Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe by Email Picture of harmony at Vision School party 27 Mar 2007 Rina De Silva
SUBANG JAYA: The Vision School in USJ 15 here which houses a national school, a Tamil school and a Chinese school in one compound, was a picture of multiracial unity yesterday.
The three schools had gathered for a retirement party for S. Subramaniam, the headmaster of SJK (T) Tun Sambanthan.
The other two schools are SK Dato Onn Jaafar and SJK (C) Tun Tan Cheng Lock.
Teachers from the three schools helped organise the event while students from the national and Chinese schools also performed.
In a display of cross-cultural understanding, a Chinese school teacher had helped to choreograph a Tamil dance for the Chinese school students’ performance.
However, the pretty picture was not reflected off stage. Although a handful of students tried to strike up conversations with those from the other schools, most were contented to mingle with their own schoolmates.
Dhivvyaa Krishna Muthy, 11, said she liked talking to students from the other schools but had not established a close friendship with anyone.
“There is a Chinese girl I usually talk to at the canteen but I do not know her name,” she said.
Teacher P. Sivamalar said most students preferred to mix with their own classmates.
She said teachers from the three schools made an effort to set a good example by mingling and sitting with each other.
“During Chinese New Year, Hari Raya and Deepavali, the three schools will work together on projects for the celebrations.”
SK Dato Onn Jaafar headmaster Kamarulzaman Zakaria, SJK (C) Tun Tan Cheng Lock headmaster Tan Hock Thiam and Subramaniam are the best of friends.
They will meet up for teh tarik at the school canteen and “argue” over school matters.
The three insist that the Vision School concept is working.
“It works because the students are not fighting,” said Subramaniam.
He believed the concept worked well in Subang Jaya as the community was more open to the idea of racial integration.
He warned that it may not work in other areas where one race formed the majority.
Tan said the students did not harbour any fear or mistrust of those not of their race.
Kamarulzaman said the concept enabled students of different races to spend time together.
It is during games, sports and festivals that racial integration takes place. The three schools will send their best players to form a team to compete against other schools.
Subramaniam said educationists from Britain, Canada, Africa and the Middle East had visited the school to see how it was run.
Vision Schools share common facilities, such as canteen and school halls, and interests, such as club activities and games. The objective is to promote racial integration.
