The National Education Blueprint, with its emphasis on Malay-medium schools, might end up marginalising multi-lingual education, said the Malaysia Tamil Education Research and Development Foundation (MTERDF).

It's president K Arumugam said the blueprint failed to recognise primary level education as a combination of national schools and vernacular schools.

Over 93 percent of the Chinese and half of Tamil school children obtain their primary education from vernacular schools. Enrolment into vernacular schools is reported to be on the rise, which include increases of non-Chinese children enrolling into Chinese medium primary schools.

"They have left out vernacular schools from the blueprint. The blueprint has only focussed on the national schools, making them the schools of choice," Arumugam told malaysiakini.

The blueprint will set the direction on education policy under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (2006-2010). Some RM23 billion has been allocated for the remaining four years in the plan.

The Education Ministry's blueprint, which will set the direction on education policy in the Ninth Malaysia Plan (2006 - 2010), came under attack late last year after the government announced that there will be no new Chinese or Tamil schools.

Among those that opposed this, include the Chinese education movement Dong Jiao Zong or the United School Committees Association and MTERDF.

Yesterday, DJZ released a 31-page report condemning the blueprint for its unfavourable policies towards vernacular schools.

Ignoring reality

Arumugam described the blueprint as perpetuating a "single identity nation-state concept."

"It's becoming obsolete. Assimilation is outdated," he said, adding that the drive to a more dynamic human capital in Malaysia does not necessarily mean the end of the vernacular schools.

He said it would not be impossible to produce world class students from a multi-lingual education system.

He said the government should overcome its fear of losing national identity through its emphasis of the Malay language.

The government had said that national schools would foster national unity by educating children of various ethnic groups under one system.

"But the reality is that many students are already enrolled in vernacular schools. Parents want their children to learn the mother tongue.

"The government cannot pretend this reality does not exist, and say multi-lingual education causes polarisation," said Arumugam.

There is an estimated 1,810 vernacular schools, 205 of which are run without government aid.