Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has urged the Ministry of Education (MOE) to provide institutionalised financial aid to the state's missionary schools.

 

He is also calling the federal government to not to marginalise them.

 

Lim urged the MOE to follow the example of the Penang government by providing the schools annual financial grants, which it has done for six years, since Pakatan came to power in 2008.

 

"Democratising education means giving yearly aid so that the schools can focus on education excellence.

 

"Send the money direct into the parents-teachers associations or the board of directors accounts yearly. Don't marginalise the missionary schools as they have contributed much to the country," Lim said in his speech before handing over the aid to 20 missionary schools in Komtar today.

 

"Many of the country's leaders, including Prime Minister Najib Razak were educated in missionary schools," he noted.

 

"Not a single Muslim student who studied in a Christian missionary school, has been Christianised,” he asserted.

 

“This shows the kind of education it offers - tested, excellent, free, open and without discrimination," he stressed.

 

Lim then handed over its annual financial aid of RM1.06 million to the schools in the company of state executive councillors Chong Eng, Jagdeep Singh, assemblypersons. Wong Hon Wai, Yap Soo Huey and Soon Lip Chee.

 

The money will be used to upgrade classes, science labs, and sports facilities in the schools.

 

Promises kept

Lim said the state government has kept its promises by handing over the aid to the schools.

 

"Since these six years, a total of RM60 million have been allocated for the development of education in the state and the money had been sent directly to the PIBG or Board of Directors' account of all school streams," he said.

 

The schools which are given financial aid by the state includes National and Chinese types schools, Chinese independent schools, missionary schools, Tamil primary schools and religious schools.

 

Lim said this year, the Chinese and missionary school committee received applications amounting to RM71 million, with missionary schools asking the most at over RM9 million.

 

"This shows the schools continue to have financial problems and this affects their efforts to provide better infrastructure, like brighter and cleaner toilets," he said.

 

Meanwhile, Chong Eng said the state has appointed Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim ( right ) to coordinate with the missionary schools so that he can raise their issues in Parliament.

 

"We have found missionary schools are now facing a different set of problems," she said, when opening the event today.

 

"These schools are considered national-type schools and do not have full allocations. They have to take care of their own buildings," she added.

 

"Some schools do not have school boards and they are in quite a bad shape. So Sim will look into either forming school boards or bring the problems to Parliament," she added.