PUTRAJAYA: The RM50mil allocation will be made to Chinese primary schools as assured, said MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
Liow raised the matter with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid during the Cabinet meeting yesterday.
“Prime Minister Najib understood the matter.
“He has given a positive response and promised to solve it as soon as possible,” Liow told reporters after the meeting.
Just before Christmas last year, the Chinese press had raised concerns that the schools had not received the RM50mil allocation from Budget 2016 which was meant for maintenance works.
Mahdzir had previously explained that there was a “slight shortage” in the allocation of budget for the schools this year, but added that the matter would be sorted out before the end of last year.
Meanwhile Liow also said Najib had agreed to expedite the disbursement to conforming schools.
“These two allocations are important and they have received a positive response from the Prime Minister,” he said.
Conforming schools shared an allocation of RM500mil in Budget 2016 together with other types of schools, including national schools, national-type Chinese and Tamil schools, religious schools and fully residential schools.
Conforming schools were formerly missionary or Chinese secondary schools that have been converted into national type schools with Chinese language as a compulsory subject for the students.-thestar
