BACHELOR OF TEACHING (PRIMARY EDUCATION)

SEPTEMBER 2022

HBEF1103

SOCIOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION IN MALAYSIA

NO. MATRIKULASI : 990210017747001

NO. KAD PENGENALAN : 990210017747
NO. TELEFON : 0162016757
E-MEL : DIN.ALADIN.555@GMAIL.COM

PUSAT PEMBELAJARAN : BATU PAHAT

 TASK 1

VIEWS ON VERNACULAR SCHOOLS DESTROYING MULTICULTURAL

EDUCATION IN MALAYSIA.

In general, Malaysian schools have used multiple mediums of instruction (MOI) from the pre-
colonial period to cater to the multiethnic populace consisting of three principal ethnic groups:
Malays, Chinese and Indians. Since the days when Malaysia was still a colonial state, this has
always been the case. As a direct consequence of this, the primary level of education in the
present Malaysian education system is split between three separate modes of instruction (MOIs).
All of these memorandums of understanding are predicated on the idea of multilingualism and
aim to ensure that the nation's three most major ethnic groups are afforded equal consideration.
At the secondary level, the only MOI that is legally recognised and taught is Malay, which is
also referred to as Bahasa Melayu.

The term "vernacular schools" is used to refer to educational institutions that participate in
research and development (R&D) activities while also educating their pupils in the classroom
using the mother tongue. Vernacular schools have become more popular in recent years.
Vernacular schools for the languages Malay, Chinese and Tamil have been established in this
nation in recent years. These educational institutes teach their pupils to communicate in their
original languages. In the year 1855, the city of Bayan Lepas, which is situated on the island of
Penang, became the location of the very first Malay vernacular school ever established anywhere
in the whole globe. At the Gelugor Malay School in Penang, which offers classes in Malay as the
medium of instruction, students learn the language in its native tongue.

On the other hand, the Chinese vernacular school was founded in the year 1815 by a new group
of preachers who had previously been members of the London Preachers' Association. This
group of preachers came from London. There are a number of additional Chinese educational
institutions that were established on their own. At these vernacular schools, either Chinese or
Mandarin, which is also referred to as Kuv Yu, is used as the medium of instruction and both the
teachers and the materials come directly from China. Both SJK (C) Hua Lian in Tanjung, Perak
and SJK (C) Chung Hwa in Kota Bharu, Kelantan are examples of Chinese vernacular schools
that have been developed. Both of these schools are located in Malaysia. At the same time, at
schools where instruction is provided in the Tamil vernacular, students' mother tongues are
prioritised above English as the primary medium of instruction. Everything that is needed in this
country's academic system comes from India, including teachers, textbooks and other
educational materials. Vernacular schools such as SJK (T) Manikavasagam in Tanjung Malim,
Perak were formed in this country with the purpose of giving members of the Indian community
that inhabits here with a decent education.

There are several views on vernacular schools destroying multicultural education in Malaysia.

First, in terms of the shortage of Chinese pupils in national schools, this was due to the more
advantageous Chinese education and an increasing number of vernacular schools which have
embraced mother-tongue teaching. They were of the view that the use of Mandarin to teach all of
the topics in the vernacular school system, with the exception of languages spoken in BM and
English, is counterproductive to the process of promoting the national language. The battle to
preserve BM can also be observed in the PPSMI4 case, where the fundamental justification for
its abolition is that it clashes with Article 152 of the Federal Constitution. The struggle to uphold
BM can be seen in the case (Mior Khairul Azrin, 2011).

Second, the vernacular school system has been the topic of a significant amount of discussion,
with the topic of national integration serving as a focus point. According to Wen and Chibundu
(2018), there are a variety of perspectives about how education might contribute to national
integration. Vernacular schools are conceptualised by their proponents, the vast majority of
whom are people of Chinese and Indian ancestry, as a means of preserving their cultural and
linguistic identities through the conservation of their age-old cultural heritage. Vernacular
schools are seen as an important instrument for this purpose. The divisive aspect of a multi-
lingual educational system in the context of national integration is the focal point of the
argument put up by opponents, who make up the politically powerful Malay ethnic group. As a
result, the latter supports an education system in Malay that only has one stream. As a direct
consequence of this, vernacular education finds itself in a stalemate and on the margins of the
process of formulating national educational policy. Vernacular education in Malaysia was
involved in "the war for survival" as a result of the challenges to their mother-tongue education.
Third, the racial difference that exists in Malaysia may be attributed, at the very least in some
measure, to the vernacular schools that have been established there. Even if it is not the
fundamental cause, improving national harmony in Malaysia requires taking into account the fact
that this is an essential aspect. Students who are educated at Vernacular Schools, particularly
Chinese Vernacular Schools, have less opportunities to learn about the traditions and practises of
people of other races, notably the Malay people. This is especially true in Chinese Vernacular
Schools. Vernacular schools, on the other hand, do not need to be closed down; rather, policies
need to be altered, such as increasing the number of Malay students who are enrolled in Chinese
schools (Choong, 2022). Due to the fact that Malaysia is a society comprised of people from a
diverse range of racial and ethnic backgrounds, it is essential for all residents of the country to
have an appreciation for the country's multiethnic makeup. There are many different types of
schools in Malaysia, which contributes to a healthy level of competition amongst them.

