The Penang Hindu Association (PHA) is urging all Indian Malaysian MPs to unite and form a non-partisan parliamentary caucus to lobby for the country's first Tamil secondary school.

 

About 29 of PHA members gathered the Dato Keramat post offoce and posted 29 copies of the memorandum on the matter to Prime Minister Najib Razak and the Indian Malaysian MPs to look into their appeal.

 

PHA president P Murugiah made the call although the Education Ministry has turned down the Penang government's request for such a school.

 

"Indian (Malaysian) MPs should come together for this cause as properly organised education is a stepping stone for a better future," Murugiah said in Penang today.

 

"Many Indian parents do not want to enroll their children in Tamil primary schools as there is no continuity for studies at a Tamil secondary school.

 

Indian groups have launched a signature campaign, collecting about 10,000 signatures so far.

 

Many signatures were collected during last year's Thaipusam celebration, showing the people's support for their mother tongue education, which is currently taught in only 28 schools nationwide.

 

On Feb 26, Penang Pakatan Rakyat youth also launched a signature campaign to lobby Putrajaya to approve an application to build the first Tamil secondary school in the state.

 

The Penang government had sent letters to Putrajaya appealing for the school but Education director Khair Mohamed Yusof rejected the proposal in a letter dated Jan 8.

 

Khair said that there is no provision under the Education Act 1996 for such an application.

 

The Penang government had applied to build the school in Bagan Dalam, Butterworth, to cater for some 6,000 students from the 28 Tamil primary schools.

 

These are currently allocated an annual budget of RM1.75 million by the state government.