DAP calls for RM1 billion special allocation for the 60 Chinese Independent Secondary Schools and the 1,200 Chinese primary schools to be paid out in the next five years in recognition of their contribution to nation-building


Speech (8)
- Budget 2000
by
Lim Kit Siang
 

(Dewan Rakyat, Monday): Recently, there appears to be a belated recognition by the Barisan Nasional government  of the great contribution to nation-building and manpower education which had been made by Chinese Independent Secondary Schools and Chinese primary schools in the past four decades.

Even the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, had  publicly praised teachers and students in Chinese Independent Secondary Schools and Chinese primary schools as being more dedicated and  committed, and that some Malays preferred to send their children to Chinese-medium schools.

Two urgent measures must be taken by the Education Ministry immediately.  Firstly, the government should conduct a full inquiry as to why Malay parents have no confidence in the quality of education provided in the national schools and prefer to send their children to Chinese primary schools although they do not have the facilities and finance provided by government to the national schools.

Secondly, the government should end its unfair treatment of  Chinese schools and to put them on  par with  the national primary schools in terms of financial allocation, as in the past four decades, Chinese primary schools received only a small percentage of funds from the government for school development - creating a situation where Chinese primary school pupils had been forced to collect funds from the public.  This problem is even more acute for the 60 Chinese Independent Secondary Schools which is completely dependent on support from the Chinese community.

DAP  proposes that the Government make a RM1 billion special allocation for the 60 Chinese Independent Secondary Schools and the 1,200 Chinese primary schools to be paid out in the next five years in recognition of their contribution to nation-building.

Each of the 60 Chinese Independent Secondary School should be allocated RM1 million a year and each Chinese primary school allocated RM100,000 from this special allocation, over and above their usual allocations.

(1/11/99)


*Lim Kit Siang - Malaysian Parliamentary Opposition Leader, Democratic Action Party Secretary-General & Member of Parliament for Tanjong