The just-released 'Changes in the number of Chinese primary schools (SJKCs) and pupils from 2000 to 2014' report is once again evidence that the running of syllabus in SJKCs is acceptable to all races.

The figures compiled by the Education Ministry indicate that there were 15.31 percent, or 87,463 non-Chinese students in SJKCs in 2014, as compared to 11.84 percent, or 72,443 students in 2010.

The statistics, which show an increase of 15,020 non-Chinese students in SJKCs over the last five years, is clearly a stinging rebuke against those who are apt towards accusing vernacular schools of being detrimental to national unity.

Such baseless and disappointing statements must stop.

A school - regardless of its stream - will remain popular, so long as it upholds discipline and takes good care of its academic excellence, as well as its reputation.

We recommend the Education Ministry to encourage schools of other streams to learn from SJKCs so as to make their own schools more value-added, thus increasing the standard of our schools nationwide ultimately.

In the meantime, we are also concerned that the overall student population in SJKCs has fallen by 52,028, or 8.35 percent, over the last 15 years.

There are many factors to this, and one of them is that an increasing number of parents are choosing to send their children to international schools instead.

For SJKCs to remain strong, maintaining its student enrollment ought to be an important agenda as well. As such, there is an urgent need for SJKCs to study their own weaknesses and other schools’ strengths to stay as choice schools.

LAU CHIN KOK is Federal Territories MCA publicity bureau chairperson.