Malaysia’s Chinese School Students Labeled ‘Not Very Smart’
Emeritus Professor Datuk Teo Kok Seong drops the mic: Chinese school kids are linguistic underachievers.
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Prominent academician Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr Teo Kok Seong has taken Chinese schools to task, branding their students as “not very smart.”
Teo, pulling no punches, laid it out bare: “These Chinese students studying in Chinese schools are not very smart. Although the school teaches three languages, they’re only good at their mother tongue and are not good at English and Malay.”
Teo, who has long been a vocal critic of Chinese vernacular schools, also recounted an incident where a former non-Malay minister suggested that Bahasa Malaysia, the national language, had little economic value compared to Chinese and English.
He expressed concern that such views indicated a lack of understanding of Malaysian values and national identity.
This verbal grenade was lobbed during the “Dialog Merdeka “Memahami Sejarah Melalui Kepimpinan” pow-wow by the Perdana Leadership Foundation in Putrajaya, which focuses on understanding history through leadership.
Also present was former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was instrumental in setting up the foundation.
Multi-stream Education Criticised as ‘Non-violent Extremism’
Another panellist at the dialogue, Professor Ahmad Murad Noor Merican from the International Islamic University of Malaysia, criticised the country’s multi-stream education system.
He described it as a form of “non-violent extremism” that systematically rejects national integration.
Prof Murad also highlighted that the proportion of non-Malays in national primary schools has decreased to less than five per cent.
He warned that the country could see significant demographic and institutional changes within five years if the trend continues.
READ MORE: The Changing Face Of Malaysian Education: A Chinese School’s Malay Majority
Calls for Formal Inquiry and Reform
Prof Murad suggested setting up a royal commission of inquiry and preparing a white paper.
He emphasised the need for formal and institutionalised methods rather than political or informal approaches to improving the situation.
As the dust settles on this verbal battlefield, one thing’s clear: Malaysia’s education system is in for a roller coaster ride.
Will Chinese schools rise to the challenge and prove their linguistic mettle?
Or will they be consigned to the dunce corner of Malaysia’s educational landscape?
READ MORE: [Watch] Preacher Firdaus Wong Criticised Over “Non-Muslims Using BM For Social Media Content” Post
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