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KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, December 15, 2001: Recently, complaints that Malaysian schools are practicing a form of racial segregation have been brought to the attention of the public, according to this article in Singapore’s Straits Times. The Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) Youth Wing and the National Union of Teaching Profession (NUTP) alleged that schools tended to segregate students along ethnic lines, rather than according to merit, and that this practice is detrimental to the minority Chinese and Indian students and exacerbates the country’s racial and ethnic segregation. Education Minister Tan Sri Musa Mohamed responded by saying segregation was illegal and that his ministry would punish those responsible. He urged those affected to lodge formal complaints so that the matter could be investigated thoroughly. Lack of facilities, states the article, for the pursuance of mother-tongue education in the national stream of education, the practice of racial discrimination and the polarized nature of schools have contributed to a situation where divisions between the various ethnic groups have increased.

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