Of education and unity

AT last something sensible and encouraging about education and its impact on unity! I was truly happy to read about Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s visit to Bagan Datoh “DPM: Change school syllabus” ( Sunday Star, Feb 7) and, even more encouraged by his clarion call for schools to focus on cross-cultural education.

Many have written and spoken about our declining standard of education but few have ventured to touch on the core and sometimes sensitive issues that impede the building of a united society and a united nation.

Education is the key and sharing cultural exchanges and backgrounds is a strong means of building understanding, respect and cohesion in a diverse and multi-cultural society.

Zahid’s visit to the homes of old friends during this festive period is an inspiring example of the openness and diversity we should celebrate and his call for the strengthening of cross-cultural education in schools reflects an understanding of a core issue that needs urgent attention and repair.

Malaysia is famous for its promotions of “Malaysia truly Asia”, “Colours of Malaysia” and “One Malaysia” with all of these trumpeting the unique characteristics we have – friendly, multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-ethnic with a diverse mix of rich traditions and cultures. Underneath that surface however lies the reality of differences that appear to be driving us back into the ethno-religious cocoons that we long discarded and that now threaten to widen the divide.

After over 50 years of independence, the Deputy Prime Minister lamented that “the nation’s level of unity was worrying”. A timely reminder, I might add, that what we need to do needs to be done urgently in order to redeem our position and to prevent the loss of another generation to the forces of separation and disunity.

In our schools of yesteryears, English and Malay were both compulsory subjects and History included both South-East Asia and the Cultural History of Malaya. This latter subject included a comparative study of all major cultures and religions and helped to give us a greater understanding of and respect for others.

All religions teach us good values with good always triumphant over evil, the light always overpowering the dark.

We learned the fundamental beliefs of the various faiths in school.

We experienced these in the homes of friends from other faiths, living with them, sharing meals with them, studying with them and playing with them. Interaction was close and fellowship was binding.

We were black, white, brown, yellow, all together as one family and there was nothing better than that feeling of belonging as one.

We need to go back to those basics, to the reality that we need each other to survive, to build and to overcome the odds we face.

Our system of education has not successfully generated citizens with the right combination of values, skills and attitudes to contribute to national growth and national solidarity through unity amidst our diversity.

The founding vision of our nation is well reflected by the motto inscribed in our national badge Bersekutu Bertambah Mutu and the lyrics of the national anthem which unfortunately is always sung parrot-style in schools with the message, sadly, hardly ever articulated in the classrooms.

The lyrics are rich in meaning and say a lot about the type of country envisioned by our founding fathers.

The Rukun Negara too was ingeniously crafted to provide the essential tenets and principles upon which Malaysian society would be built and strengthened.

The messages of the Negara Ku and the Rukun Negara should be the cornerstones upon which cross-cultural education should be developed.