Chinese schools to keep getting funds

MCA to ensure govt support for institutions

PETALING JAYA: MCA will ensure continuous support from the Government for Chinese primary and conforming schools.

Deputy Education Minister Datuk Chong Sin Woon said although allocation for conforming schools (SMJK) was not mentioned in Budget 2017, MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai had met Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to discuss the matter.

“Allocations have been given out without fail since 2012, so bear with us, we will deliver what we promised to the community,” he said.

Chong, who is also MCA Youth chief, said this in his speech before handing over cheques totalling RM1.45mil from the 2016 allocation to seven conforming schools during a ceremony at SMJK Katholik here yesterday.

Of the seven, five schools were from Selangor and two from Kuala Lumpur.

Chong said the Government allocated RM15mil to conforming schools in 2016.

“Since 2012, the Government had given out about RM105.3mil to 81 conforming schools nationwide,” he said.

Meanwhile, in Parliament, Chong said there was no plan for the Government to temporarily close schools with serious bullying cases.

“At present, there are no plans to take such drastic measures,” he said in response to a supplementary question raised by Nurul Izzah Anwar (PKR-Lembah Pantai).

Nurul Izzah was referring to two recent cases involving the deaths of Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain, 21, at the Malaysian National Defence University and T. Nhaveen, 18, who died after being brutally attacked by bullies in Bukit Gelugor.

She said Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, when serving as Education Minister, ordered a secondary school to close temporarily after its students were involved in a bullying case.

“It is a question of awareness and responsibility. Why not close the schools for two months so everyone there is aware and made responsible for the bullying?” said Nurul Izzah.

Chong said bullying should not be the sole responsibility of school authorities.

“The issue must be viewed holistically, including looking at the bully’s family socio-economic background,” he said.