Johor Sultan Ibrahim Ismail has urged his people to emulate Singapore's single stream education system which uses English as the medium of instruction.

In his speech at the opening of the Johor state assembly sitting today, he said Singapore's system has succeeded in fostering unity in the city state and Johoreans should be open-minded about adopting it.

"An interesting point that we can emulate from Singapore is the unity which has been fostered by its single-stream education system which uses English language as the medium.

"Therefore, I urge the people of Johor to be open-minded about the national education system and be willing to change for the prosperity of the people and long-term development," the sultan ( photo ) said.

He added that if the education system continues to be based on race and language since childhood, there will always be a gap between the diverse communities in Malaysia.

"I am confident a single stream school education system will create racial integration among children and produce a society that is harmonious and united as well as competitive to face the challenges to come," he said.

While Malay nationalists have advocated doing away with Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools in a favour of a single-stream system, the notion of it being based on the English language will not sit well with them.

Should emulate Singapore

"The reality is Singapore is our nearest neighbour which we should emulate.

"Even though Johor and Singapore share many similarities, but the development achieved by Singapore is much more rapid," he said.

The ruler added that the Johor government should also consult the Singapore government should there be any decisions that may affect the interest of the republic.

Furthermore, he said if Putrajaya were to enter in any deals with Singapore, Johoreans should also be consulted.

"The federal government is asked to respect the sentiment of Johor before deciding on any agreements with Singapore.

"This is because any policy made will be felt directly by the Johor people," he said.

Last year, Putrajaya imposed a toll hike at the Causeway to Singapore, prompting the city state to mirror the hike, thus increasing the cost of travel between the two territories by almost five folds.

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