[ad_1]
KUALA LUMPUR: Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin has raised the idea of changing the education system to a single stream in primary schools.
“There will be no schools based on religion or race, to give them the experience of living with all races,” he said today at a forum to celebrate 50 years of Rukun Negara.
“We need all Malaysians at a young age to be free from prejudice against each other. At the elementary level, they need to be together to have a shared experience. After that, they can go to a religious school or a vernacular school, but only after they are given the experience of living with all races, ”he said.
Asri explained that schools should be suitable for all Malaysians regardless of religion or race, adding that they should not emphasize religion as it can make some feel uncomfortable.
He added that the proposal for one-year schools was nothing new, as he had also raised it with the previous Pakatan Harapan administration.
He said he had written a letter on the matter to former prime minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and former education minister Maszlee Malik.
“Sometimes we are so different because we don’t have the experience of living together. If I have friends who are of different faiths, then maybe that friendship will impact me to have a positive view of others.
“At the primary school stage, children must be enrolled in a mixed religion school so that there is no prejudice. Ahmad can befriend Ah Chong and they can become good friends.
“Today, many only go to religious schools, while those who attend vernacular schools only go to vernacular schools: in the long run they will not have any experience (with other races),” he said.
Asri said that he would raise this matter with the current federal government of Perikatan Nasional.
In his letter to Mahathir and Maszlee in December 2018, Asri had criticized the country’s educational system for distancing itself from the spirit of racial harmony among Malaysians.
He proposed that all children undergo the same school system from at least the first year to the sixth year of primary school.
Asri said he was aware that his proposal could cause unrest among those who fought for the establishment of religious and vernacular schools, but stressed the importance of the issue. “If we want to form unity in the future, we have to do this. We need this for future generations, ”he said.
