The ‘doing away’ with Kadazandusun classes and the conversion of a student to Islam have not only worried Star Sabah chief Jeffrey Kitingan, but also raised questions as to who is really controlling education in the state.
These events showed errant educators going off at a tangent which compromise standards of education and threaten the fabric of social life in Sabah, Kitingan said in a statement today.
“How is it that a school can be allowed to decide to do away with Kadazandusun classes that are replaced with Arabic lessons? Wouldn’t the right action be for the school authorities to ask for a replacement Kadazandusun teacher?
“Who made that decision and why this shortcoming is not addressed and deterrents put in place so that it won’t be repeated in the future?” he asked.
Kitingan asked what steps were taken to increase the number of Sabahan educators including Kadazandusun language teachers.
Another worrying incident was the conversion of a student in Kinarut, where the school authorities defended the hostel warden involved in the case and blamed the poor girl, he said, adding it was most unacceptable.
Kitingan said many questions were left unanswered, adding: “If it is true that the girl wanted to convert on her own free will, the warden should have brought it up to the school principal and the parents called in.
“Why wasn’t this done by the warden? Who gave the authority to the warden to do the conversion? What steps are being taken so that such incidents do not recur in the future?
“Can one imagine what will happen or the furore if a Malay student suddenly converts on his own free will like in Kinarut and everyone is in the dark until a police report is lodged?” he said.
Meanwhile Kitingan said that he welcomed the directives given by Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to to remove restriction directives on other religions in Maktab Rendah Science Mara (MRSM) colleges in Sarawak.
He asked whether similar directives were applicable to MRSM in Sabah as no one has spoken about the restrictions.
“What will the Sabah government do to ensure the same directives are applied in Sabah and to ensure freedom of religion as guaranteed in the Federal Constitution and Batu Sumpah?”
He said that the DPM also promised that more Sarawakians would be trained as teachers, and he wanted to know whether there would be any additional intake of trainee teachers from Sabah.
He claimed that education in the state was hitting an all-time low, resulting in Sabahans languishing at the bottom of the unemployment pile with many working in factories or menial jobs, and tens of thousands unemployed.
“What steps will the Sabah Education Department now take to ensure that educators from Malaya are screened to ensure that they do not repeat such mistakes that threaten the peace and harmony of Sabah society?”
The Sabah education director should ensure that education in Sabah was adapted to suit the local circumstances to build towering Sabahans and not allow racial and religious overtones from Malaya to enter the education system especially schools in Sabah, Kitingan added. - M'kini
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