Burden for parents of OKU

I HAVE two sons who are slow learners and who are doing special education in two public schools in Kelana Jaya. The elder boy is at a secondary school and the younger is still in primary school.

As per the Government’s policy, the boys as special kids (OKU) are entitled to the Welfare Department’s allowance of RM150 a month, which is credited into a joint Bank Simpanan Nasional account with one of the parents.

I would like to highlight the inconvenience faced by parents of OKU kids who are subjected to unfair and unnecessary stress by the schools and the Selangor Education department with regard to collecting the allowance.

Firstly, the schools take possession of the BSN savings passbook, saying that it is a directive from the Selangor Education department that schools must keep the passbook. Under the terms and conditions of all commercial banks, the savings passbook is the property of the bank and the account holder is responsible to keep the passbook safe at all times.

Early this year, the primary school senior assistant informed me that we are not allowed to have an ATM card for the purpose of the allowance for OKU kids. She said this is a directive from the Selangor Education department. However, when I requested a copy of the directive, she said it was a verbal instruction from the district education office.

The schools, also as of this year, restrict the withdrawals to RM300 for every two months, which is acceptable to me.

However, before being allowed to withdraw the money, parents are required to fill up two separate forms. One form is to seek permission from the school to collect the passbook while the second form is to justify in writing why we are making the withdrawal.

This unfair ruling is forced upon us, despite us providing supporting documents to show the money is being used to pay for their therapy sessions on a monthly basis.

Worse still, one of the schools, despite delaying depositing the allowance by several months, yet insists that we can withdraw RM300 only – when by right, since it was already November, the parents should be allowed to withdraw RM1,500, going by their own ruling of RM300 for every two months.

To date the school has yet to credit the remaining RM900 which is due after the midyear.

By imposing these unreasonable and unfair rulings, red tape and bureaucracy, the schools are just adding to the pain and misery of parents of OKU kids, as if we ought to be punished for having such children in the first place.

I cannot fathom how the schools and the relevant authorities in Selangor could come up with an absurd ruling to take possession of another individual’s savings pass book – which is akin to loan sharks or Ah Longs keeping the ATM cards of their borrowers.

The action of the schools with regard to scrutinising the transactions of the accountholder– OKU or otherwise – goes against the secrecy regulations of Bank Negara Malaysia.

I am sure many other parents of OKU kids studying in government schools are in the same predicament and want these unfair rules and regulations to be removed immediately.

I wrote to the Education Ministry and the Deputy Minister of Education a few weeks ago but I have yet to get an official reply.

I sincerely hope the Education Ministry will intervene and resolve this unfair practice towards us parents of OKU children who have been subjected to this unwarranted “bullying” by schools.

FRUSTRATED MUM Petaling Jaya