Dong Jiao Zong, Chinese NGOs insist no Jawi lessons for Year Four pupils
Seventeen Chinese NGOs led by Dong Zong and Jiao Zong (Dong Jiao Zong) are adamant that the government should cancel the teaching of Jawi script in Bahasa Malaysia Year Four textbooks in vernacular schools next year.
"We urge the government to listen to the voices on the ground, by cancelling (its plan) to include Jawi script in the Bahasa Malaysia Year Four textbooks," said Dong Zong president Tan Tai Kim (photo) after a two-hour meeting between the groups at a restaurant in Kajang, three kilometres away from New Era University College.
Seventeen Chinese NGOs led by Dong Zong and Jiao Zong (collectively known as the Dong Jiao Zong) are adamant that the government should cancel the teaching of Jawi script in Bahasa Malaysia Year Four textbooks in vernacular schools next year.
"We urge the government to listen to the voices on the ground, by cancelling (its plan) to include Jawi script in the Bahasa Malaysia Year Four textbooks," said Dong Zong president Tan Tai Kim (above) after a two-hour meeting between the groups at a restaurant in Kajang, three kilometres away from New Era University College.
Citing a survey, Tan said they managed to collect signatures from more than 900 out of 1,298 Chinese primary schools that objected to the teaching of Jawi script for Year Four pupils.
Dong Zong has appeared to take a harder stand on the issue.
Previously, the Chinese educationist group only urged the government to allow the school boards to decide whether to teach Year Four pupils the Jawi script.
Now, they urge the government to cancel altogether the Jawi script lessons for Year Four students.
Tan said the groups also agreed that the school boards should have a say in any measure decided by the Education Ministry for the schools.
Ong said the groups agreed with PKR president Anwar Ibrahim who had urged all parties to return to the dialogue table.
He said discussions would prevent attempts to split the community.
Tan also said the groups took the Education Ministry to task for complicating the Jawi issue and disregarding the protests from the Chinese and Indian communities.
"The government's implementation of Jawi lessons only accelerated the confrontation between the government and civil society," said Tan.
"This is not good for the national integration and social harmony," he said.
Tan read out the joint statement on behalf of the 17 groups, which had initially planned to organise the "Chinese Organisations Joint Conference" at the university college today.
The conference was called off after police obtained a court injunction against it.
Tan, however, said the groups did not object to the Bahasa Malaysia Year Five syllabus that has lessons on khat and Chinese and Tamil calligraphy in vernacular schools.
"We urge the Education Ministry to conduct a dialogue with Chinese educationist groups as soon as possible," he said.
Meanwhile, Jiao Zong chairperson Ong Chiow Chuen said the groups should also discuss the issue with political parties from both sides of the divide.
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