The revelation that there are schools who implement streaming of classes according to a particular race is indeed shocking. Only last year, authorities and leaders were pondering on building vision schools to integrate students of various races and yet there are individuals in some schools who don't seem to have racial integration among students on their agenda.

It is further shocking to hear National Union of Teaching Profession's (NUTP) secretary-general Siva Subramaniam's revelation that nearly 10 percent of schools in Malaysia practise the same streaming procedure.

Questions that many, especially parents, would like to ask Siva is why he withheld the information all these while. Isn't it his duty to report these incidents to the Education Ministry? Obviously, he waited for the right moment to reveal these facts, and only after some parents in Klang reported the incidents to the media.

The education minister's immediate response to the issue was indeed reassuring to parents. His comments that he never receive any reports on the incident for the two years he was minister proves that NUTP has failed in its duties.

Stern action should be taken against headmasters and teachers of schools involved in streaming of classes according to race. Their action contradicts the government's aspiration to achieve a united Bangsa Malaysia in 2020.

These individuals don't deserve to be what they are now and should be given the most stringent punishment possible to act as a deterrent to others in similar capacity.