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The Sultan of Johor says schools are bedrocks of unity and will bring about real educational changes. 
Johor sultan, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar spoke about having single-stream schools, saying it should be mediums of unity and not factors of division for the state and its 3.4 million people, and more importantly for the nation as a whole.The current issues pertaining to racial unity might be attributed to the current situation where schools are segregated based on race, according to Sultan Ibrahim. He says the values of unity must be cultivated at a young age to produce a new generation that is united and ready for the future.He compares schools in Malaysia to schools in Singapore where the latter has a school system that is a single-stream and have proven successful at fostering unity. He has also called for English to be the medium of instruction in schools.The sultan has in the past expressed his disappointment and concern over the poor level of English of Malay students, and the low proficiency in Bahasa Malaysia of Chinese and Indian students in national schools.The sultan's statement puts him at a politically sensitive position with Putrajaya where authorities insist on having multi-stream school system but have called for stronger racial and cultural integration in national schools. The central government upholds teaching Bahasa Malaysia in different Malaysian schools as well as strengthening the English language among pupils regardless of racial background. The government believes that this is the way to improve the situation in national schools without compromising the existing system.However, many parents seem to be unhappy with the current state of education in national schools and are actively seeking alternatives like Chinese medium schools and private and international schools. Parents are concerned over the possibility that their children might not be able to pick up English and speak it well if their children remain in national schools.
Sultan calls for single stream schools
Published by SchoolAdvisor | Sep 27, 2016
Johor sultan, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar spoke about having single-stream schools, saying it should be mediums of unity and not factors of division for the state and its 3.4 million people, and more importantly for the nation as a whole.The current issues pertaining to racial unity might be attributed to the current situation where schools are segregated based on race, according to Sultan Ibrahim. He says the values of unity must be cultivated at a young age to produce a new generation that is united and ready for the future.He compares schools in Malaysia to schools in Singapore where the latter has a school system that is a single-stream and have proven successful at fostering unity. He has also called for English to be the medium of instruction in schools.The sultan has in the past expressed his disappointment and concern over the poor level of English of Malay students, and the low proficiency in Bahasa Malaysia of Chinese and Indian students in national schools.The sultan's statement puts him at a politically sensitive position with Putrajaya where authorities insist on having multi-stream school system but have called for stronger racial and cultural integration in national schools. The central government upholds teaching Bahasa Malaysia in different Malaysian schools as well as strengthening the English language among pupils regardless of racial background. The government believes that this is the way to improve the situation in national schools without compromising the existing system.However, many parents seem to be unhappy with the current state of education in national schools and are actively seeking alternatives like Chinese medium schools and private and international schools. Parents are concerned over the possibility that their children might not be able to pick up English and speak it well if their children remain in national schools.
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