in their studies as they could be talented in other ways.”

A total of 228 teachers and educators from Chinese vernacular schools in Penang, Perlis and Kedah attended the two-day forum.

Also present were Penang MCA deputy chairman Tan Teik Cheng and secretary Dr Tan Chuan Hong.