The proposal to revive Vision School is good but it should not come at the expense of Chinese schools losing their autonomy, said Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching.

The DAP lawmaker also said that the schools should be constructed in new buildings, instead of converting existing schools into Vision Schools.

"I think the proposal is good but the Chinese community often has reservations - about (the standard of) Chinese schools deteriorating, and changes (happening) to their vernacular institutions.

"But if (the government) can find a suitable place to enable three types of schools to be built together, the students will have a chance to interact. In fact, when you build a Vision School, you are building a new Chinese school; I don't think this is a bad proposal," she told Malaysiakini when contacted.

Teo's name was touted as the deputy education minister in a purported cabinet list which went viral on social media recently.

She was responding to a proposal by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to resurrect his Vision School model in a bid to develop national unity and integration among Malaysia's school-going youths.

He said that the Pakatan Harapan government will look into a system where all three types of schools - national, Tamil and Chinese-type schools, can operate in shared complexes, while maintaining their respective medium of instruction, but share in sports and extra-curricular activities.

Under the concept, sharing facilities in a single complex could also bring economic benefits, Teo opined.

Teo said that the government should look into details of the proposal, to ensure Tamil and Chinese-type schools do not lose their autonomy and their standards do not deteriorate.

The Vision School programme was conceptualised by Mahathir in 2000 and implemented during his first stint as prime minister - where vernacular and national-type primary schools were placed under one roof in order to promote racial integration.

It was, however, met with resistance from education lobby groups who feared the move would encroach on minority groups rights to mother tongue education and force a monolingual system for all.