The on-going debate on the request by the Chinese community to increase the number of Chinese schools and the government's reluctant to accede to their request can be likened to two individuals discussing whether a glass is half empty or half full. It will never end.

Both sides have good points and nobody can say one is right or the other wrong. It is best that cool heads prevail to prevent this issue from becoming emotional and letting it get out of hand.

The government has to admit that our nationals schools have a lot of shortcomings, which is why the Chinese prefer to send their children to the vernacular schools. The Chinese schools also have better discipline levels and tend to be better in the teaching of mathematics.

On the other hand, to promote national integration and harmony among the various races in this country, one cannot have the cake and eat it too. We cannot have to many vernaculars schools to cater for the various races in the country.

I was lucky in the sense that I come from the generation which was schooled in the English medium in the late 60s and 70s. I dare say that my generation had the best of educations as most of the teachers then were dedicated to their jobs.

I did not become a lesser Malay or Muslim by reading Shakespeare or Kipling. The only thing I regretted then was that I could not learn Jawi as the education minister then, Khir Johari, had done away with the teaching of Jawi in 1964.

A lot of my Chinese friends also had the same regret in not being able to learn to write and speak Chinese due to their parents' obsession in enrolling them into English-medium schools.

The government has to enhance the quality of the national schools as well as its teaching staff to entice all races to enroll their children there. It is sad to see the current 'Malay-ness' of the national schools where the majority of teachers and students are from one race only.

It would certainly enhance race relationships in this country if all races made up the teaching staff and student populations at national schools.

If the national schools are improved to the required standard with adequate provisions for the studying of all mother tongues, perhaps vernacular schools will die a natural death due to the superior quality of the national schools.

It will take time to do that but if we do not start now, the on-going debate on vernaculars schools and public schools will not end. The answer as to whether the glass is half empty or half full will depend on who asked the question.