Vernacular schools should appreciate govt's open stand: Sultan Nazrin
IPOH: The Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah said vernacular schools must take the responsibility to ensure their students were able to master the Malay language with a degree of fluency comparable if not better than students in national schools.
He said the efforts of students in mastering the national language should be accepted as a challenge and the achievement of the students in mastering it should be made one of the key indices of vernacular schools.
"The success of the vernacular schools in getting their pupils to master the national language will help build a united nation and minimise the uneasiness of some communities towards vernacular schools," he said.
The Sultan of Perak also noted that it was contradictory and ironic that a Malaysian citizen could not understand, speak, write and read in the national language which is the identity of the nation.
He was speaking at Sekolah Menengah Jenis Kebangsaan Sam Tet 2017 Excellence Award presentation here today.
Also present at the event were the Raja Permaisuri of Perak Tuanku Zara Salim, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir and his wife, Datin Seri Saripah Zulkifli.
Sultan Nazrin Shah said vernacular schools should appreciate the government's open stand that allowed such schools to continue operating and they should translate their appreciation by making the schools as a place to foster unity among students of various races in the country.
"The founding fathers of this country, when drafting the National Education Policy and Razak Report, have introduced the concept of a national school stream to unite people from diverse backgrounds."
"But the dynamics that have taken place later presented various new challenges that required modifications.
Following that, vernacular schools were given permission to continue operating, " he said.
Meanwhile, he said non-Chinese school children in vernacular schools should be proactive in exploring the environment of students of various religions, races, cultures, and languages to understand and cooperate with each other.
Sultan Nazrin said this was because the harmonious relationship among the various races played an important role in building a more united and glorious future for Malaysia. — Bernama