LETTERS: Many issues about cultural attire and school events have been highlighted in the media recently.
There would have been no problems if everyone had the knowledge skills, and the right attitude towards education.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) is committed to two aims.
First, at the global level, Unesco serves the ends of the United Nations, which in the long run is to serve humanity as a whole.
Second, Unesco aims to foster and promote all angles of education, science and culture.
Unesco encourages a human-centred approach to development and sustainability, based on mutual respect and open dialogue among different groups for lasting peace and harmony.
Malaysia is part of Unesco and our education system is also in line with Unesco's philosophy. However, issues arise when people invoved in the education system do not get a clear picture of the local and global education scenario.
In order to lessen such unpleaseantness, awareness needs to be instilled from the time any individual decides to become a teacher or educator as they will become heads of schools and institutions later.
They need to be educated about the local and global aspects of education, including the inclusivity promoted in the Salamanca Statement of 1994, of which Malaysia is a signatory.
As we advance into the digital era, humanities and understanding the basics of education should be prioritised at every level of education.
A lot of time and energy is wasted when education and educators do not uphold the actual essence of what education should and should not be.
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR DR VISHALACHE BALAKRISHNAN
Coordinator of SULAM@Service Learning,
Universiti Malaya
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times