Soi Lek: Teach teachers about Malaysian Civilisation

With racism frequently rearing its ugly head in schools, MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek has urged the Education Ministry to review the module used in teachers' training colleges.

Speaking to Malaysiakini, he said the ministry should introduce a subject called "Malaysian Civilisation" for aspiring teachers.
 
Chua expressed disappointment that teachers and headmasters in both national and vernacular schools, who were seen as role models, were adding to the racial polarisation in this country. 

"It is not only about taking stern action against the perpetrators, but to understand why teachers are becoming like this... becoming caught in racial profiling," he said.

Chua said that the current crop of teachers, unlike their predecessors, might not have been exposed to racial integration. 

"The situation is aggravated by the fact that in teachers' training colleges, the predominance is one ethnic race. The number of non-bumiputera headmasters and senior teachers is small.

"This is like imposed segregation," he stressed, without mincing his words.

In elaborating on the need to introduce a "Malaysian Civilisation" subject for teachers, Chua drew a comparison with the inclusion of the Islamic Civilization and Asian Studies (Titas) in private institutions of higher learning.

"The 'Malaysian Civilisation' subject should be made compulsory for those in teachers' training colleges," he added.

'Unity in diversity sounds hollow now'

Commenting on the recent allegation that a headmaster of a secondary school in Shah Alam had told her Chinese and Indian students to return to their ancestral lands, the MCA president said such an issue should not arise.
         
"These students are second or third generation Malaysians, so such questions should not come up. It is not about tolerance, it is about accepting that this is a Malaysian fact of life.

"If there is such an acceptance, then incidents like this would not happen," he said.

Chua stressed that only when there was acceptance, "could we talk about unity in diversity... right now (in light of the recent cases), this sounds a little hollow".

In a related development, MCA Youth education bureau chief Chong Sin Woon noted that the lack of stern action was the reason behind the recurrence of such incidents.

"A few years ago, when a principal made similar statements with racial overtones, she was transferred to another position. This is partly why this keeps recurring because the wrongdoers have not faced harsh ramifications," he said in a statement.

Commenting on reports that the principal had supposedly uttered those remarks because the students were making a racket, Chong pointed out that this was no excuse.

"In times of frustration, one should always remain calm and collected. 

"Self-restrain, especially that from a school head is a basic skill and she has just failed strikingly if the allegation is true," he added.