Rallyists oppose National Education Blueprint's monolingual education policy

• Approximately 20,000 people joined the rally against the National Education Blueprint's plan to introduce a monolingual education policy
• Supporters request government to revise NEB to retain and sustain development of different languages

Thousands of protestors, organised by Chinese education group, Dong Zong, took over a football field to protest against the government's National Education Blueprint (NEB) over fears that vernacular schools will be sidelined. Organisers of the event claim that over 670 civil society organisations showed up that day.

"We urge the government to fulfill the people's wishes, implement a policy of multi-lingual schools and ensure that it is contained in the mainstream schooling policy, to give fair treatment and preserve the characteristics of vernacular education," said Dong Zong president Yap Sin Tian in his speech.

Banners with slogans such as "Membantah KPM meminggirkan SJKC, SJKT, Sekolah Tamil, Sekolah Mubaligh, SMJK (Protest against the Ministry of Education in sidelining SJKC, SJKT, Tamil schools, mission schools, SMJK)" written in Mandarin, Bahasa Malaysia and Tamil were strung up along two sides of the field.

Dong Zong supporters passed two resolutions before the end of the rally, with one opposing the NEB for allegedly advancing a monolingual education policy as its ultimate objective.

Protestors urge government to revise the NEB to preserve and sustain the development of different languages while still giving priority to Bahasa Malaysia as a national language. According to Yap, a memorandum will be handed to the Prime Minister and education Minister.