Abstract
This article presents an in-depth discussion about cross ethnic friendship among students and teacher's role in supporting the cultural diversity that exists in school. The school which consist of students from various ethnic groups provide space and opportunities for students to interact socially with peers either from the same or other ethnic groups. On the other hand, the school that consists of only one ethnic group limits the opportunity for students to interact with friends from different ethnic groups. Students who have attended the schools that are not diverse in terms of ethnicity were reported having more friends from the same ethnic group. A positive relationship between individuals from different ethnic groups led to the reduction in prejudice, enhance the sense of common identity and closeness among individuals. Teachers as agents of unity should play an important role in assisting students to acquire the necessary social skills that enables them to interact effectively with students from different ethnic, cultural and languages which consequently create a harmony cross ethnic friendships among multi-ethnic students in school.
Highlights
Malaysia is a country that consists of a multi-ethnic society, culture, way of life and history [1]
At the secondary school level, most of the students from National Primary School, SJKC and SJKT will proceed to National Secondary School
Multiple streams at the primary school level allow the evacuation of linguistic and cultural from Malaysia’s three main communities, the fact is students from different ethnic groups tend to remain separate until the secondary schools and higher education level [3]
Summary
Malaysia is a country that consists of a multi-ethnic society, culture, way of life and history [1]. The education system in Malaysia reflects the diversity of cultural and linguistic, especially at the primary level. Under the Education Act 1961 and the Education Act 1996, there are several streams using different medium of instruction across the primary, secondary and higher education level [3]. Students can learn their native language, while the same curriculum and syllabus were used to build national identity and the spirit of patriotism. Multiple streams at the primary school level allow the evacuation of linguistic and cultural from Malaysia’s three main communities, the fact is students from different ethnic groups tend to remain separate until the secondary schools and higher education level [3]. Students from various ethnic backgrounds should know and appreciate the attitudes, institutions and traditions shared by all Malaysians [4]
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