Vernacular schools are irrelevant, says Malay students organisation

The National GPMS Alumni Organisation fully supports the statement by Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Datuk Razali Ibrahim that the government should no longer entertain any request or demand for the construction of new Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools. The president of the Federation of Peninsular Malay Students (GPMS)...

The National GPMS Alumni Organisation fully supports the statement by Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Datuk Razali Ibrahim that the government should no longer entertain any request or demand for the construction of new Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools.

The president of the Federation of Peninsular Malay Students (GPMS) Alumni, Syed Anuar Syed Mohamad said it was time that the government reviewed the construction of Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools because they had never contributed to national integrity and had in fact widened the solidarity gap between the various races in the country.

"The GPMS Alumni also emphasises that the government, at the same time, must be bold and firm in drawing up a long-term plan towards closing down all such vernacular schools so that all the ethnic groups were placed under one roof and under a common system of schooling just like in other countries.

"In fact, we are of the opinion that the 1Malaysia concept can be achieved more easily if all the races followed a common system of schooling," he said in a statement today.

He said that the GPMS Alumni was of the opinion that the issue on insulting and challenging the Islamic religion, the Malay race and the monarchy had been contributed to a certain extent by the insensitivity of the present generation due to the separation in the schooling system from the past. Bernama