Dong Zong chairman calls on govt to build Chinese primary schools
United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia ( Dong Zong) chairman Temenggong Datuk Vincent Lau Lee Ming has urged the government to build Chinese primary schools.
He said this during a dialogue with Chung Hua Middle School ( CHMS) No.1 board of management here yesterday.
He and other committee members of Dong Zong also had a similar meeting with the board of management of CHMS No. 3 and 4, and Min Lit Secondary School yesterday.
Stressing that the government should do what it said, Lau noted that the Ministry of Education had said it supported vernacular education and Chinese primary schools were included in the national education system.
He said the Chinese community had been working hard to build Chinese schools and sustain Chinese education, adding when the schools needed to be relocated, the relocation process was complicated and the school board of management had to seek funding and search for suitable land.
He said in some instances, after the Chinese community had raised funds, the government did not allow Chinese independent middle schools to be built.
“But, the government allowed the growth of international schools,” Lau said, adding that international schools were growing rapidly in Malaysia with more than 70,000 students throughout the nation now.
He said Dong Zong was only seeking fair treatment and justice for Chinese schools.
“The existence of schools with various streams is important to allow the main ethnic groups to retain and learn their mother tongue at least up to the primary school level or even up to secondary school.”
To further develop Chinese education, Lau said Dong Zong had made a Malaysia Chinese Independent Secondary Education Blue Print last year and did a survey this year to collect public opinion on Chinese education, as well as launched a fundraising programme in all Chinese independent middle schools in Malaysia this year.
He said it was disappointing that the government had yet to re cog ni se Unified Examination Certificate ( UEC) which was accepted by many other countries.
Meanwhile, he said the number of Chinese independent middle school students in Sarawak had increased from 7,293 in 2013 to 8,603 this year.
He also said Sarawak had the highest number of Chinese independent middle schools at 14.
Also present was Board of Management of Chung Hua Middle School (CHMS) No.1, 3 and 4 chairman Datuk Richard Wee.