Fear of victimisation and not being told about the fact-finding mission are among the reasons why the independent commission to probe into allegations of racial segregation in the country's national schools failed to interview many parents who first complained of the problem.

Several parents, who were contacted by malaysiakini said they were not informed of any meetings with the committee over their complaints.

In most cases, it was learnt that the committee only met with representatives from the parent teacher associations and school authorities.

One parent, whose complaint was compiled in the National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) memorandum to the Education Ministry, said she did not receive any telephone calls from members of the committee.

Irene Loh, whose child used to study in SK Kajang, said several letters addressed to the school's principal and the Education Ministry expressing parents' concern that their children were not allowed to enter the top classes, were submitted to the National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) last December.

"The students were informed that if they did well in their exams, they would be streamed accordingly to the top class when they entered standard four. Although my son was among the top five in the school, he was placed in the 'B' class," she lamented.

Second-best class

SK Kajang is one of the 210 schools named in the NUTP memorandum which was submitted to the Education Ministry as evidence that racial streaming may be taking place in national schools.

Loh said among approximately 20 non-Malay Malaysian students in the same level, approximately half qualified to be in the top class.

However, they were sent instead to the second-best class on the pretext that only students taking Islam as a subject could enter the top class.

According to her, another parent who brought up the issue with a teacher was told to let their children take up religious studies if they insisted on being in the top class.

Loh, who later transferred her son to another school, said two other complainants against SK Kajang also moved their children to other primary schools.

"I was surprised that my son had no problems being placed in the top class in the new school because we expected the same policy as SK Kajang," said Loh, adding that her son was "a lot happier" once he was transferred.

"Why can't every school open the top class to pupils from mixed races? There is no justification for this unless all the non-Malay Malaysian pupils do not perform,"she said.

Requests rejected

Another parent, who requested anonymity, whose child also attended SK Kajang until last year said no telephone calls were received from the independent committee requesting for an interview.

"We went through all the proper channels. We sent letters to the principal, the district officer, and state officials but we received no reply. A month later, we sent a letter to the Education Ministry but it was ignored as well," said the parent.

The parent said that several attempts were made to meet with the school's principal but all requests were rejected.

Meanwhile, a parent of a student at a Selangor school said he was emailed by the committee but did not respond as he feared his child would be "victimised" in school.

"My child was top student for the previous school year but is now placed in the third class," said the parent who did not want to be named.

The parent said a teacher informed him that the top class was reserved only for those taking Islam as a subject.

He also said the school regularly conducts religious ceramah (lectures) during school hours and non-Muslim students were also required to attend the sessions.

"Sometimes, the students have to sit through several hours of this ceramah ," he said adding that the non-Muslim students were only excused later after several parents complained to school authorities recently.

No follow up

According to a parent of a SK Convent Kajang student, some parents may have decided not to respond to the committee's request because they accepted the reasons given during an earlier briefing by members of the schools' parent teacher association (PTA).

The parents said the meetings with the PTA were organised to explain the situation after it was found the school was named in the NUTP's list.

Another complainant told malaysiakini in an email that although she agreed to meet with the committee when contacted, no one followed up with an interview later.

When asked, NUTP president Tengku Habsah Tengku Putera said this lapse could be because of manpower shortages within the committee.

"We read in the newspapers that one member (of the committee) had covered seven states all by himself. How could he have done a thorough investigation?" she questioned.

Last Friday, The Star quoted committee head K J Ratnam as saying that another committee member Omar Mohd Hashim was the "hero" for covering seven states during the panel's eight-week fact-finding mission.

According to sources, the committee invited school authorities to meet during one session before holding a separate session in the same day for PTA representatives.

During each half-day session held in Seremban and Muar, two committee members met with representatives of all listed schools in the district accompanied by state and district education officers.

The school authorities were asked to prepare relevant files and records for inspection by two committee members.

The committee, in its report summary, said its findings was based on information from state education departments, district education officers, principals, PTAs, teachers responsible for drafting timetables and complainants, if traceable.

Law suit

The controversy first surfaced last November when parents of several students of a school in Port Klang, Selangor, complained that their children who qualified among the top five in their classes were relegated to the second-best class.

Following this, NUTP secretary-general N Siva Subramaniam submitted a list containing the names of 210 schools which allegedly practised racial streaming to the Education Ministry.

This prompted the ministry to set up an independent committee which found that racial segregation was minimal and not deliberate.

The seven-member committee said classes composed of students from one particular racial group did exist but it was due to the inconsistencies in planning time tables as well as the low number of non-Malay students in those schools.

In the wake of the report, a law suit was filed against Siva for maligning the schools' image and the union leader has been asked to apologise.