KUCHING, Aug 25: Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg presented a RM10 million education grant to the Sarawak United Association of Private Chinese Secondary School Management Boards this afternoon at the Premier’s office.
It is the ninth allocation of the education grant by the Sarawak government to the 14 Independent Chinese Secondary Schools (ICSS) in Sarawak, according to a press release.
Since the first RM3 million grant in 2014, the 14 ICSS have received financial aid from the Sarawak government on an annual basis, with an annual increment of RM1 million—RM4 million in 2015, RM5 million in 2016, RM6 million in 2017, RM7 million in 2018, RM8 million in 2019, RM9 million in 2020, and RM10 million in 2021.
The total grant allocation over the last eight years is RM52 million.
“We are grateful to the Premier and the Sarawak government for recognising the positive contribution of Chinese education to the development of the State and the country, and for consistently supporting our efforts by allocating annual financial grants and other educational resources to Chinese schools.
“With the changing environment and globalisation, adopting open policies, including education, is wise and realistic, particularly in a multiracial, multicultural, and multi religious country like Malaysia,” Sarawak United Association of Private Chinese Secondary School Management Board chairman Temenggong Datuk Vincent Lau Lee Ming said.
Although independent Chinese secondary schools are not part of the nation’s mainstream education, Lau noted that they share the same noble objectives as all national (SMK) and national-type (SMJK) secondary schools in Malaysia in providing quality education and have been playing a shared role in the country’s development and nation building.
“It is therefore our appeal to the federal government that the independent Chinese secondary schools be treated equally and share the same national resources as other secondary schools in the country,” he added.
Lau noted that independent Chinese secondary schools presently do not receive federal government funding because they are private schools, and the majority of their revenue comes from private and public donations, with a small portion coming from school fees. — DayakDaily
