Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today said the education system must be reviewed to arrest racial polarisation, leaving many wondering if it was a hint at abolishing vernacular schools in the future.

In a written reply to Dr Tan Kee Kwong (BN-Segambut) at the Dewan Rakyat, the premier said the system, which allows for different language mediums, must be re-examined in light of this problem.

He added that the government will fortify the implementation of the controversial vision school projects.

However, Abdullah stated that racial polarisation, said to begin at the school level, was still 'under control'.

"In relation to this, various measures have to be taken to tackle this issue including a review of the education system which allows for different streams to be implemented in this country and (take efforts) to strengthen the vision school (concept)," he said.

The prime minister also said the government has undertaken numerous efforts to achieve the aim of a united Bangsa Malaysia by the year 2020.

These efforts, he explained, were being carried out via the media and covered various fields such as education, socio-economical areas, welfare, politics, religion and culture.

The current education system divides the primary school system into national schools and national-type schools (read: vernacular schools) while vision schools place all streams under one roof.

Vernacular education groups fear that the implementation of vision school was the first step in the eventual dismantlement of different education streams.

'Shocking statement'

In an immediate response, MCA Youth education bureau chief Dr Wee Ka Siong described the premier's statement as 'shocking'.

"We can't draw a conclusion to say that the government is going to abolish the vernacular schools although (the statement) was hinting at that, because the premier said that the government will review the system," he said when met at the Parliament lobby.

However, Wee said the premier was wrong in suggesting that different streams of schools was a factor contributing to racial polarisation.

The Ayer Itam parliamentarian added that the review should not affect the current national and national type-school system and the country's social contract should continue to be honoured.

Elaborating, he said language was only a tool to make easier the learning process of children at the initial stage and cannot be deemed as a polarising agent.

"I can't agree that students who have gone through national schools have higher civic consciousness or sense of unity," he said, adding that secondary schools and universities which housed students from different backgrounds played a more important role.

What's the problem?

Meanwhile, MIC Youth chief and Kota Raja MP S Vigneswaran said people should not fear changes as long as the usage and teaching of different languages were assured.

"One thing that can be assured is that by constitution, the languages will always be there. This change will not threaten our position, so what's the problem?

"We must allow evaluation and changes to take place because we are in a globalised and borderless era now," said the Youth and Sports Ministry parliamentary secretary.

On the contrary, DAP deputy secretary-general Chong Eng cautioned the government not to sacrifice the uniqueness and identity of various schools in the name of integration.

"We unite as citizens, we don't betray the country, we defend the sovereignty of the country and all these have nothing to do with what school we came from," said the Bukit Mertajam MP.

"Polarisation actually starts from political polarisation meaning we are separated into bumiputera and non-bumiputera or Muslims and non-Muslims, not by culture or education," she added.

Quota-based scholarships

In another development, the Prime Minister's Department said the government-sponsored Public Services Department (PSD) scholarships will remain quota based.

A majority of those benefitting from these scholarships are bumiputera students.

The department's parliamentary secretary Mohd Johari Baharum said the government has no plans of converting this into a merit-based system.

He said this in a reply to a supplementary question from parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timor) during the question-and-answer session this morning.

To the original question from Chua Jui Meng (BN-Bakri), Johari said PSD had given out a total of RM2.4 billion worth of scholarships since1996.

Of this, RM1.5 billion was given to Malaysian students studying abroad while the rest were disbursed locally.