Joint Statement by Dong Zong and Jiao Zong

7 February 2020

Revival of Vision School Concept should be opposed

Pupils Integration for Unity Plan should be enhanced

Prime Minister and Acting Minister of Education Tun Mahathir recently said that he hoped to implement the Vision School Concept throughout the country. In this regard, Dong Jiao Zong wishes to respond as follows:

(1)Dong Jiao Zong strongly opposes the Vision School Programme and reiterates the need to safeguard the multi-stream school education system in Malaysia. We emphasise our objection to the Vision School Programme not because we want to “segregate” students of various ethnic groups or we are against unity of the people. Instead, we are of the view that the original concept of the programme is based on the spirit of “the ultimate objective” as mentioned in the Razak Report 1956, i.e. converting Malaysia’s multi-stream schools into single-stream schools with Bahasa Malaysia used as the standard medium of instruction.

(2)Dong Jiao Zong maintains that it is completely not in accordance with the facts to allege that “multi-stream schools hinder unity of the people”. Multi-stream schools exist for upholding the principle of mother tongue education. Although schools of various streams use different languages as their media of instruction, their syllabuses are all drawn up and executed in an integrated manner by the country’s Ministry of Education such that the teaching and learning involve the same knowledge and value perspectives. At the same time, schools of various streams are open to parents of all ethnic groups so that they can freely enroll their children to study in these schools. In Chinese primary schools for example, non-Chinese pupils now make up about 18 percent of the total number of pupils. This is evidence that multi-stream schools do not hinder unity of the people.

(3)Dong Jiao Zong gives full support to activities for promoting communications and unity among students of various ethnic groups. In particular, in recent years, we have actively promoted and organised various series of cross-ethnic activities with students of various ethnic groups from different types of schools invited to take part. At the same time, Dong Jiao Zong urges the authorities concerned to strengthen and consistently carry out the widely accepted Pupils Integration for Unity Plan (RIMUP) which seeks to promote interaction among pupils of multi-stream schools through different types of activities. With this, we do not need to revive the Vision School Programme that had been rejected by the people.

Joint Statement by Dong Zong and Jiao Zong

3 February 2020

Concrete evidence for failure of PPSMI

Not advisable to revive an old policy

On 30 January 2020, Prime Minister and Acting Minister of Education Tun Mahathir had a special meeting with management officers of the Ministry of Education. He was reported to have said in the meeting that the teaching of Science and Maths in English (PPSMI) policy might be revived. In this regard, Dong Jiao Zong wishes to respond as follows:

(1) We do recognise the urgency of improving the standards of English language as well as science and maths among our students. However, based on the lessons learnt from the failure of PPSMI implemented previously, it is evident that haste makes waste and such a policy is definitely not feasible. Education is a professional endeavour that impacts on an entire generation and if the government insists on reviving such a policy that contradicts the principles of education, it will definitely impact on the educational developments in our country. In implementing any measure, the Ministry of Education needs to adopt a realistic and practical approach, give due attention to results of surveys, studies as well as analyses carried out and respect professional decisions.

(2) In 2003, despite strong protests from the people, the government insisted on implementing PPSMI. However, after a six-year implementation period, the Ministry of Education eventually admitted that the policy had not only failed to raise the students’ standard of the English language in general, but had also led to lower standards of science and maths. The ministry was thus forced to abolish the policy. In recent years, the standards of science and maths among students in our country had seen a drastic fall. The performances of our students in international assessment tests such as PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) and TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) were far behind the international standards. Some scholars had pointed out that these were the aftermaths of PPSMI implemented years ago. Following the abolishment of this inappropriate policy, the PISA assessment 2018 showed that Malaysian students’ average scores in science and maths were better as compared with the past. All these had proven that PPSMI had harmed the students’ performances in science and maths. It is thus evident that PPSMI is not only in conflict with the excellent strengths of mother tongue education as advocated by UNESCO but the relevant international authoritative assessment results had also proven that PPSMI is flawed and unfavourable for students’ learning.

(3) Many knowledgeable personalities have pointed out that government schools in Malaysia are seeing a downtrend in their standards and therefore, education reforms are imperative. With the prevalence of artificial intelligence, education reforms in various countries in the world have changed their directions by stressing on people-centred approach as well as giving attention to the students’ humanistic quality and personality development. In addition, the syllabus contents were also revamped to emphasize the nurturing of creative thinking, high thinking abilities and interdisciplinary learning. Malaysia’s education reform concepts should not remain at the notion of rejuvenating the country through industries as advocated in the last century, and neither should we invest our education reform resources on PPSMI that had been proven to have failed. As such, Dong Jiao Zong urges the Pakatan Harapan government to identify as soon as possible a Minister of Education who is visionary about education policies and has a good grab of the current trends in educational developments around the world. Until that is done, it is not suitable to hastily implement any major education policy.

(4) Dong Jiao Zong calls upon the Ministry of Education to ensure that before announcing any major policy, it should meet as many relevant non-governmental organisations, scholars and experts as possible for consultation, discussion and gathering different opinions. It should not just make revelations via the media as this would cause unnecessary worries for teachers, parents and students. We also wish to remind the Pakatan Harapan government to ensure that their Cabinet meetings should reflect the views of the people and respect professionalism in the education field in order to carefully consider and make sound decisions on this controversial policy.

Statement by Dong Zong

21 January 2020

Dong Jiao Zong has never opposed Jawi script

It is striving to resolve impasse through dialogues

In a recent media interview, Minister of Finance Lim Guan Eng criticised some Chinese organisations for advocating pluralism but opposing Jawi script, leading to rising level of repulsion in the Malay community. He also claimed that such a trend was set off by the unwise move of the Chinese organisations. Dong Zong does not agree with such remarks made by the Minister and we hope that he can really understand the principles and stands adopted by the Chinese and Indian communities with regard to this issue so that such a problem could be resolved in a realistic and practical manner.

