RM500,000 education fund to be set up for S’wakian students in China
KUCHING: An education fund will soon be set up for Sarawakian students who are presently pursuing or will pursue tertiary education in China.
China’s Consul- General in Kuching Fu Jijun said his consulate general would launch the education fund in Sibu on Jan 14.
Met by reporters after a book launch here yesterday, he said about RM500,000 would be injected into the fund to begin with.
“The fund will be for those who are currently studying in China as well as those who will be going to China for higher education.”
Earlier, Fu said he was pleased to note that Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem had been supportive of Chinese schools in Sarawak.
He noted that Adenan had granted allocations to Chinese independent schools across the state and also recognised the Unified Examination Certificate ( UEC).
Adenan gave RM3 million to 14 Chinese independent schools in Sarawak in 2014, and the allocation has been increased by RM1 million for every subsequent year.
Fu said he also came across news reports that aided Chinese primary schools would soon be getting an RM50 million allocation, which had been announced under Budget 2016.
“We are glad to see that the RM50 million will be given out again after some parties appealed.” On Friday, Malaysian Chinese Association ( MCA) deputy president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong said the RM50 million allocation to aided Chinese primary schools would be given to the Education Ministry by Jan 19.
F u observed that Sarawak had done well in preserving Chinese education with an increasing number of Bumiputera children studying in aided Chinese primary schools.
“There were news reports that some of these schools registered a very high percentage of Bumiputera students.”
He added that the consulate general could not be more proud to see the overwhelming support received by aided Chinese primary schools in Sarawak.
He also congratulated author Chan Boon Ho on his new book titled ‘ Persist. Progress. Outshine—The Journey for Chinese Education in Kuching, Sarawak’.
Fu believed that without the perseverance of Chan and other Chinese education enthusiasts, Chinese schools in Sarawak would not have progressed all these years.
He also commended Datin Amar Wee Phang Nyuk Lian Education Foundation for jointly sponsoring the book’s publication to make its launch a success.
Among those present were Federation of KuchingSamarahan-Serian Divisions Chinese Associations president Datuk Richard Wee and Committee of Management for Kuching Chung Hua Primary Schools ( CHPS) No.1 to 6 chairman Wong Tiong Hook.