Most Malaysians would welcome Senator Jaspal Singh’s appeal that it is time to bury the vernacular schools’ issue and move forward. Like him, a lot of Malaysians are fed up with the constant brandishing of this issue to stir up emotions or just to show ‘ketuanan’.

Those who raise this issue and keep harping on it, with increased intensity, conveniently hide behind the veil of ‘unity through single stream schools’ and seem to have the tacit approval of people in power.

The question is if the existence of vernacular schools is a policy already cast in stone, why is anyone at all allowed to make a hue and cry about it; why are people, even those within the government, allowed to demand that these schools be done away with? Shouldn’t it be ‘pantang’ or taboo for anyone to demand the closing down of vernacular schools? Can’t any existing law be used to act against them for creating racial disharmony and ill-will?

In today’s context, where some Malays are sending their children to Chinese vernacular schools, is the demand to close them down being made so as to force all children to go to national schools and get an inferior education than they are getting in the Chinese schools so they will remain ‘katak dibawah tempurung’? Is this the hidden agenda behind the demands to close vernacular schools as they are now better than national schools?

If the problem is that the Malays are themselves abandoning the national schools, then the proper solution is not to close down the vernacular schools but to find out what has caused the malaise in the national schools and cure them of their illnesses.

The Senate should get serious about such issues, speak up on them and demand that actions be taken by the executive to undo things that are creating disharmony and sowing the seeds of racism and extremism among the various ethnic groups who have lived in peace and harmony for so long.

Please look at what is happening in institutions such as the National Civics Bureau (BTN) and the schools and don’t just take the executive’s word at face value. For example, serious cases of discipline in schools are reported in the media now and then.

Just a few days ago, a teacher in Sibu was assaulted by a student. Some are blaming the teacher, but do they know that more and more teachers these days are going for counseling and even psychiatric treatment as a result of the pressures on them which include endless paperwork and facing indisciplined children day in and day out?

A subject matter that should be of real concern for everyone is the way children are being given the freedom to become indisciplined in schools. At a one-day Pemandu/police seminar on crime at USM earlier this year, a question was asked by a participant whether the indisciplined children in school would suddenly become law-abiding citizens when they grow up and leave school. No firm answer was given.

All those who are clamouring for the closing down of vernacular schools, if they are really concerned about children and their education (which includes character development), should instead be asking the government to provide training to teachers on the proper use of the cane to discipline children and allow the rod to be used as in the good old days.

Failure to nip misbehaviour in the bud

In the schooling system today, if there is any single matter that needs the most attention, it is the very bad state of child indiscipline due to the failure to nip misbehaviour in the bud. It is unimaginable that in some schools children seem to have the upper hand over teachers. These are the potential future criminals in society.

Child misbehaviour that can mature into criminal behaviour in adult life must be firmly addressed as soon as it is first seen in children, and this can be very early. This is not being done.

Surely the Senate can voice out such matters and hopefully Senator Jaspal will take the lead to chart this course for the good of the country.