Pupils refusing to sit with classmates of other faiths, says MP

GPS MP Willie Mongin said a teacher recently told him that educating children had become increasingly difficult, citing cases of primary school pupils refusing to sit with classmates of different faiths. KUALA LUMPUR: A Sarawak MP has raised concerns over religious intolerance among young children, citing cases of primary school pupils refusing to sit with classmates of different faiths.

Willie Mongin (GPS-Puncak Borneo) said a teacher recently approached him saying that it was difficult to educate children nowadays.

“Some children even refuse to sit next to their Christian or Muslim classmates.

“Some say, ‘I don’t want to sit with them because they eat pork’, or ‘I don’t want to sit with them because they wear a cross’.

“If this issue is not addressed at the primary school level, it could spread and become a serious problem,” he said in the Dewan Rakyat.

Willie then asked the national unity minister what measures were being taken by the government to strengthen digital literacy and critical thinking, while fostering tolerance and understanding between religions and races, particularly among young people and children.

He said such measures were important to prevent the spread of fake news, stereotypes and provocative content before they trigger social conflicts and 3R-related controversies involving race, religion and royalty.

National unity minister Aaron Ago Dagang responded by saying a whole-of-government approach is being taken to address these sensitive issues.

“Of course, we need to start early, at the school level, where children can interact with one another, regardless of race, religion or culture,” he said.

Aaron also highlighted the communications ministry’s “Internet Selamat” campaign, which promotes ethical internet use and responsible social media practices, as well as the role of the National Information Dissemination Centre and its 1,097 locations nationwide.

He said the national unity ministry also runs various programmes through its integration department.

“These include unity education and appreciation programmes such as the Gerak Integrasi Perpaduan programme, Jaringan Integrasi Mahasiswa, Jejak Harmoni, Jelajah Belia Rukun Negara and Wacana Harmoni.

“All these programmes aim to ensure that children and young people interact appropriately and foster a spirit of togetherness,” the minister said.