Keadilan today called for a Royal Commission to study and produce a report into the working of the national education system in view of the complexity of issues facing the system now.

Its president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said in a statement today that the report of the commission could serve as a guideline for its development in the 21st century.

She said that "Keadilan opposes changes initiated by the Barisan Nasional to impose sudden basic changes in the national system of education without careful and detailed consideration being given to its practicality and implications especially to the under-privileged".

Azizah also congratulated the organisers of the Pesta 721 Dong Jiao Zong which will be held tomorrow to draw attention to the long struggle of the Chinese community in upholding their language and culture.

"Keadilan supports the right of every community to practise and preserve its own language and culture, as laid down in the Federal Constitution, and there should be no attempt to diminish this right.

"We regard the freedom of each community to preserve its own identity through its language and culture as an important feature in our multi-ethnic society, with Bahasa Malaysia as the national language," she added.

Vision School

Dong Jiao Zong ( the collective name of the United Chinese School Teachers' Association and United Chinese School Committees' Association) has been opposing the government's Vision School concept.

The Vision School concept was introduced by the government to place three primary schools of different teaching mediums Malay, Mandarin and Tamil in the same compound with the expressed aim of promoting integration and unity among students of various races.

Recently, the government causted another stir when it announced that that Science and Mathematics will be taught in that language.

This move was also criticised by several quarters, including Dong Jiao Zong, who argued that this will not increase the students proficiency in English.

Prime Minister Dr Mhathir Mohamad was quoted in today's newspapers as saying that Science and Mathematics will be taught in English in phases from next year in all national schools.

The premier said the cabinet, at a special meeting yesterday, decided this after taking into account the views of ministers and the recommendations from the committee set up to determine the implementation.