Our government doesn't seem to understand the underlying problem why the non-Malays are reluctant to send their children to the national schools. If they think that introducing formal language classes for Mandarin and Tamil will attract them back to the national schools, then they are in for a surprise.

I thought by now our educational authorities would know that our national schools have surely and surreptitiously become religious schools catering for the needs of the Malay/Muslim students. With the present set-up, a non-Malay pupil will simply not fit with the daily curriculum.

But the fundamental question is whether our government is really serious about forging racial integration amongst its plural society. I don't think so. What about the bumiputera students that are creamed from national schools at standard six and sent to the fully residential Mara schools - an exclusive bumiputera institution catering exclusively for one community.

From the moment these students are taken from standard six, they have no contact whatsoever with non-bumiputera students. They students will not have any opportunity for interaction with other races.

And when these students continue their tertiary education, they again go through a phase in their adult lives when they virtually have no contact with the other races. From the cream of these students, one day will emerge a leader to lead this nation.

The frightening thought is that this leader will be someone who has no knowledge of, no contact with and no understanding of the other races in our country. One can only speculate what the repercussions would be when this becomes a reality.