With regards to National schools becoming religious schools , I write in support of the observations made within. Really, we make the same mistakes the British did, but add on to it.

I remember my days in a mission school when we had chapel meetings. All pupils had to participate whether or not they were Christians. I remember, too, that my uncle told me that in the 1930s, Bible classes were compulsory. He could quote the Bible but never went to a church.

So having just one religious observance at school assemblies seems like a repeat of the old mistake the colonists made. Or is it a chauvinistic imposition?

I have long ceased to attend my children's school functions where the obsession is on prayers, long speeches, 'kenduri' or 'mini-kenduri'. Real issues are swept under the carpet and at the end of the day, nothing changes at all.

To attract parents back to national schools, the Education Ministry has to start 'selling' them. Right now, 95 percent of the students there are of one race as are the teachers and administrators. Food being sold in the canteens are only of one ethnic origin and 95 percent of the educational programmes centred around only one race and one religion.

Human by nature, when faced by such policies, will migrate to what is best for them as demonstrated by the enrolment of Malays in Chinese schools. Malay parents, in seeking the best for their children, make a move that transcends race, language or religion.

The government must realise that they have to accommodate both national and national-type schools. No one should call for the abolishment of vernacular schools as they are there to provide an alternative and also to keep the national schools on their toes.

After all, it is just like the case of Malaysian sports. We used to be quite good and proud of our standards, but after decades of institutional mediocrity in the administration and selection process, we are now mediocre.

We cannot have the cake and eat it anymore. Just like sports where many of us have given up, we can also forget about trying to be a nation of academic eminence if we continue to institutionalise mediocrity.