IPOH: The presence of vernacular schools in the country is no obstacle to national unity, but it gives added value to the younger generation.
Perak Education, Science, Technology and Environment Exco Dr Abdul Aziz Bari (pix) said for instance, Chinese National-Type Schools were the best platform to equip students with a third language, including Mandarin which was increasingly important now.
“Mandarin is now a global language, one of the languages in the United Nations is Mandarin, so if we abolish these schools, it would only be racist but also illogical and affect the capabilities of the younger generation, especially the Malays,” he said.
Abdul Aziz who is also Perak DAP vice-president was speaking to reporters at his Aidilfitri open house here today.
He was commenting on a statement by PAS women’s wing representative Salamiah Md Nor who urged the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government to abolish the vernacular education system in the country as they were not contributing to racial unity.
Salamiah made the call when debating on the president’s policy speech at the 65 PAS Annual General Assembly at the Pahang Indoor Stadium (Sukpa) in Indera Mahkota, Pahang yesterday.
Abdul Aziz who is also a constitution expert, said the call by the PAS representative showed that the party was not aware of current developments, especially what parents want.
“The call shows that PAS is out-of-touch. There are several Chinese schools where the majority of students are Malays. It seems that she is not aware of what is happening in society, many parents are sending their children to Chinese schools when they see a future in the Mandarin language,” he said. — Bernama
