The death of diversity in our classrooms

The state of Malaysia's education system has always been a topic of great debate and discussion, with much of the focus revolving around our decline in world university rankings and the deteriorating level of English.

But while so much attention lies on finding ways to lead our education system back to the path of global competitiveness, a less noticed but much more insidious problem is breeding in the classrooms of our schools.

Government schools have become increasingly monocultural especially in the past decade, with the racial composition of student populations far from being a true reflection of the country’s multiethnic makeup.

My child attends a government school where he is the only ethnic Chinese student in his class of 29.

Rated as this year’s top school in Kuala Lumpur and top 10 in Malaysia based on UPSR results, the school is a picture of modernity and is often touted as the rare “success” story for the local government system.

That is, of course, if you view success purely in the area of academic excellence.

A look into any of the other classrooms in his school will reveal an overwhelmingly Malay majority, a reality in almost all other government schools as an increasing number of non-Malay parents seek out alternatives to what they see as a failed education system.

Contrary to what many have assumed, I have no problem with my child being the only ethnic Chinese kid in class. Although academically he fares as a mediocre student at best, I believe he stands at a great advantage.

I love the fact that he comes home from school declaring some days that he would like to be Malay, and on others decide that he would like to eat with his bare hands.

I love the fact that he sees how difficult it is for his friends to fast during Ramadan, tells me how a few will secretly “cheat”, and reminds me not to pack pork to school for recess in case he wants to share his meal.

But while I revel in the fact that my child will grow up experiencing, at least in his early years, what it means to live in a country with fellow Malaysians of such different backgrounds and beliefs, the same cannot be said for most of his classmates.

Because of the racial makeup of the class and the school, they, unfortunately, have extremely limited exposure to any meaningful exchange and interaction with a fellow Malaysian who is not Malay or Muslim.

Schools are meant to be a confluence of different ideas and cultures and the importance of this cannot be overemphasised in a nation such as ours, where the relationship between the races is so fragile.

But instead, we see how our children are already being isolated from children of other races from the very beginning of their education.

This is, of course, not only a problem for government schools. Chinese and Tamil schools, too, have always had an unrealistic and imbalanced racial makeup.

Many social observers blame the existence of vernacular schools for the racial divisiveness among our students, but the reality is that if the government system is run better, vernacular schools would have long lost their appeal and likely died a natural death years ago.

The fact that they are today increasingly popular, even among non-Chinese and non-Indians, is proof that the root of the problem is an education system that is broken and needs fixing fast.

Parents, too, have a great role to play and may need to look beyond mere academic considerations when deciding on their child’s education options.

It is simply not enough that our children learn in their textbooks about Siti, Muthu and Ah Chong, when in reality they cannot name with their five fingers real friends of other races.

If Malaysia is to have a fighting chance of healing its racial wounds, that hope lies in the hands of children who have grown up in an environment of true ethnic diversity.

Because only a child who has played, fought, laughed and eaten with a friend from a different race and religion can grow to become an adult who can genuinely appreciate and respect the diversity of our multiracial society. – November 22, 2015.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.