Dong Zong wishes to reiterate that pupils in Chinese and Tamil primary schools have to learn three languages. We certainly hope that the pupils can enhance their learning of Bahasa Malaysia and all along we have never opposed Jawi script per se. What Dong Jiao Zong strongly opposes is the teaching of Jawi script in Chinese and Tamil primary school based on the following reasons: (1) to avoid adding to the pupils’ burden of learning at school; (2) to safeguard the sovereign rights of the boards of directors of Chinese and Tamil primary schools; and (3) to advocate a pluralistic approach in education policies. We have also proposed an alternative formula, i.e. requesting the Ministry of Education to refer to the existing Standard Five Bahasa Malaysia syllabus for Chinese and Tamil primary schools and introduce in a pluralistic manner the calligraphic arts of the different communities.

Earlier on, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Seri Mujahid met representatives from various organisations including Dong Jiao Zong on 9 January 2020. Subsequently he said he had come to understand that Dong Jiao Zong is not a racist organisation and neither is it opposing Jawi script; instead, what it does not agree is the way of implementing the relevant policy. As such, there is a need for frank and sincere dialogues.

Should New Malaysia continue to waste time and resources in populist sentiments or should it forge ahead through democratic dialogues? In choosing between these two options, the wisdom of the politicians and government officers will be put to test. Dong Jiao Zong had on 2 January 2020 submitted to the Ministry of Education our joint statement as regards the Joint Congress for the Chinese Community scheduled to be held on 28 December 2019 but was forced to be cancelled. Since then, we have maintained close contacts with the Ministry of Education and the parties on both sides of the political divide for organising dialogues regarding the teaching of Jawi script, anticipating to resolve differences of opinion through dialogues. We hope that DAP will join our discussion. We also call upon the authorities concerned to adopt an accommodating attitude in continuing to dialogue with us and to use their utmost sincerity to prevent our society from being torn asunder. Only then will our country achieve sound and steady developments to break away from the impasse.

Statement by Dong Zong

 17 January 2020

Glad to see assistance for non-governmental educational institutions 

Hope for government to institutionalize fair allocation of funds

Dong Zong welcomes and recognizes the move by the Ministry of Finance in allocating funds to three non-governmental university colleges and all Chinese independent secondary schools in the country for the second consecutive year.

Following the same move made in 2019, the Ministry of Finance has again allocated RM2 million each to New Era University College, Hanjiang Media University College as well as Southern University College and a total of RM15 million to all Chinese independent secondary schools in the country. This special gift, presented just before Chinese New Year, will be able to relieve the financial burden of the three non-governmental tertiary educational institutions. It is also RM3 million higher as compared with the allocation made to the Chinese independent secondary schools last year. Such a move shows the attention given by the Pakatan Harapan government towards non-profit educational institutions.

The three non-governmental tertiary educational institutions mentioned above and all the Chinese independent secondary schools in Malaysia have, for many years, nurtured talents for the country and contributed much to the nation. They should have been supported by the government long ago. We hopes that the Pakatan Harapan government is aware of the importance of educational investment in upgrading the nation’s competitiveness and the quality of its people. And since it is willing to take the unprecedented move of allocating funds to Chinese independent secondary schools and non-governmental tertiary educational institutions, it should continue to implement fairer policies for schools of various streams. Henceforth, it should also institutionalize the fund allocation process in a fairer and more reasonable manner to ensure equitable distribution of benefits. This will enable the non-profit educational institutions to forge ahead in their endeavours to contribute to national development.

Joint Statement by Dong Zong and Jiao Zong

8 January 2020

PUTRA denounced for pressuring to remove CNY decorations

Government needs to curb attempts to stir up racial sentiments

Dong Jiao Zong strongly denounces Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (PUTRA) for pressuring Sekolah Menengah Kerajaan (SMK) Pusat Bandar Puchong 1 to remove its Chinese New Year decorations.

PUTRA has earlier on brought a lawsuit to challenge the constitutionality of Chinese and Tamil primary schools and now, its deputy president Mohd Khairul, based on his twisted interpretation of the Federal Constitution, has alleged that the Chinese New Year festive decorations at SMK Bandar Puchong No. 1 were “propagating a non-Islam religion to the Muslims”. Apparently, he was trying to link traditional cultural celebrations to religious preaching. Such an unfounded accusation has once again stirred up interracial suspicion and misunderstanding. It is an attempt to incite racial sentiments and may pose a danger in dividing the society. Dong Jiao Zong strongly denounces such an attempt. The school principal gave in to the pressure from a political party and before lodging any report with the police and the State Education Department, she instructed to take down the Chinese New Year decorations. This is not the appropriate approach in handling the issue.

Malaysia is a nation with many ethnic groups, cultures and religions. The Ministry of Education has always been actively promoting the culture of mutual respect at schools of various streams. For example, in Chinese primary schools, decorations of various festivals such as Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Deepavali are put up to promote the pupils’ understanding of the festivals celebrated by different ethnic groups and this has been carried out for many years. Besides, the government institutions have always put up relevant decorations during the festive seasons of various races and organized the festive celebration ceremonies. These are the best reflections of the pluralistic characteristics and interracial harmony of our nation.

Faced with such increasingly prevalent rhetoric of racial and religious extremism, Dong Jiao Zong firmly believes that the government must take a serious view of the matter. The government must make the utmost effort to curb any action aimed at stirring up racial conflicts. It has to safeguard national peace as well as racial harmony and avoid fueling the arrogance of the racists.