Let’s revive those Lasallian values

THE Lasallian education system in Malaysia has moulded hundreds of thousands of students since 1852. The network of these missionary schools stretches from Penang all the way to Sabah and Sarawak.

From 1852 to 1965, the Lasal-lian Brothers (officially, the Insti-tute of the Brothers of the Chris-tian Schools) built 46 schools in Peninsular Malaysia and were also entrusted with 10 more in Sabah and Sarawak.

Many will recognise the names of some of the schools, such as St Xavier’s Institution in Penang, St Michael’s in Ipoh, St John’s in Kuala Lumpur, St Paul’s in Seremban, St Francis in Melaka, and St Joseph’s in Kuching. These schools laid the foundations of education for poor and needy students, including orphans, even before the establishment of the Federated Malay States.

Although they started with a religion-based administration, the missionary schools were fundamental to the development of modern secular education in the country.

Countless Malaysians studied under the La Salle Brothers, receiving not just a quality education but also being imbued with moral values that stood them in good stead in life.

Many emerged as leaders, groomed and trained for leadership positions. Each of these individuals has played a significant part in the development of Malaysia, past and present. This is an acknowledged fact and explains why alumni hold the Brothers in high esteem and their alma maters close to their hearts, even decades after leaving school.

Missionary schools were among the first formal institutions in the country to promote nationhood, moral education, and loyalty to the country.

I believe the good practices and traditions from the early decades of mission schools need to be revived, alongside the introduction of new ideas.

Education should be about treating students as special gifts to be respected for their human dignity and worth, irrespective of religion, race, or colour.

Mission schools can certainly play a more proactive and effective role in inculcating racial harmony in children from a young age, promoting universal values of compassion, kindness, justice, peace, and integrity.

Racial pride and hatred should never be encouraged in a multi- racial community. Our young people must be taught from an early age in homes and schools to respect and care for others, irrespective of race.

The values that the Lasallian education system instilled in its students are fading in Malaysia. It is time to renew our commitment to these principles and revive the practices that once made these schools bastions of moral and academic excellence.

By doing so, we can ensure that future generations grow up in an environment that respects human dignity, promotes racial harmony, and instils values that will serve them well in life.

JACK WONG

Kuala Lumpur