Forth, Professor Datuk Dr. Teo Kok Seong, Principal Fellow at the Institute of Ethnic Studies
(Kita) at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, has indicated that vernacular schools have an
influence that is negative to the expansion and development of the country. According to his
assessment, vernacular schools and notably Chinese Vernacular Schools, put an inordinate
amount of stress on ethnicity and national identity. This is particularly true of Chinese
Vernacular Schools. Chong Sin Woon, the Deputy Minister of Education II for the MCA, has
arrived at the conclusion that there is a Chinese school that lays an emphasis on the culture and
language of China.

Fifth, since each race has its own language, there will be a natural level of distrust among them
because of the different methods in which they engage with one another. This is due of the
diversity in the ways in which they communicate. This is due to the fact that people of different
races have different methods of communication. There is a possibility that this may result in
conflict in the long run. According to Sualman et al. (2019), the authors of this study thought that
the current situation has come about as a direct consequence of the fact that individuals of all
various races are used to conducting social contacts in their mother tongue. Because of this,
individuals of every race experience a sense of unease whenever they are required to engage in
social interaction with members of other races who speak in a language that is not native to them.
Vernacular schools are more likely to have a bigger percentage of students whose cultural origins
are similar to one another. This is because vernacular schools have a stronger inclination to
attract students from a wider variety of backgrounds.

THE IMPLICATIONS OF HAVING VERNACULAR SCHOOLS

Firstly, a shift in the priority placed on education. Vernacular schools may only give priority to
students of certain races, but this does not preclude students of other races from enrolling in
vernacular schools. One of the many beneficial effects of vernacular schools is the increased
focus on various forms of education. Teaching and learning are approached in a variety of ways
at each individual school. This is something that is determined by the teachers and student
populations of the school itself. Students have the opportunity to acquire cutting-edge
pedagogical practises through the development of vernacular schools. For instance, in Chinese
vernacular schools, students are actively encouraged to solve mathematical problems by using an
abacus as a tool, which is a technique that was derived from China (Hayford, 2017). Students of
different races can learn new skills that aren't usually taught in national schools. This can help
them in a number of ways.

Vernacular schools will also help students become more proficient in the subject matter that they
are studying, which is the second reason why they should be established. Students of Malay
descent who attend an Indian or Chinese school, for instance, will improve both their ability to
compete academically and their speed of subject acquisition. This is because they have to keep
competing with other students, such as Chinese students, who are recognised for their brilliance
and aptitude for comprehending tasks efficiently (Sualman et al., 2019). In addition, students
have the opportunity to test themselves in a variety of sports and compete against other students
who are of Indian descent. Because of this, a student will be indirectly pushed to keep trying
harder to push himself.

Vernacular schools can also teach students about the differences in learning cultures that exist
between groups. Over and McCall (2018) mention that the culture of a particular social group
can be inferred from the language that its members speak. Therefore, learning a language entails
not only learning the alphabet, the meaning, the rules of grammar and the arrangement of words,
but also learning the behaviour of the society and the cultural customs that are practised in that
society. This is due to the fact that various academic goals have been set for each individual
school. The learning culture will be different as a result of this and it will be possible to teach
students of different races easier and more efficient ways to learn. For example, students who go
to Chinese schools with a stricter culture of learning tend to be more committed to their studies.

The introduction of the cultures of different racial groups is the fourth positive impact, as
suggested by Yusof and Esmaeil (2017)  that can be obtained through the establishment of
vernacular schools as well as other language immersion programs. This is due to the fact that
Chinese and Indian schools not only prioritise students of their own race but also welcome
students of other races, including Malay students, into their classrooms. After that, Malay
students will have the opportunity to study the cultures of either China or India in greater depth.
As an illustration, Chinese schools will hold events and other celebrations during the holiday
season, such as Chinese New Year and Cap Goh Mei. Indirectly, this may pique the interest of
Malay students in learning about the culture, cuisine and other aspects of their heritage.
Vernacular schools also host holiday celebrations every now and then for their students, such as
the Hari Raya and Deepavali festivals. This makes it possible for members of other racial groups
to experience the culture of the other community.

Additionally, through the use of vernacular schools as well as other means, an understanding
between different racial groups, particularly among younger people, can be fostered. This is due
to the fact that younger generations are the driving force behind change and the future and have
the potential to improve relations between Malaysia's various racial groups (Koh & Harris,
2020). Young people have the opportunity to interact with students of different races when they
attend vernacular schools. This not only makes Malaysian society more united despite
differences in race, skin colour and religion, but it also gives people the opportunity to adapt to
other racial groups in a positive way.

