For some parents, SJKCs promise a brighter future

 

Chinese-medium schools have better facilities compared with many national schools, according to Hazal Talib, a parent who sends her daughter to such a school. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Civil servant Hazal Talib sends her daughter to a Chinese-medium school for one reason: to be fluent in Mandarin. The language, she contends, is used widely around the world.

“No matter where you go, there will be Mandarin speakers,” she told FMT. However, she also says getting her daughter to study in a SJKC (national-type Chinese school) goes beyond learning the world’s second most popular language.

A mother of four, she believes Chinese-medium schools do better than national schools when it comes to fostering national unity.

“I think it’s better to let our children attend an alternative stream so they can get to know children of other communities better (through daily interactions).”

Hazal Talib.

She also finds the Chinese-medium schools have better facilities compared with many national schools. Hazal’s three other children attend national schools. Her daughter’s SJKC has an indoor stadium and air-conditioned classrooms.

Hazal is equally drawn to the school’s active parent-teacher association (PTA) which creates a conducive environment for students.

Her praise for the SJKCs tallies with the opinion of Bukit Bendera MP Syerleena Abdul Rashid of DAP, who said some parents were reluctant to send their children to national schools due to poor infrastructure, a lack of teachers, and inadequate resources.

Hazal is one of many non-Chinese parents who send their children to Chinese-medium schools, a topic which recently came back into the spotlight after an MP questioned its survival in view of the declining birth rates among the ethnic Chinese.

In 2021, the Malaysian Chinese Language Council said more than 20% of the students at SJKCs were non-Chinese.

Desonny Tuzan.

Another parent, Desonny Tuzan, said he sent all three of his children to the Chinese primary schools before transferring them to national secondary schools.

“This way they understand and go through two parts of the (education systems) and integration,” he said.

And while he isn’t a fan of the corporal punishment meted out in schools – one of his daughters was slapped by a teacher over a PowerPoint presentation – the “discipline is top notch”, he says.

“It can be a two-edged sword. Parents have to evaluate and see whether the children can keep up with the pace of the Chinese schools or not.”

The two parents’ reasons for sending their children to Chinese schools also correspond with a statement a month ago by Sabah deputy chief minister Shahelmey Yahya.

Shahelmey said more Bumiputera communities in Sabah were sending their children to SJKCs as they realised the need to master another language besides Bahasa Melayu and English. He also said the trend would strengthen Malaysia’s unity.

However, claims that vernacular schools could help foster unity are not shared by Umno Youth chief Akmal Saleh who believes these institutions are detrimental to race relations.

He asserts that the existence of vernacular schools has led to segregation of Malaysians at a young age. He has since called for the establishment of a single schooling system. - FMT