The Demise of Orhions E. Thomas - a Student Who Came to Malaysia For His Studies

There is something deeply sad about a student dying in the foreign land that he had traveled to study. Journeys such as his are meant to end with his return to his homeland carrying the parchments of his qualifications. The journey is often made with great sacrifice by parents, but with the expectation that when the student returns with his new qualifications there will be a restoration for the family and new hope for those who are born after him. It is a story that we are very familiar with in this country, either as the journeying student or as the providing parent - the story of placing all hope on one and waiting. The immense sadness in learning that death in a foreign land has taken with it all hope is simply indescribable.

The death of Nigerian student Orhions Thomas from the Limkokwing University would have been a tragedy however his death had occurred, but to learn that it happened in the custody of the Immigration Department raises such anger that it even subordinates the tragedy.

Malaysians are no less racist than others, especially when it comes to people from Africa. Black is not a favored color with us. Our enforcement officers carry our prejudices. 20 years ago, there were two groups of students from the same college living in the same block of apartments, off Old Klang Road. One group was from Denmark and the other from Zanzibar. Regulalry, when the two groups walked down the road to the point where the college buses waited for them, the police would come by and pick up the Zanzibaris for questioning. The fact they were World Bank-sponsored scholars and Muslims made no difference. The Danish students were never molested. Apart from being racists, we also cringe to Europeans in a serious way. When the college protested, it was told that as they are Africans, they have to accept such actions by the police. The practices and the attitudes on which they are based continues unabated 20 years later and with more than 100, 000 foreign students coming to this country for their education. Our prejudices continue

The detention of students simply because they may have violated some immigration regulations is simply outrageous. You cannot criminalize carelessness. The arrest and detention of foreign students are not a once in a while occurrence. It is dangerous walking our streets if you are a student, even if you have a Student Visa Pass issued by the Immigration Department. Every college and university has a tale to tell about the privations foreign students are subjected to. This country invites students from around the world. We promise them a safe place, far from wars and other forms of brutalities. There are strict rules to filter the real students from those coming in for work and other reasons. If with all those regulations, we still lack the confidence in treating everyone fairly, we may as well close our borders completely. It is far worse to invite them, promising them safety and have them die in such circumstances than to not allow anyone coming in at all. The shame of it all.

Acceptance of Additional Languages in Higher Education – A Positive Turn to Multilingualism

Private higher educational institutions (PHEIs) in the country may soon be able to deliver their courses in more than one language with the approval of the Ministry of Education (MOE). This new policy is stated in a recent MOE circular that was sent to PHEIs asking them for their comments on a proposed set of standards and criteria that would be applied for the approval of additional languages.

The MOE’s move on additional language is about the most progressive step that it has taken since the inception of the Private Higher Educational Institutions Act 1996. The Act enforced the official National Language policy but allowed institutions established under the Act to conduct their courses in a language other than the national language. The original provision in 1996 allowed the Minister to approve the teaching of a course of study in English or teach Islamic religion in Arabic. In 2009, the law was changed to allow private institutions to conduct a course of study in any other language it deems appropriate subject to the approval of the Minister. The statutory concession on the National Language requirement imposed on institutions an obligation to teach the National Language as a compulsory language to students who followed a course of study or a substantial part of a course of study in a language other than the National Language.

 The politics of language in the country never allowed our rich diversity in language and culture to surface as valuable assets in our educational settings. Language use in education, instead of being decided by teachers and educationists, is always determined by politicians and sometimes by the courts. The highest court in the land did not have the mettle to separate language use in higher education from the politics of education - I refer to the Merdeka University case that was heard in 1981. It actually left higher education in disarray, forcing public universities to surreptitiously use English. The language problem continues to beset education and retard development at all levels. Language is one of the factors that divide the educational sector.

There is therefore much to rejoice in the new policy on the use of a second or additional language to deliver courses in private higher educational institutions. The decision creates the space to develop a multilingual system of higher education that will also help to build and maintain local cultures and languages. More than that, being situated under the great shade of China and Mandarin and amidst other great Asian languages, the new policy will create opportunities for the private sector to explore new ways to link with higher educational demands in the region.

The Ministry of Education must be complimented for this bold new move.