Chong confident Finance Ministry will channel special allocation to SMJK this year

SEREMBAN: Education Deputy Minister Datuk Chong Sin Woon (pix) said he is confident the Finance Ministry will channel a special allocation for national type secondary schools (SMJK) nationwide this year although it is not mentioned in the 2017 Budget.
He said the special allocation is used for maintenance or to pay for a portion of the development being undertaken by such schools.
“For this year, we are still awaiting an announcement from the Finance Ministry. We leave the final decision to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak," he told reporters here today after handing over cheques for special allocation to SMJK Chan Wah Seremban amounting to RM300,000 and SMJK Chan Wah 2 Seremban for RM200,000.
Also present was state Education deputy director Pkharuddin Ghazali (Rpt: Pkharuddin Ghazali).
Since 2012, some RM20 million had been channelled as a special provision nationwide while in 2013 (RM30 million); 2014 ( RM15 million); 2015 (RM25 million) and 2016 (RM15 million).
On the allegation by a 32-year-old man that his son, aged eight, was deliberately hurt on his right cheek by a teacher in a school in Port Dickson on Tuesday, Chong said even though an explanation on the incident would be given, it should not have occurred.
"We (Education Ministry) have procedures on how to take disciplinary action on pupils,” he said, adding that action could only be taken after a full report on the incident from the state Education Department is received.
According to a newspaper report today, the father claimed that his son was injured after a male teacher allegedly used a sharpened pencil to hurt his right cheek. — Bernama