GEORGE TOWN, June 15 — The Education Ministry (MOE) has guaranteed that no Chinese vernacular schools (SJKC) or Tamil vernacular schools (SJKT) will be closed under the MADANI government, said Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh.
The assurance reflected the government's commitment to preserving all school streams within the national education system, amid recurring concerns among the Chinese and Indian communities about the future of vernacular schools, including declining enrolment and school-site issues.
"Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek has repeatedly stressed, both inside and outside Parliament, that vernacular schools are an important component of our education system.
"The MADANI government's commitment is to ensure that no SJKC or SJKT will be closed. We will maintain all existing schools," he said during the handover ceremony of the approval letter for the construction of a new building for SJKT Rajaji today.
Also present was Penang Tamil Schools Special Committee chairman Datuk Seri S. Sundarajoo.
Wong added that concerns had previously been raised over the possibility of certain schools being closed or merged, while the position of vernacular schools had often been questioned by certain quarters.
The government's assurance will provide confidence to boards of management, educators, and local communities to continue focusing on developing their respective schools.
The MOE will continue to support the development of all school streams nationwide, in line with the government's aspiration to ensure every student has access to quality education regardless of background.
Meanwhile, Wong said the increase in maintenance allocations for SJKT schools from RM20 million to RM50 million, announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in January, is part of efforts to strengthen educational infrastructure nationwide and ensure school facilities remain safe, conducive and suitable for teaching and learning.
The additional allocation reflected the MADANI government's commitment to addressing the current needs of vernacular schools, particularly those facing building maintenance and basic facility issues, with funds to be distributed in a more structured manner based on each school's actual requirements.
In a related development, he said 22 government-aided SJKT schools in Penang would receive RM1.156 million to purchase and replace furniture through allocations from the Malaysian Indian Community Transformation Unit under the Human Resources Ministry.
The furniture procurement exercise will be carried out within one to two months after the schools' requirements had been finalised with their respective administrations.
