By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, June 15: Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Kuching branch acting secretary and Youth Chief, Nicholas Wung Duk Ying, has called on the federal government to step up and follow Sarawak in the State’s support for Chinese education.
In a statement, he said independent Chinese secondary schools had produced generations of graduates who contributed to the nation’s business, education, healthcare, technology, culture, and community development.
He added that in Sarawak, eligible Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) holders were already accepted under its free tertiary education scheme, and that as of April this year, 94 students from Sarawak independent Chinese secondary schools had received full tuition sponsorship under the scheme.
Wung further added that this demonstrated the Sarawak government’s recognition that students from different educational backgrounds could contribute to Sarawak’s future development.
He also stressed that schools should not be treated differently merely because they operated under different education streams.
“Any educational institution that contributes to human capital development and nation-building deserves fair and adequate support,” he said, adding that Sarawak’s approach showed that educational diversity could be supported fairly and pragmatically.
Therefore, he renewed calls for the federal government to recognise the UEC, and it should be assessed objectively based on academic standards, curriculum quality, students’ capabilities, and the country’s talent needs, rather than political considerations.
Meanwhile, he said that the Sarawak government’s RM10 million allocation for independent Chinese secondary schools this year, bringing its cumulative financial assistance to the schools over the past 13 years to RM102 million, is proof of its consistent and inclusive approach towards education.
“This is not a one-off contribution, but a long-term commitment that has been sustained for 13 consecutive years.
“It reflects the Sarawak government’s recognition of the important role played by independent Chinese secondary schools in nurturing talent and contributing to society,” he said.
He noted that the allocation would help school boards meet rising operational, staffing and maintenance costs, while enabling the schools to improve their facilities and academic programmes. — DayakDaily
