Thanks for RM50 mln for Chinese schools

But UPP wants ministry to fulfil promise of same amount to mission schools

KUCHING: United People’s Party ( UPP) welcomes the statement by Minister in the P rime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong that the Mini stry of Educat ion will receive the RM50- million allocation for Chinese- medium primary schools by Jan 19.

However, UPP also pressed that the allocation promised to mission schools should be delivered as well.

“It is certainly a piece of good news to the Chinese primary schools in the beginning of a new school year, though the funds have come late,” said UPP secretary- general George Lo in a statement.

“However, UPP is urging the federal government to fulfil the promise of the RM50 million for mission schools for 2016 and be distributed in the very near future too.”

Lo opined that there are two sectors that must be given priority in a country’s budget.

“The first being budget for health and the second is for education. If these two budgets are being cut or delayed, UPP views this as a serious issue that needs to be addressed immediately,” he stressed.

He pointed out that boards of mission schools are responsible for s c hool buildings and maintenance, as well as upgrading school facilities.

“The a l locat ion from the

Mission schools have the same status as the national schools because both are implementing the national curriculum. They have played significant roles in nation-building and the nurturing of human capital. The government should acknowledge their contributions for nearly 170 years and should not sideline them. George Lo, UPP secretary-general

government will go a long way for these schools which depend heavily on contributions of well-wishers for upkeep and the upgrading of their quality,” he said.

“Mission schools have the same status as the national schools because both are implementing the national curriculum. They have played significant roles in nation-building and the nurturing of human capital.

“The government should acknowledge their contributions for nearly 170 years and should not sideline them,” Lo added.

There are 438 Christian mission schools in Malaysia – 130 of them are in Sarawak and Sabah.

The Sarawak Council of Christian Mission Schools ( SCCMS), when contacted by The Borneo Post, confirmed that the federal government had promised an allocation of RM50 million to be disbursed to all the mission schools in the country last year.

However, SCCMS said during their meeting with the Ministry of Education director- general in Putrajaya beginning of last year, they were informed that the RM50 million allocation to mission schools had been slashed to RM16.5 million.

“As a result of the slash in the allocation, the mission schools would get very little allocation in 2016. Even then, most schools have not got the allocation. The allocation is normally electronically transferred to the school’s bank account,” SCCMS said.

On Friday, Wee told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur that the allocation would be made available by Jan 19 at the latest.

He said the Education Ministry would then begin disbursing the allocation to the 834 Chinese primary schools nationwide.

Wee also urged stakeholders to be patient as the ministry will require about two weeks to finalise paperwork before the schools get the money.

Just before Christmas last year, the media raised the concerns that Chinese primary schools had yet to receive the RM50- million allocation from Budget 2016, which was meant for maintenance works.

Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid responded by explaining that there was a shortage in the allocation for the schools and assured that the matter would be sorted out.