what are schools for?

Everyonce in a while we hear politician and law makers discuss and debate about schools systems. While I am unsure where their interest and intent lies, track records shows that the good of the child is usually not part of their intent. This is the latest:

Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir said:

the government should put an end to vernacular schools so that Chinese and Tamil schools can be streamlined into one "Malaysian education system".

Naturally the Chinese community slammed him as "repeating the same polemics that are a few decades old" and "politicians cannot think out of the box".

What is telling about Datuk Mulhriz's remarks is that he felt:

"there is a need to induce unity"

What is "induce unity"? Does unity need to be induced? The more I read and think about the his statement, I cannot help but to get the impression that is it another word for assimilation.
In others words, it is about the benefit for others - not at all for the children they are entrusted to take care.

What's the purpose of Education? Is to to"induce" unity or is about the growth and development of an individual? I think the point is completely missed, that's why our education systems is what it is today. And these law makers are still struggling to decide on the usage of English in maths and science while our children's future is being wasted away. Don't blame education for the lack of unity when our own elected leaders continue to divide the country with their limited and sellfish views.

The damage to our education system has already been done and generations of our children's future has gone down the drain. Better they shut up and put more action than deeds when it comes to unity and national intregration.

50 years is too long a honeymoon!