By Liew Hanqing

EURASIAN or Caucasian? The flap over one bright student's race continues.

When she registered her son for Primary 1 six years ago, Madam Phyllis Pereira said she was surprised when her son's registration form indicated he was Caucasian.

Her son, 12-year-old Samuel Wittberger, is of mixed parentage - Madam Pereira is a Indian Singaporean while his father is an Austrian.

That would make him Eurasian, she thought. But the records of the Ministry of Education (MOE) show that he is Caucasian.

Madam Pereira said: 'This is a factual error.'

She recalled that when she had registered her son for Primary 1 at St Michael's School, she was handed a computerised registration form which had Samuel's race printed on it.

Samuel transferred to Anglo-Chinese Junior School after three years at St Michael's School.

She said: 'I informed the school authorities at St Michael's that his race was wrongly indicated as Caucasian.

'At the time, the school said they were unable to make the change as the information was from MOE's database.'

She added the school had said at the time that it would send feedback to the MOE regarding the matter.

Last year, she registered her younger son for Primary1. Again, the registration form indicated her younger son as Caucasian.

Said Madam Pereira: 'This time, I actually cancelled 'Caucasian' on the form and also e-mailed MOE to have the error amended.'

She added she has yet to hear from MOE on whether this is possible.

>>MOE's reply

This article was first published in The New Paper on 27 Nov 2008.