THE IMPLICATIONS OF NOT HAVING VERNACULAR SCHOOLS

First, if there is no vernacular school, Malaysians may not be able to cultivate a culture of respect
for the rights of other races. Despite the fact that the Malay race and Islam make up the majority
in Malaysia, members of the Malay race are expected to respect the rights of members of other
races. The importance of respecting one another and looking out for the well-being of people of
other races, such as Chinese and Indians, should be emphasised from the beginning of a student's
educational career in the classroom. If vernacular schools are not established, there will be no
culture of respecting the rights of people of other races. As Rambelly and Haniffa (2018)
explained, without such a culture, it will be impossible to foster racial and ethnic unity in this
country, as evidenced by the tragic events of May 13, which sporadically led to race riots.
Feelings of prejudice will emerge as a result of this situation. Even though there are many
different educational pathways available, the fundamental subjects, such as Bahasa Melayu,
Mathematics, Science and English, continue to play a significant role in the day-to-day teaching
and learning system. The primary distinction is that the Mandarin language and script are used in
Chinese educational settings. Tamil is the language spoken and written by students in Indian
schools.

Second, if there is no vernacular school, students may miss out on learning languages such as
Chinese or Tamil. The benefits of using vernacular at school are twofold: a small child's
adaptation to school will be facilitated if the teacher speaks the same language as he does and his
cognitive development will also be facilitated if he is capable of thinking and expressing himself
in his own language (Rivers, 2018). If this vernacular school is not established, students' future
opportunities to enter the workforce will be limited due to a lack of mastery of multiple
languages. This is because it is already known that this vernacular school uses their mother
tongue as the medium of instruction. Mandarin is used as the medium of instruction in Chinese
schools, for example. Tamil is the medium of instruction in Indian schools. As can be seen,
vernacular schools introduce and create new languages in our country. In Malaysia, the
community has the opportunity to learn a variety of languages. They can study Malay, Mandarin,
Tamil, English and other languages. If vernacular schools are not established, communication
will be hampered because people will only understand each other's mother tongue. And,
indirectly, it will cause tension between races due to a linguistic communication gap.

Thirdly, if there is no vernacular school in Malaysia, the country might not be able to improve its
reputation in other parts of the world. This is the case due to the fact that people who are able to
speak have the potential to act as ambassadors for their country, such as multi-racial athletes
competing in sports. For example, the athletes from Kuwait master the English and Arabic
languages captured the world’s attention (White & Alkandri, 2019). In the event that they
compete in another country, it is imperative that they are able to communicate in English. Our
nation's reputation will be improved if its citizens are able to communicate fluently in a language
other than English. In addition to this, the ability to communicate effectively across racial lines
can also help. A Malay man named Baki Zainal, who is a television presenter, is able to speak
Mandarin fluently. This can serve as an illustration of what can be seen. He can be seen hosting
programmes on Chinese television quite frequently, particularly on 8TV. It is clear that he is
completely at ease when interacting with Chinese people, particularly those Chinese people who
are fluent in English and are able to communicate with him.

2605 WORDS

REFERENCES.

Choong, C. (2022). Race-based affirmative action in Malaysia: Misrecognised subjectivities,

enduring inequalities. Asian Journal of Social Science, 50(2), 79-86.

Hayford, C. W. (2017). Literacy movements in modern China. In National Literacy Campaigns

and Movements (pp. 147-171). Routledge.

Koh, S. Y., & Harris, A. (2020). Multicultural reflexivity: university students negotiating
‘pockets’ and ‘strings’ of multiculturalism in Malaysia. Children's Geographies, 18(6), 712-725.

Over, H., & McCall, C. (2018). Becoming us and them: Social learning and intergroup
bias. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 12(4), e12384.

Rambely, N. A. S., & Haniffa, M. A. (2018). Dinamika Pembentukan Komuniti Dalam Sejarah
Malaysia: Pelajaran Dari Peristiwa 13 Mei 1969. E-Prosiding Persidangan Antarabangsa Sains
Sosial Dan Kemanusiaan, 341-357.

Rivers, W. M. (2018). Teaching foreign language skills. University of Chicago Press.

Sualman, I., Hamzah, M., & Roskhamdi, N. S. (2019). The forces of intercultural
communication toward national unity in Malaysian vernacular schools. In Proceedings of the
Second International Conference on the Future of ASEAN (ICoFA) 2017-Volume 1 (pp. 155-
166). Springer, Singapore.
Wen, O. S., & Chibundu, I. S. (2018). Debating vernacular school system in Malaysia: a
comparative analysis of multi-lingual local newspapers. Journal of the Southeast Asia Research
Centre for Communications and Humanities, 10(2), 87-114.

White, C. L., & Alkandari, K. (2019). The influence of culture and infrastructure on CSR and
country image: The case of Kuwait. Public Relations Review, 45(3), 101783.

Yusof, N. M., & Esmaeil, Z. J. (2017). Reconstructing multiculturalism in Malaysia through

visual culture. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 8(4), S1.
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