The Malaysian Insight

THERE was never any intention on SM All Saints’ part to practice segregation, but unfortunately the arrangement to resolve the lack of teachers and overcrowding of classrooms has been misinterpreted as segregation, said Sabah Council of Churches president Melter Jiki Tais.

Allegations of segregation based on religion began when principal Mary Gambidau decided to place all Form One students taking Pendidikan Islam into two classes and the non-Muslims taking Moral lessons in four classes.

“With All Saints’ school’s good academic track record and excellent pastoral care, this year’s Form 1 enrollment reached an average of 55 students per class with a total of six classes.

“The school’s classrooms were designed to accommodate a maximum of forty students, which therefore resulted in overcrowding in the Form One classes.

“Despite the teacher and classroom shortage problems faced by the school and the accompanying issues of supervision of students and their safety, the school still strives to provide a fair all-round education to all its students,” he said in Kota Kinabalu today.

Tais said the new Form One class arrangement is to allow the school teachers to more effectively manage supervision and safety of the students, notwithstanding the teacher shortage issue and overcrowding.

According to him, the arrangement was the school’s administrative decision to ensure that the teaching and learning of Islamic studies was maximised and the time allocated for it was fully utilised.

Tais said the school also explained to the school board that the new Form One class arrangement was a temporary solution until more teachers are transferred to the school.

“All Saints is a premier mission school which throughout its 116-year history has successfully educated tens of thousands of students professing different religions, races, and ethnic backgrounds.

“The school mission remains unchanged and it is fully committed to educate all its students to the best of its ability, regardless of their race and religion,” he said.

However, Tais said that considering the concerns of many parents, members of the public, and the school board that unity and harmony must not only be fostered, but accorded top priority, the school will revert to the old integrated-student class arrangement at the beginning of the second school term on April 1.

He said the school will also try to overcome the teacher shortage problem by appealing to the authorities concerned. – March 19, 2019.