By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, March 11: National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang has called on all parties to end the polemic regarding the existence of vernacular schools in Malaysia that could undermine the spirit of unity among Malaysians.
He said that in November 2023, the Court of Appeal ruled that the existence and establishment of vernacular schools and the use of Mandarin and Tamil in them are constitutional.
“Any effort to abolish its existence is unjustified; in fact, it is contrary to the court’s decision, which upholds the principles of Rukun Negara, namely the ‘Supremacy of the Constitution’ and the ‘Rules of Law’.
“I also fully support the stance of Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, who has stated that the Ministry of Education (MoE) will continue to defend the vernacular education system because it is in line with Section 28 (establishment of national schools and national-type schools) of the Education Act 1996,” he said in a statement today.
Ago further emphasised that a vernacular school is a promoter of unity rather than a division among ethnic communities.
“The enrolment data of non-Chinese students at SJKC and non-Indian students at SJKT also shows a continuous increase from 2018 until 2023. This shows that people’s unity can be built anywhere if there is determination from all parties,” he added.
He further mentioned that the National Unity Ministry had established a technical committee on Rukun Negara Education involving the MoE, Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) and the Ministry of Communications, which aims to re-establish the foundation and principles of the Rukun Negara in the national education system.
To date, the Ministry, in collaboration with the MOE and Communications Ministry, has established 6,849 Rukun Negara Clubs (KRN) and 189 Rukun Negara Secretariats (SRN) throughout the country to increase the appreciation of the Rukun Negara among the young generation. — DayakDaily
