KUCHING, Dec 30: Sarawak People’s Aspiration Party (Aspirasi) president Lina Soo opines that more vernacular and international schools should be established in Sarawak to raise the standard of education in the State.
This follows a High Court ruling in Kuala Lumpur yesterday which upheld teaching of Mandarin and Tamil in vernacular schools.
Soo said English is an official language in Sarawak and in order to stay abreast of world developments, students and youth in Sarawak must master English as the language of international communication in all realms of science, politics, art and knowledge.
In the meantime, Soo hailed the High Court’s decision to uphold the teaching of Mandarin and Tamil as a medium of instruction in vernacular schools.
She noted High Court Judge Datuk Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali ruled that the use of a non-Malay medium of instruction for teaching in Chinese and Mandarin schools does not infringe Article 152(1) of the Federal Constitution.
Soo hoped that the three plaintiffs comprising the Federation of Peninsular Malay Students, Islamic Education Development Council and the Confederation of Malaysia Writers Association will not appeal the High Court’s decision. — DayakDaily
