Joint Statement Made by Dong Zong and Jiao Zong

December 12, 2019

Dong Jiao Zong does not accept, agree with and execute the Jawi Scripts Learning Guidelines imposed by the Ministry of Education; it not only defies the decision made by the cabinet and DSKP, but also disregards the “Education Act 1996” in which sovereign rights were endowed to national-typed Chinese primary schools including other vernacular schools. The parent empowerment to decide on Jawi scripts learning implemented by the Ministry of education not only ruptures the harmonious and amiable relationship of national-typed Chinese primary schools, but also further marginalises the rights of the Board of Directors and Parent Teacher Association. More severely, this to-be-implemented practice will cause the loss of sovereign rights of the Board of Directors towards national-typed Chinese primary schools.

In view of this, the expanded joint meeting between Dong Zong and Jiao Zong held on December 12^th unanimously decided to act responsively to defend the sovereign rights of the Board of Directors and protest against the absurd decision of the Ministry of Education with the following pronouncements:

• Dong Jiao Zong insists that the Board of Directors of national-typed Chinese primary schools owns the decision making rights, the Jawi Scripts Learning Guidelines forwarded to these schools by the Ministry of Education must be withdrawn at once;
• Dong Jiao Zong calls all national typed Chinese primary schools to return the Jawi Scripts Learning Guidelines to the Ministry of Education as a gesture of protest;
• Aiming to unite all the Chinese communities in this country, a nationwide Chinese communities meeting will be held on the 28^th of December to urge the central government to attend to public opinion, viz., to withdraw the Jawi scripts learning intent in both national-typed Chinese and Tamil primary schools; and
• To inform all Board of Directors of the member states to hold a Board of Directors and Parent Teacher Association joint meeting to strongly protest against the implementation of Jawi scripts learning, as well as to collect signatures and stamps for petition.