UNLIKE their national school peers, headmasters of Chinese national-type school find themselves in a catch-22 situation over a directive from the Education Ministry to organise events in conjunction with the Palestinian Solidarity Week with parents being against the programme.
It will therefore be a test of the wisdom and adaptability of the school principals. When contacted by Sin Chew Daily, some of the Chinese primary school headmasters said they had to submit a report on the events to be carried out while navigating ways to avoid aggravating the angry parents.
A headmaster in Penang resorted to promoting world peace as a special topic in a moral class. He said World War I and World War II were cited as examples to showcase the brutality of wars and the importance of social harmony.
Another headmaster in the Manjung district, Perak opted to stress the importance of peace and the destruction caused by wars during the school assembly. Global peace, humanity, love and care have been highlighted to pupils while Muslim students perform prayers led by religious teachers.
“Photographs of the activities held during the school assembly and prayers by Muslim students would be submitted to the Education Ministry,” he told Sin Chew Daily.
To re-cap, the Palestinian Solidarity Week which will be held from Oct 29 to Nov 3 will involve all educational institutions under the Education Ministry, including schools, vocational and matriculation colleges as well as teacher training institutes nationwide.
The announcement has triggered debates and raised concerns, especially after a video clip depicting a man dressed as a militant wielding a replica rifle during a school event went viral on social media platforms thus sparking immense concern among parents and netizens.
In response, the Education Ministry stated that it would not tolerate elements of extremism and violence during the Palestinian Solidarity Week at all institutions under its purview.
It has been reported that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told the Dewan Rakyat yesterday (Oct 31) that students are encouraged but not forced to know about the Israel-Palestine conflict, adding that there are guidelines to comply with at schools.
However, it is understood that SJKC Sungai Way in Petaling Jaya cancelled the event due to opposition from parents who threatened to allow their children to skip classes during the week-long programme.
This has prompted Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia (Huazong) president Tan Sri Goh Tian Chuan to urge schools – in particular primary schools – to cancel their proposed events with immediate effect.
As the government said it was not mandatory, coupled with the absence of updated guidelines, Goh said schools should avoid organising such events.
“Major international conflicts, religious disputes and sovereignty issues are too heavy and too remote for primary school students and are not urgent for them to comprehend,” he justified.
Instead, Goh who has been helming Huazong since 2019 opined that cultivating patriotism would be a more suitable focus for primary school students. This is given that some of the activities carried out by certain schools were inappropriate and not in line with the event’s objectives. – Nov 1, 2023
