When education is weaponised, everyone loses

When education is weaponised, everyone loses



It’s a well-worn cliché, but for good reason: children really are our future.

Not to state the obvious, but we were all children once – impressionable blobs ready to soak up everything the world had to offer us. It’s strange, looking back on old pictures, weathered by years in forgotten photo albums, to think about how much the little imp staring back has changed and grown.

A big part of children’s development – maybe the biggest – is the education they receive. The quality of schooling is one of the biggest determinants of the future we can build post-graduation. It’s why so much of the discourse around inequality revolves around education.


Take this hypothetical (but yet very common) case study for example: on the one hand you have a poor but bright non-Malay student, and on the other you have a far less motivated child from a Malay family.

The former may top their class year after year, only to find themselves unable to attend university because their family can’t afford it and they can’t nab one of the few scholarships awarded to non-Bumiputeras.

As for the other student? The one with far less initiative and drive who boasts Malay heritage? Well, upon finishing high school their options will be far more open, with plenty of scholarship places available and a far lower bar to secure one. Once they’ve graduated from the university they probably didn’t deserve to attend in the first place, they’ll enter the job market with a shiny degree, something that non-Malay child never even had a chance of achieving.

It’s why those coveted scholarships are so pivotal to the growth of our country.

Kids from underprivileged backgrounds need that assistance to reach their fullest potential, and Malaysia as a whole would be better off if they’re the ones assuming the most prominent and important jobs in the country.

And yet, as is often the case in Malaysia, race has to come into play.

The recent thoughts of Klang MP Charles Santiago are yet another reminder of how the obsession with race among our leaders is dragging this country down. When opportunity is afforded not based on merit, but instead on the colour of one’s skin, it is all but guaranteed that the leaders of tomorrow won’t be a true reflection of our country’s true talent.

By awarding scholarships according to race, the authorities have all but ensured that there will be talented and hardworking non-Malays who’ll never reach their potential. Either they’ll miss out on further studies entirely, or (if they’re lucky) they’ll have to attend a less prestigious institution with fewer teachers and facilities.

Why is this so? Could it be an attempt to ensure that Malays remain dominant? It would certainly appear so. To give the bulk of scholarships to those of a single community would indicate that those in charge of educational policy want to see Malays succeed more than other races. They might not say that it’s the case, but how could it not be?

It may be a more subtle form of oppression, but it could be one of the most damaging. For example, limiting the non-Malays’ access to property is one thing, but to stop them from ever having the money to even dream of accessing proper housing is another entirely.

As is the case with all Bumiputera policies in Malaysia, the defence is always that of the Malays’ poor economic standing.

Political leaders will always claim that the Malays need more help because they have less money. In theory that makes sense – except for the fact pro-Malay policies have been in place for decades since the now-infamous New Economic Policy was first implemented in 1971, and its goal of eradicating Malay poverty has largely been unfulfilled.

I began with a cliché, so I’ll end with one, too: the definition of madness is to do the same thing over and over but expect different results. The country’s growth has undeniably stagnated, and yet pro-Malay policies have largely escaped top-level scrutiny.

While on the ground, Malaysians have long decried the persistence of Bumiputera assistance, this dissatisfaction has long been ignored by the very people who could force change.

It can’t be because they’re deaf to our calls, or incompetent, or lazy, because I don’t believe they are. They simply don’t want to fix the system that allowed them, and others like them, to get to where they are today.

Until we see real meaningful change in the form of scholarships based purely on merit, our country will remain stuck in place. Anything less will only ensure that opportunities will elude some of our brightest young minds simply because they lack a Bin or Binti in their names.