I reproduce the whole article from the Star today. Heard a bit over the radio yesterday night as well.

The main points discussed:

1. there will be a special unit to monitor Tamil schools, especially to help convert to full-aided status, and merge schools with less students. Rather than merging, relocation will be a better option.

2. AIMST to receive grants from government to sponsor students. I don’t think that only AIMST should be chosen for this purpose. There should another few more institutions to avoid calls of cronyism or favoritism.

3. taxi and bus permits.

4. better business opportunities and loans.

5. more places for vocational training.

6. lack of Indians in civil service.

7. getting PNB’s help in the unit trust investment for Indians. This, I suppose is related to the recent announcement during 9th Malaysian Plan Midterm Review.

8. University intake for Indians will not be review (not mentioned in the article below). Najib says the students must study hard in school to ensure better prospect in entering local universities.

This committee was established in the aftermath of BN being rejected by the Indian community in the last election. Thanks to the awareness created by HINDRAF, the community can now see that proposals by MIC is being taken a bit more seriously by the government.

Unit to keep track of Tamil schools

KUALA LUMPUR: The Government will set up a special unit under the Education Ministry to monitor the development of Tamil schools as well as their problems.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the unit would identify the schools to be converted into fully-assisted schools as well as consolidate those which had an enrolment of less than 50 pupils.

“For these schools which will be consolidated, we will propose that dormitories and other facilities be built for the students.

“For schools which have too many students, cabins will be built as additional classrooms for them,” he told reporters after chairing a Cabinet committee meeting on social problems facing Indians at the Parliament building here yesterday.

Najib said the committee also proposed that an institute set up by MIC – the Asian Institute for Medicine, Science and Technology – be re-categorised as one of the five institutes to receive aid from the Government as a measure to boost the intake of Indian students into critical sectors like medicine and engineering.

The institute, he added, would then sponsor Indian students to pursue courses in critical areas in institutions of higher learning.

Other matters raised during the meeting included more taxi and bus permits for Indian companies, better business opportunities and easier loans for entrepreneurs from that community, and more vocational training places for its youths.

“We would also like to see more opportunities for Indians in the development of vendor programmes with companies like Proton and Petronas.

“The committee also notes the lack of Indians in the civil service. We will raise this matter with the Public Service Department,” said Najib.

Najib said the committee would also discuss with Permodalan Nasional ways to increase the Indian hold on equity in the Malaysian market.