Michael Tiang on religious tolerance

suppadmin | September 3, 2016

(1) Our children learn social values of tolerance, solidarity, integrity and morality in schools. Educators shall be responsible in teaching those values and imparting them by self examples in particularly. The Serian incident of a school principal who reprimanded a student for wearing a Christian cross is therefore totally unacceptable. This is a very alarming state of education in Sarawak. The relevant principal should be subject to stern disciplinary actions by the education department on deterrent ground.

(2) In the past, we have also seen a few cases of such intolerance towards other religion expressed by educators from Semenanjung. Therefore it is definitely timely for our CM’s demand for the ratio of local teachers in Sarawak to be increased to 90% by the year 2018.

(3) SUPP will continue to assist our CM in claiming back Sarawak’s education autonomy from the federal government so as to have more executive influence over the system, personnel and syllabus of Sarawak education.

(4) Lastly, I propose to the ministry of Education to provide courses to all Semananjung teachers who will be posted to Sarawak for their better understanding of Sarawak multi-racial, cultural and religious society to avoid such kind of unwarranted incidents from happening in Sarawak again.