Early childhood educators lead the way in fostering national unity
Teachers continue to play a frontline role in fostering national unity, educating children not just in reading, writing, and arithmetic, but also in understanding the value of cultural diversity.
For 26 years, R Ranjithamalar, affectionately known as Cikgu Ranjitha, has taught students of various ethnic backgrounds, including Malay, Chinese, and Indian, using a unifying tool: the national language.
“Even though I am Indian, I have no problem using Malay in my teaching. I want all my students to communicate in the same language in class.
“I once taught at a preschool with 100% Indian students, but I did not use or translate into Tamil. I wanted them to learn. As a result, many of my former students are still fluent in Malay today,” she said, reflecting on her work at Tabika Perpaduan Sri Sungai Pelek here.
In her classroom, activities…
