Yesterday we read Samy Vellu mentioning Rm430 million had been spend for education, entrepreneurship, temples etc in the last few years. Today, Education Minister Hishamuddin drops a bomb by quoting RM4 billion had been spent for “managing” tamil schools in the last 6 years (2002-2007 or 2003-2008?). Previously, he did not mention any amount and seemed to just realised that partially-aided schools actually exist. How is the RM4 billion derived? Does it include free text books announced in 2008? Does it include salary of teachers and staff? Does it include abolishment of school and exam fees? How about maintenance of buildings, utility bills, and other maintenance cost? Does it include KWAMP fund for poor students? Quit rent?
Rm4 billion/523 schools/6 years = RM1,274,697.26 (RM1.27 million per school per year).
The 9th MP only mentions RM46 million (but I haven’t find it in the document yet), plus another RM30 million given recently. So how can there’s a big jump from less than RM100 million to RM4 Billion? Did something happen before 9MP?
Secondly, the new fund is being pushed to GLC (especially plantation companies – Guthrie/Sime Darby) to provide the finance. Maybe the GLC can be kind enough to donate proper land to government and building as well.
GLCs set up education fund for children of estate workers
KLUANG: A special education fund has been established for children of estate workers.
Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the move was to enable these children to receive a full education.
The fund, he said, was a contribution from government-linked companies in Malaysia.
“Some 85,000 children will benefit from the programme,” he said during a gathering with the people in Pamol Estate yesterday.
Hishammuddin is the incumbent MP for Sembrong parliamentary seat. Also present were Barisan Nasional candidate for Paloh state seat, Hoo Seong Chang.
Hishammuddin, who noted that there were about 100,000 students studying in 526 Tamil schools in the country, said the Government had allocated RM4bil to manage Tamil schools throughout the country over the past six years. He said some RM64mil had been set aside to build and upgrade these schools.
In an unrelated issue, Hishammuddin said a meeting would be held to inform all school heads that children without birth certificates were allowed to enrol to schools. He said the meeting began today with heads of Tamil schools in Perak, followed by Pahang and Negri Sembilan.
Earlier, Hishammuddin attended the ground-breaking ceremony of the new campus of SMK Seri Kota in Paloh, about 35km from Kluang.