SIBU: Sarawak’s long-standing educational diversity should not be portrayed as a threat to national unity or loyalty.
Instead it should be recognised as part of the state’s social reality and a potential strength in preparing its people for a more competitive future.
Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Youth chief Kevin Lau said Sarawak’s experience had shown that different education streams, languages and cultural backgrounds could coexist without undermining social harmony.
His remarks came in response to comments by independent speaker Mohd Ridhuan Tee Abdullah on social media on Monday (Aug 17), which touched on vernacular schools, the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) and proposals for Chinese-language universities in Sabah and Sarawak.
Lau said debates on education should be grounded in facts and the broader national education framework, rather than simplified arguments that linked particular education streams to questions of loyalty, racial relations or national unity.
“Education issues should not be reduced to assumptions that a particular education stream determines a person’s loyalty, sense of belonging or commitment to the country,” he said in a statement on Tuesday (Aug 18).
Addressing concerns surrounding Chinese vernacular schools, or SJK(C), Lau, stressed that such schools operate within the country’s legal and constitutional framework.
He said discussions on SJK(C) should therefore take into account the wider structure of Malaysia’s education system instead of creating negative perceptions towards any particular community.
He also rejected the notion that recognising educational diversity meant sidelining Bahasa Melayu as the national language.
Instead, he said Sarawak should pursue stronger proficiency in Bahasa Melayu, English and other languages simultaneously, arguing that multilingual capabilities would better equip young people to compete in an increasingly international education and economic environment.
On the UEC, he pointed to Sarawak’s recognition of the qualification for more than a decade as evidence that educational diversity had not translated into social division.
He said Sarawak had continued to develop as a peaceful, stable and cohesive state despite the existence of different education backgrounds.
“The education background or stream a person comes from should not be used as a measure of their loyalty, sense of belonging or contribution to Sarawak and Malaysia,” he said.
For Lau, the experience also challenged attempts to frame UEC recognition as an issue of national allegiance.
He said educational qualifications should instead be viewed from the perspective of whether they could contribute to human capital development and expand opportunities for young people.
He also cited the implementation of Sarawak’s Free Tertiary Education Scheme (FTES) as an example of the state’s broader approach towards educational access.
He said the scheme provided opportunities for students from different educational backgrounds, including UEC holders, to pursue higher education.
According to Lau, the policy reflected an effort to widen access to education without allowing differences in educational streams to become barriers to talent development.
He said Sarawak’s education policies should ultimately be assessed by their ability to produce skilled graduates and expand opportunities for young people, rather than by the language or stream of their previous education.
Lau also defended Sarawak’s efforts to expand international cooperation in higher education, including the exploration of collaboration with Fudan University.
He said such cooperation should not be viewed narrowly through the lens of language or cultural identity, but as part of Sarawak’s longer-term strategy to strengthen higher education, research and skilled workforce development.
He credited Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian and SUPP leaders with driving efforts that could potentially open opportunities in medicine, research, innovation and other strategic areas.
“International cooperation can create opportunities for expertise exchange, research development, institutional capacity building and efforts to address the need for highly skilled workers, particularly in healthcare and other strategic sectors,” he said.
Lau said Sarawak could not afford to approach education from a narrow perspective as competition for talent, investment and knowledge increasingly crossed state and national borders.
Rather than treating linguistic and educational diversity as a liability, he said Sarawak should turn it into an advantage.
“Sarawak has long demonstrated that diversity is not a weakness.
“When managed through mutual respect, openness and common understanding, diversity can become a strength that brings society together,” he said.
He warned against turning education into a platform for widening racial and religious differences, saying the focus should instead remain on improving educational quality, widening access and equipping Sarawak’s young people with skills relevant to the future economy.
Lau acknowledged that differences of opinion were inevitable in a democratic society, but said political and public debate should not be allowed to create unnecessary misunderstanding or threaten the social cohesion that had been built in Sarawak over the years.
“Education should be a bridge that expands opportunities, builds unity and strengthens Sarawak’s future — not a tool to divide society,” he said.
He added that Sarawak would continue pursuing an education approach that was inclusive, open and future-oriented, with the broader objective of developing quality human capital and ensuring that no Sarawakian child was left behind in the state’s development.
