I refer to the Malaysiakini report Police reports lodged against 'racist' teacher.

Doesn't anyone out there realise that this is the on-going phenomena in town? My children studying in a so called 'kebangsaan' primary school are discriminated left right and centre.

There is a teacher in this particular school who dares to make racist remarks such as referring to a particular act of throwing flour by the Malay students as an act belonging to the ajaran sesat practiced by Indians etc and this, for your information is said during assembly.

What has become of our school system? Day in day out they have numerous religious activities for Islamic students leaving the non-Muslim students stranded. Celebrations such as Maulidur Rasul , Maal Hijrah and Israk Mikraj (to name a few) are celebrated during school hours.

Islamic preaching is undertaken during assembly. A Muslim teacher even had the cheek to tell my child to close his ear if does not want to listen. Prayers for Muslim students undertaking UPSR is done frequently during school hours.

Practicing ones religious belief is something that is to be encouraged but doing it in a national type school where there are many student of a different faith is, I believe is not something that would be able to promote national unity.

Even the school timetable for Standard One, has the following: Pendidikan Islam (180 minutes), Bahasa Arab (60 minutes) and J-Qaf (90 minutes) for the Muslims.

These three subjects take approx 23 percent of the teaching hours. The non-Muslim students only have Pendidikan Moral which is taught during Pendidikan Islam. Do you know that a non- Muslim student is now known as a ‘Moral student’ in a kebangsaan school?

To make matters worse, for any school occasion including a class party, non-Muslim students are not allowed to bring food cooked from their house.

To be on the ‘safe side’, they are only permitted to bring drinks (either canned, bottled or packed ones) or snacks purchased from a shop.

There even segregate good Muslim students in one class at primary level (and this is ‘the Class A’). The reason given for such practice that it is easier to teach them ‘ Pendidikan Islam ’.

But when you have a remaining 11 classes for a particular standard being mixed, one wonders why only segregate the goods one. I have even heard from a school teacher that exam questions are leaked to this so-called ‘special’ class.

Even when she is selected to represent the school, my daughter is required to wear the baju kurung and not allowed to wear a pinafore.

Believe it or not, you can hear non-Malay students studying in national type schools giving a sigh and telling you: ‘Ma, you know we will never get a chance, it is always given to them’.

Shall people like me just give up on ‘ kebangsaan ’ schools or hope for a miracle to happen and that things will change for a better future?

As a mother of three school-going children, its disheartening to see what is happening in these ‘ kebangsaan ’ schools. I hope that something is done before it is too late.