The government should consider the possibility of introducing the Chinese language as a subject for all interested pupils in national primary schools, said Chinese education movement Dong Jiao Zong.

The movement's chief executive officer Bok Tai Hee told malaysiakini today that there is a huge demand to learn Mandarin.

"A lot of Malays want to learn Mandarin," he said.

According to Bok, there are about 60,000 Malay pupils currently studying in national-type Chinese primary schools.

Asked about statements from certain quarters that some ethnic communities choose to be separated by placing their children in vernacular schools, the Chinese educationist said it is an "irresponsible comment".

Same syllabus

Bok said there is an increasing number of non-Chinese pupils who enrol in Chinese schools every year.

"Why? Because the parents feel these schools are good," he said, adding that except for the medium of instruction, vernacular schools follow the same syllabus as that of national schools.

He added that Mandarin is an important language because China is huge market for Malaysia's tourism industry and businesses.

Recently, certain quarters claimed that vernacular schools also practise a form of segregation following the revelation by the National Union of the Teaching Profession that 10 percent of all national schools practise segregating students into classes according to their race.

Defenders of vernacular education however said that students of different ethnic groups are not segregated in their schools.