Disclaimer: This article may be over simplified for the benefit of readers who are new to the concept of Vernacular schools in Malaysia. This article includes personal anecdotes and experience and is no way written to educate any individual about the historical and political landscape in Malaysia.
In Malaysia, Vernacular schools are split into Chinese Medium or Tamil medium schools and what this means is that a child can learn the national syllabus in the Mandarin/ Tamil language. Also known as SJK (C ) and SJK (T) (for primary schools), there are schools which are government-aided and those which are not.
How Did Vernacular (Chinese) Schools Come About
During the time of the British colonization, Chinese and Indian immigrants were kept and considered separate from the local Malay natives. Around the 18th Century, Chinese and Indian Immigrants started to establish their own schools as a way around missionary school’s which promoted English education.
Chinese and Indian immigrants who felt it important to preserve their own mother tongue, started establishing their own schools with their own education system.
In the 19th century British, English medium missionary schools started flourishing and there was a push for English-medium schools.
Advocates of Chinese education who wanted to continue educating young Malaysian Chinese in Mandarin, to preserve the Chinese culture, continued fighting for the right to continue having Chinese Vernacular schools. One of the biggest advocates being Lim Lian Geok
National Unity
Although there are those who argue that National schools (Sekolah Kebangsaan) promote unity and diversity and that the government should do away with vernacular schools, personally as a product of Sekolah Kebangsaan I for one am thankful for the existence of SJK (C)s because my son gets the chance to be educated in Chinese and to learn his Chinese culture (formally).
Growing up as a Chinese who did not speak and write mandarin gave me a sort of identity crisis when it came to being Malaysian Chinese. I attended a private University and saw how “rare” I was. When I went to Singapore, the “rarity” was even more glaring as I realised there was a sort of disconnect for me because I couldn’t speak my own mother tongue.
I for one think national unity is more than just the school you choose for your child. Besides, it can be fostered even in a vernacular setting what with more and more non-Chinese students being enrolled in SJK(C).
In the past decade, Chinese school’s have gained steady popularity especially amongst the Malays.
Apart from being a catalyst for your child to pick up (and practice) Mandarin effectively, Chinese schools have also long established themselves at shaping more disciplined and academically strong students.
To each his Own
The argument for and against Vernacular schools will never end and too that I say, to each his own.
As a Malaysian Chinese who grew up attending Sekolah Kebangsaan from Standard 1 right up till Form 5, I grew up not knowing a single Mandarin word, not being able to recognise Chinese characters outside those that made up my name.
When you strip away an individual of their mother tongue, it gives you a strange identity crisis that cannot go away with just praising their fluency in their national language.
Unfortunately in Malaysia, besides Vernacular school there is no other way that a non-Malay child can effectively learn their mother tongue. Unlike in Singapore where Mother Tongue is an actual subject with actual grading and proper time slots within the school timetable, in Malaysia our Ministry deems it as unimportant.
As a mother to a biracial child, I am inclined to choose SJKC for my son because learning a third language is beneficial not just for cognitive skills but also in the future , should he feel any sort of identity crisis, at least he will have the language skills to be able to choose his own “race” regardless of what his IC says.
