State your stand on vernacular schools, Dong Jiao Zong tells election hopefuls

PETALING JAYA: Two of the main Chinese educationist groups in the country have urged election candidates in the upcoming Johor and Negeri Sembilan polls to state their position on vernacular schools.

The United Chinese School Committees’ Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong) and United Chinese School Teachers’ Association of Malaysia (Jiao Zong) called on contesting parties and candidates to give a clear commitment to safeguarding the vernacular school system, particularly when launching their manifestos.

The two groups, collectively known as Dong Jiao Zong, said the state polls would be crucial to shaping the political landscape and the future of the country’s multi-stream schooling system.

They said only candidates that give a clear commitment to protecting Malaysia’s diverse education system deserve the support of voters, Sin Chew reported.

They also urged voters disillusioned with politics not to skip the polls, saying it was their civic duty and responsibility to cast their ballots.

“Voters in Johor and Negeri Sembilan should not forfeit their ballots because they are dissatisfied with the status quo.

“Instead, they should actively fulfil their civic duty by using their votes to safeguard vernacular education and Malaysia’s multicultural heritage,” they were quoted as saying.

The associations meanwhile urged candidates to ditch narrow and racial political rhetoric and to instead focus on policies that are practical and beneficial to the people.

The Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), the final examination in Chinese independent secondary schools, remains a hotly debated topic with Chinese interest groups pushing for the government’s formal recognition of the certification.

While the government announced new entry pathways for UEC graduates to public higher learning institutions in May, the higher education ministry said this did not amount to recognition of the UEC.

A study conducted from 2018 to 2020 on the feasibility of recognising the UEC will be submitted to higher education minister Zambry Abdul Kadir by the end of July.