What is so surprising that co-educational schools in the country are not co-educational in policy. It is a known fact that policies for a ‘Sekolah Menegah Kebangsaan’ are left entirely to the headmaster or headmistress of the school. These people will run the schools like their personal fiefdoms and dictate whatever policies that they so choose.

Should the leaders be surprised; I say do not be. What you see in the segregation of sexes in co-educational schools, it is only an example of our national policy in keeping the students ‘morally upright’. You can be sure that when the headmasters and headmistresses return from their pilgrimages, more ‘morally upright’ policies will be introduced in the schools.

Surrounding the National Sports Complexes at Bukit Jalil are several schools in the Seri Petaling area of Wilayah Persekutuan. One would imagine with the close proximity of the National Sports Council, the National Sports Institute and the High Performance Sports Centre, schools in that vicinity would take advantage of using the under-utilised facilities of the swimming pool and other sporting venues there.

There is a co-ed school in Seri Petaling, where a group of students tried to form a swimming club. Their request was turned down, and with no reason. The parents of the students, at the Parents Teachers Association meeting raised this issue again. The headmistress told the parents in no uncertain terms - in a very polite kind of way - that it is morally not acceptable for boys and girls to mix and what more in a swimming pool.

The parents, being parents, did not want to create a storm for they were told that it was a ‘tea cup issue’ and left it at that.

We know, and I am sure the Youth and Sports Ministry, is aware that to be an effective sporting nation, schools play an important part in grooming potential talents. This will never happen with a headmistress with such a mindset as above.

The Education Ministry must be fully aware of this trend in schools though I believe many of the ministry’s officials share this morally upright mindset and chose to ‘close an eye’ to it. This has nothing to do with race or religion.