A minister’s suggestion that Parents-Teacher Associations (PTA) in Selangor independently raise funds for the maintenance of infrastructure in public schools was met with a cold reception.

Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Noh Omar made the proposal on the grounds that it will expedite funding for school infrastructure while awaiting federal funds.

Several parents interviewed by Malaysiakini said the current PTA fee was already a burden, particularly for poorer families struggling to make ends meet.

R Simala Devi (photo), 41, who is the spouse of a retrenched Malaysia Airlines employee, said the annual PTA fee of RM50, on top of other fees, was a burden to her family.

“Even RM50 is a lot as the economy now is not good and many are facing job issues.

“For example, my husband is a former MAS employee and only recently managed to find a new job, but many of his former colleagues have yet to be able to get a job.

“If more funds are collected, wouldn’t it be more burdensome? I totally disagree with this proposal,” she said.

She added that it was even tougher for families with several children in different schools.

Simala said while the government provided an annual RM100 assistance for school children, she noted that Putrajaya was now planning to restrict it to low-income families.

Whither gov't funds?

Meanwhile, 44-year-old housewife Nur Azlinda Yaakob said she was prepared to meet her children’s needs, but questioned why parents needed to reach into their pockets when public schools already receive government allocations.

“Every year, the government announces allocations for schools and education.

“The allocation given is big, it isn’t small, but we don’t see where the money is put to use,” said the mother of three.

She has two children in Form 5 and Year 5 respectively, while another is already 19 years old.

Azlinda (photo, right, Jarina Talib left), too, expressed concern about her family’s position in the current economy and said she did not want to have to deal with additional burden.

She added that it was a heavy task for the PTA to collect funds on its own.

She cited as an example her children's school, which had tried to raise funds for a square. She said it took a few years before it finally materialised.

Azlinda hoped the government would consider the proposal thoroughly if it is to be implemented.

Another housewife, Jarina Talib, also did not want to fork out more than the current standard PTA fee.

“It is a burden on parents. Some can't even afford the current PTA fee,” said the 44-year-old housewife.

One-off contributions okay

However, Jarina said she was willing to make one-off contributions in unusual situations, such as if the school sustained damages due to a natural disaster.

“For example, like after the school fence collapsed recently, we can make goodwill contributions.

“But if it is to be done in the long-term, then it will be difficult,” she said.

She added that there were also hurdles in the implementation, citing as an example one school's request that parents contribute funds for it to hire a traffic warden.

“Even that caused arguments in the PTA,” she said.

As for Rujman Hakim Abdul Rahman, he said the proposal would be particularly burdensome for normal families in urban areas.

The 37-year-old father said there was a stark difference between the cost of living in his hometown in Kulim, Kedah, and in the Klang Valley, where he is living due to work commitments.

“In Kulim, RM2 is enough for my children’s pocket money, but they need RM5 in the city due to the high cost of living,” he said.

He said that it was unfair to parents as public schools are already receiving government allocations.

“Parents are already burdened by the high cost of living and now we need to help the schools (with funds), too?” he said.

Rujman said he was still willing to consider the proposal for the good of his children, but was concerned about the economic impact on families.