Disclaimer -
I am not interested nor do not wish to get involved in Malaysia’s politics, especially when Malaysians are going to the polls today. This post is to clear the air the claim that Malaysia is the only country outside China, HK (and Taiwan) that Chinese vernacular schools.
What constitutes “Chinese schools” -
This refers to the medium of instruction being Chinese. That means you learn Math, Science and the Humanities subjects in Chinese. There is no such school in Singapore today. Malaysia has.
Najib’s claim -
Here is the claim by Najib. This is not the first time he is making this claim:
Malaysia’s PM Najib: There are no Chinese schools in Singapore
“Outside of China and Hong Kong, Malaysia is the most liberal and accommodating towards Chinese education.
Not far across from Johor, across the Causeway, you won’t find any Chinese schools there. Here, you not only find Chinese schools, but also Southern University College.”
That is right. For all the claims by some sections of the govt in Sg, especially the PAPpies, that Malaysia discriminates Chinese and Singapore promotes Chinese language and culture, it is Malaysia that has Chinese vernacular schools.
On the other hand, Sg abolished the only Chinese educational institutions last century, which were Nantah and Sg’s Chinese vernacular schools, and replaced them with the SAP schools, which are nothing more than pseudo Chinese schools.
Najib’s claim has merit -
I mentioned the above here - Malaysia’s education system preserves Chinese traditions better than Singapore’s
The cultural roots vs nation building argument -
In both cases for Malaysia and Singapore, the argument and counter argument are similar. Both have sections who are traditionalists, who argue that their roots must be kept. Hence, the need to preserve vernacular schools in Malaysia and the need to preserve MT and/or SAP in Singapore.
The other side of the argument is nation building. In Malaysia, those who argue for national schools (as opposed to vernacular schools) will say that national schools give a more diverse education that allows opportunities for the students to grow, instead of being cooped up in a particular field – eg Chinese studies.
The same argument is cited in Singapore, where there are those who like to see the MT tweaked, so that students who are weak in MT are not bogged down and have a better shot at placement in universities, which will result in a more diverse group of grads instead of the typical Chinese bilingual elitist in many top civil service jobs.
Some may argue that Singapore has been producing far more top world students than Malaysia, and even mock and laugh at Malaysia’s education system. But there lies the irony. Isn’t our system, which is about nationalizing and homogenizing education, which means ditching the outdated “let’s preserve our culture stuff” is better than Malaysia’s system to preserve the “Chinese culture”?
So make up your mind. If you laugh at Malaysia’s system, you have to acknowledge that this “let’s preserve our culture” stuff in any education system is one big fat bull, which does about nothing to enhance your education level.
On the other hand, if you still insist that we should “preserve our culture” and that be embedded in the education system, then you have to know that the Malaysians have done it better than us.
Take your pick, but know that if you laugh at them, you are also laughing at yourself.
Conclusion -
For all the claims that the Chinese in Malaysia are being discriminated, especially in education, the fact remains the Malaysian govt allows vernacular schools to be run. It is also a fact that it is the only country outside China, HK and Taiwan to have full mainstream Chinese schools, which of course conduct their lessons in the Chinese Language.
As for Singapore, for all the claims that we want to promote Chinese culture, Chinese roots, Chinese language blah-blah-blah, it must be remembered that LKY closed Nantah, closed Chinese vernacular schools, and replaced them with pseudo Chinese SAP schools which conduct lessons in ENGLISH, not Chinese. Hardy ha ha.
So if you truly want to be brought up appreciating “your Chinese roots” (whatever that is), which country do you really think does it better?
That’s actually an “in-your-face” fact some quarters in Sinkieland who have been claiming Malaysia discriminates Chinese, especially in the education system, to think about.
PS – Although PM Najib may state the obvious, I doubt Malaysians will be swayed by his words. Ironic that Singaporean Chinese rather than Malaysians who would be the ones who find Najib’s words more worthy of a second look. At this stage, Malaysians just don’t care what Najib says anymore.
Barrie
* The writer blogs at http://wherebearsroamfree.blogspot.com/