RM50m for SJKC too little: Jiao Zong

PETALING JAYA: Jiao Zong (United Chinese School Teachers Association) has expressed disappointment with the allocation of only RM50 million for Chinese primary schools (SJKC) in Budget 2015, but is happy to see that, for the first time, national-type Chinese secondary schools are allocated funds in the budget, the Chinese press reported Wednesday.
In the Budget 2015 announced last Friday, the allocation for national schools jumped four-fold to RM450 million, the allocations for other types of schools, with the exception of registered sekolah pondok (which saw its allocation slashed by 50% to RM25 million), have remained at RM50 million for each category.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Chinese education group said it is reasonable for national schools to be given the lion's share of the RM800 million allocated for schools, but felt that the government should be fair and reasonable in allocating funds for other types of schools.
It pointed out that there are 1,294 SJKCs in the country, many more than national-type Tamil schools (523), religious schools (438), fully-residential schools (68) and Mara junior science colleges (49).
Given the higher number of pupils in SJKCs, and hence the bigger expenditure, compared with schools in other categories, the government should have allocated a bigger amount to SJKCs, the statement added.
"SJKCs are allocated only RM50 million, which is far from what is needed to meet their expenses."
Jiao Zong noted that the allocation for schools in Budget 2015 has increased by RM350 million compared with the previous budget but all of it went to national schools.
To be fair, the government should have allocated at least RM100 million to SJKC, like it did in Budget 2013, it added.
On the allocation of RM25 million for national-type Chinese secondary schools (conforming schools) using the national curriculum, Jiao Zong expressed hope that it would be made an annual affair from now on for the healthy development of these schools.