Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek has pointed out that vernacular schools are recognised under the Education Act and there are no plans to abolish the system.
During a press conference today, Fadhlina said that she noted the various opinions on the existence of vernacular schools.
"We have heard those views, but for today, our stance is to stand firm and also strengthen the Education Act.
"The Education Act also recognises vernacular schools and we will continue (to recognise them)," she told reporters at a school in Puchong, as students enter their first day of school for the 2024/2025 session.
Her response came after Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh urged the government to comprehensively evaluate the vernacular education system.
Advocating for reforms, Akmal urged the authorities to revisit the educational ecosystem within vernacular schools.
He stressed the need to instil a stronger sense of nationalism among students while concurrently enhancing their proficiency in the Malay language.
Akmal's call for the review courted a response from former Penang deputy chief minister P Ramasamy who said vernacular schools should not be blamed for racial divisions.
The Umno Youth leader defended his stance stating that the vernacular school does not reflect the "Bangsa Malaysia" vision and fired back at Ramasamy by saying “Kamu mabuk ke apa?” (Are you drunk or what?).
Last November, Malaysiakini reported that Mandarin and Tamil language vernacular schools will continue to operate with constitutional validity after the Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal by the Islamic Education Development Council (Mappim) and three other NGOs challenging the schools’ legality. - Mkini
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