So, the Ministry of Education is cooking something new :
The camp programme – billed kembar padu (integrated triumvirate) – was created following concerns that children of various races were not mingling, with many attending vernacular schools, he said.
But the NUTP, national union of teacher something-something are arguing over :
The National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) disagrees with the Education Ministry’s intention to increase the number of English sessions for Year One pupils.
As a parent with three school going kids, all these are pretty puzzling to me. But since I am going to be stucked right in the middle for while, I suppose we just have to go with the flow and rant when I like it.
So, let’s get on with the rant to maintain peace!
Firstly, the bunch of teachers are a PITA (in = in, T = the, the other P A, you go figure). They only want to work five days like the rest of the civil servants. So, they crammed all the co-curricular activities into the school days. Kids have to go to school as early as 6.30 am, finish school at 2.10 pm, attend Scouts from 2.30 – 5pm. On other days, finish classes at 2.10, attend some club activities till 4 pm. At 4.30 pm, they have sports practice. Some schools make their teachers to return on Saturdays so that the kids don’t have to cram everything into one day. But most schools don’t. My kids are lucky ‘cos they either live next to the school and has time to run back for a bath and eat or they are pretty grown up and are fine with the long hours. However, you should see those poor, scrawny kids hanging for the whole day, waiting for one activities to another, in the scorching sun, minimum foods and no proper resting place.
Next, the standard of the teachers’ English are a PITA too. I shall not quote who, where and how but believe me, it is better off our kids don’t hear it than to learn it. One is pronounce as ‘wang’, for example.
The future of the country is in our kids’ hands. But the hand that feeds them that, i.e. the parents and teachers are not always giving the right and proper ‘nutrition’. You want to teach the children racial integration? How about starting with us parents? Have we forgotten those keris brandishing acts? The one who said they are willing to resort to blood bath to defend their imaginary boundary? Who is behind it? Who is talking now? How about toning down the ‘mereka mereka yang kafir dan tidak bertamadun?’ (those infidels who are errmmm…uncultured?) which are blasting over the public airwaves every day and especially on Fridays?
It takes more than camps and silly acts like eating with hands and chopsticks, dudes. Get real! It takes a gentle approach of teaching our children about accepting others without the fear of ‘people broaching in their territories’ which require those dramatic bloodbath talks.
Remember to check Lame Basket for his funny cartoons on Ah Longs and the prison.
Believe it or not, Aunty Lilian, I follow your blog more than I read the newspaper – the newspaper is so full of crap, its depressing to read them! Give me your blog anytime…
Its sad that the “Big Brother” has to resort to these “tactics” to encourage racial harmony. Things were not like that growing up. My best friend was and still is the sweetest Malay girl ever, and her mum still makes me my favorite nasi tomato whenever I go over to their house. Eating with hand was and still is a joy to be part of the Malay culture and my Malay friends have fun learning chopsticks.
Where has all these gone to? How can we set a good example for the kids when the “elders” are bickering worse than children themselves? Shouldn’t the Big Brother set a good example rather than being an empty can that shakes and talk BS all the time?
shortie – Ya lor, the NS already do until terbalik, lintang pukang, somemore wants to take care of young kids pulak. My sons too have very close friends with other races. It is all from the parents, if we don’t give them hang-ups, they just embrace all races as one. But here the adults are so into pointing out the differences, how to nurture kids to overlook it, right? And the worst is, it comes from the same person!
Sorry, I skool no go but I know the Mnister is bodoh.
What? Kids again???
2 of my best friends are Sarawak’s Bumiputera. They are family friends too. Never even once the racial issue has been raised. Well, I bet a lot of parents are doing a fantastic job.
It’s some of the assholes (you know who I mean) who bring up something like ‘racial integration’ bullshit to let the kids know that there are differences in the races when they know that kids are already doing great in racial integration naturally. Now look who’s talking…
I won’t even blink when the day comes when this country becomes upside down. And who the hell came up with this NS idea? You have no idea how they cover up the fights (real fights) among races during NS. A few actually survived (no one died though) to tell the story. LOL!!!
Well…
Racial intergration won’t happen if parents won’t stop telling their kids NOT to mix with Malays because they have kutu or Indians coz they’re dark skinned ppl or Chinese because they eat pork. While the kids may be doing a great job socialising with other kids, parents are making it worse. Thats why the govt has to intervene (political issues aside)
Do this, even when these kids grow up, they’d be too used to not socialising around with people of other races and they start using the numerous agendas around to give them a reason to be really racist pricks/bitches.
And then the cycle starts again……so it’s a neverending chain…one generation after the other.
I think the keris incident and whatnot should NOT be used as an excuse for us to pass down our annoyance and hatred to the kids. It’s so wrong and the adults should know better than to let things like that affect their judgement of right and wrong.
People are getting wayy too sensitive nowadays. Interpretations screwed up…ppl’s goodwill misunderstood…..and etc. Too selfish, too cautious. I think the camp program is a good start. That ought to tell some parents that they’re doing a bad job in nurturing their kids’ social skills that the govt has to cook up camps like these to avoid the increasing racism.
NS in Singapore and other countries too have fights covered up. You can’t prevent fights when there are cliques everywhere. The weaker ones get bullied. It doesn’t matter if the trainees are or aren’t of the same race. It happens. Just that some Malaysians have an excuse to pick on the weak using racial issues to back their violent behaviour.
S-Kay – And your point is? Exactly what my title said, right?
clare – Yeah, kids are like that. Just like the tobacco company financed anti-smoking campaign approved by the uuumnoo? Tell them not to do something, they will do it. Tell them to mingle, they will go further away.
mr stalker – I go makan kali lice time, you oso makan skali you know?
lol @ skay
You go alone lar. See my Mnister spelling. They cannot tangkap me lah. LOL. Already said skool no go. But I will visit you on visiting days. LOL.
terence – like dis, you bring CKT with extra lard for me, ok?
tres – which part?
Exactly what your title said but not the content of it =)