Chinese education rights group Dong Zong, which was labelled as a liar by Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, today furnished statistics to back its claim that both Chinese and Tamil schools have been marginalised by the government for years.
“The Education Ministry has been implementing monolingual education policy, resulting in the marginalisation of Chinese and Tamil schools, this is an indisputable fact,” said Dong Zong in a statement.
It said the Chinese community has been enduring such discrimination, forcing them to raise funds to support the development of Chinese schools even to the extent of shouldering the salary of temporary teachers and administrative expenses like utility bills.
“The problem of teacher shortage in Chinese schools has been going on for 40 years, this is an iron-clad fact.”
Elaborating, Dong Zong pointed out that Chinese schools were only allocated 7.2 percent and 3.6 percent of the total education fund under the Eighth and Ninth Malaysia Plans, respectively.
Yesterday Muhyiddin said the teacher shortage issue raised by Dong Zong is a “big lie”.
“The Education Ministry has been implementing monolingual education policy, resulting in the marginalisation of Chinese and Tamil schools, this is an indisputable fact,” said Dong Zong in a statement.
It said the Chinese community has been enduring such discrimination, forcing them to raise funds to support the development of Chinese schools even to the extent of shouldering the salary of temporary teachers and administrative expenses like utility bills.“The problem of teacher shortage in Chinese schools has been going on for 40 years, this is an iron-clad fact.”
Elaborating, Dong Zong pointed out that Chinese schools were only allocated 7.2 percent and 3.6 percent of the total education fund under the Eighth and Ninth Malaysia Plans, respectively.
Yesterday Muhyiddin said the teacher shortage issue raised by Dong Zong is a “big lie”.
'Not exclusive to Chinese schools'
He told some 500 teachers from vernacular schools that the issue is not exclusive to Chinese schools as national schools also face the problem of insufficient English language teachers.
He told some 500 teachers from vernacular schools that the issue is not exclusive to Chinese schools as national schools also face the problem of insufficient English language teachers.
Dong Zong in its statement also claimed that Muhyiddin has been making contradicting and confusing statements on education issues, making those statements incredible.
"Muhyiddin said in a statement on April 4 that the annual administrative expenses of all Chinese schools nationwide is RM1.8 billion, but after eight days, on April 12, he said the annual allocation to Chinese schools as administrative expenses, including teachers' salaries, is RM2.89 billion.
"In addition, Muhyiddin told Parliament in a written reply on March 14 that national schools did not face teacher shortages, instead Chinese and Tamil schools were short of teachers in certain subjects. But on April 12, Muhyiddin said national schools were also short of teachers," the organisation said.
On school construction, Dong Zong said the Education Ministry has built many national schools and borne all their costs for land and construction.
However, it said, Chinese schools faced many hurdles, including difficulties in getting the ministry's approval and insufficient funds.
"The Education Ministry does not have a systematic structure to build Chinese schools or allocate reserve lands for Chinese schools. It even practises the unfair regulation that only approves new Chinese schools which have raised 80 percent of their construction cost.
"This is obviously marginalising Chinese schools," it added.
Hence Dong Zong wants the ministry to make public the details of administrative and development funds allocated for every education stream under every Malaysia Plan, for the people to understand the truth.
"Muhyiddin said in a statement on April 4 that the annual administrative expenses of all Chinese schools nationwide is RM1.8 billion, but after eight days, on April 12, he said the annual allocation to Chinese schools as administrative expenses, including teachers' salaries, is RM2.89 billion."In addition, Muhyiddin told Parliament in a written reply on March 14 that national schools did not face teacher shortages, instead Chinese and Tamil schools were short of teachers in certain subjects. But on April 12, Muhyiddin said national schools were also short of teachers," the organisation said.
On school construction, Dong Zong said the Education Ministry has built many national schools and borne all their costs for land and construction.
However, it said, Chinese schools faced many hurdles, including difficulties in getting the ministry's approval and insufficient funds.
"The Education Ministry does not have a systematic structure to build Chinese schools or allocate reserve lands for Chinese schools. It even practises the unfair regulation that only approves new Chinese schools which have raised 80 percent of their construction cost.
"This is obviously marginalising Chinese schools," it added.
Hence Dong Zong wants the ministry to make public the details of administrative and development funds allocated for every education stream under every Malaysia Plan, for the people to understand the truth.
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