Putrajaya is not funding Chinese independent schools in the national budget for next year. – Photo by Bernama
KUCHING (Dec 23): Putrajaya has decided to discontinue the previous Pakatan Harapan (PH) government’s policy of funding Chinese independent schools, a news report said.
Malaysiakini said this was confirmed by Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz in a written reply to Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching dated Dec 15.
The news portal said Teo had asked if Budget 2021 would be funding Chinese independent schools, Southern University College in Skudai, the New Era University College in Kajang and Han Chiang University College of Communication in Georgetown.
In a reaction to Zafrul’s confirmation, Dong Zong president Tan Tai Kim told Malaysiakini that his group would urge Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong and Deputy Education Minister Mah Hang Soon to convince the government to maintain the funding for independent schools and the three private university colleges.
“We are very disappointed… We believe they (MCA leaders Wee and Mah) will not let us down… They will pursue (for the funding) within the government,” Tan said in the report.
Jiao Zong president Cheah Lek Aee also told Malaysiakini that Harapan’s policy to fund the Chinese independent schools and the three private university colleges was beneficial.
“In fact, currently certain state governments, including Selangor, Penang, Perak, Sabah, Sarawak and other states have announced that they will fund the Chinese independent schools in Budget 2021, this is commendable.
“Hence, the federal government should emulate these states’ policies, this will help the nation’s education to grow overall,” he said, adding that the three non-profit private university colleges were facing financial difficulties due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Malaysiakini report pointed out that in Budget 2019, the PH government had allocated RM12 million for Chinese independent schools and later added another RM2 million one-off for each of the three university colleges.
It added that the budget for maintenance and upgrading of schools was radically different for next year; explaining that unlike previous years, the budget for the maintenance and upgrading of tahfiz schools, government-aided religious schools (Sekolah Agama Rakyat) and registered religious pondok schools are not funded by the Education Ministry but through the Finance Ministry directly.
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