Unity not forged through having one type of school, says Fadhlina

The education minister says national unity is built through consistent experiences, interactions and inculcation of values throughout the schooling years.

Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the education ministry has various initiatives that serve to foster unity in national schools.

PETALING JAYA:

 National unity among Malaysian children is not forged merely by establishing one type of schooling system for all students, says education minister Fadhlina Sidek.

Responding to a parliamentary question about setting up “unity schools” to replace national schools, Fadhlina said her ministry has various initiatives that serve to foster unity in national schools, whether in the curriculum, co-curricular activities, daily duties or community involvement.

She said the values inculcated among children in Tabika Perpaduan preschools had been bolstered and expanded to national schools.

This, she said, is aimed at making national schools the main educational institution in the country while ensuring they were inclusive and multiracial, with national unity at its core.

“Besides that, the education ministry believes that national unity is not forged through one type of school, but through consistent values, experiences and interactions throughout the schooling years,” she said in a written parliamentary reply.

She was responding to Dr Zulkafperi Hanapi (Independent-Tanjong Karang) who asked about how Tabika Perpaduan preschools had fostered unity among children and whether the ministry planned to set up “unity schools” to replace national schools.

Fadhlina said Tabika Perpaduan, which caters to children aged four to six, had been proven to have formed a basic sense of unity among students before they go on to primary school. - FMT