ADOPTION PROGRAMME TO FOSTER RACIAL INTEGRATION

BUTTERWORTH (Malaysia), Oct 13 (Bernama) -- Deputy Minister in the Prime
Minister's Department Senator T.Murugiah on Sunday proposed that the Education
Ministry introduces a student adoption programme at the primary school level to
foster racial integration in the country.

He said that under the programme, pupils from the various races would be
encouraged to stay in the homes of their foster parents who were from a
different race to learn and understand their culture and way of life.

The programme could be implemented during the school holidays to fill up
the children's free time with beneficial activities, he told Bernama in this
northern town.

He said the government's efforts at inculcating racial integration would
not succeed without the involvement of all races.

Murugiah said there were now a lot of differences in opinion between the
various communities becuase they were more concerned about their own ethnic
community.

He offered to take a Malay and a Chinese pupil each during the December
school holidays as his foster children.