It is sad that mother language education should, yet again, be victimised by our ethnic politicians. That Chinese and Tamil medium primary schools are in short supply is patent.

However, the government continues to deny this reality - under the pretext of promoting unity and understanding among various ethnic groups. It is not as if the Malay medium national schools are more multiracial than Chinese medium schools.

While over 10 percent of the students who attend Chinese schools are non-Chinese, only eight percent of those who go to national schools are non-Malay.

Despite the government's lavish spending on national schools and its zealous denial of vernacular education's contribution to national progress, both Chinese and Tamil schools still thrive.

In the case of Tamil schools, after years of decline, parents are now sending their children there in droves. This year, Tamil schools saw an over 20 percent increase in the enrollment of students into standard one.

As a result, certain schools in Selangor, Kedah and Kuala Lumpur and elsewhere had to turn away students. It is obvious that the same scenario would be repeated this year as well.

Given this circumstance - and the fact that the right to mother language education is enshrined in our constitution - the government's present education policy is both myopic and undemocratic.

Instead of heaping blame on Tamil and Chinese schools, the government should accept that the national schooling system is failing - mostly because of the policymakers' straightjacket approach to education.

Surely, it is high time that we as a nation accept that mother language education is both superior and is here to stay, no?