Non-profit higher education colleges, New Era College and Southern College, which have set up mainly by the Chinese community's efforts, have not been able to obtain renewal of their permit since last year.

The "situation" has surprised the Chinese community since it was disclosed by Chinese education movement, Dong Jiao Zhong, at a press conference in Kajang last Friday.

New Era College was set up in May, 1997 under the 1961 Education Act as a non-profit, limited company. After the Private Higher Educational Institutions Act 1996 was enacted in January,1998, the authorities asked New Era College to be registered as a company with paid up capital.

The Act requires private higher education colleges to register as a private company, with a minimum RM100,000 paid up capital to qualify for the permit application.

Southern College was set up in 1988 with in-principle approval. Since 1990, it has been approved to start the classes and every year the college managed to renew the permit until March 1 last year, when it was asked to be registered as a company with paid-up capital.

Last Saturday, Education Minister Musa Mohamad has reprimanded the two colleges for publicising the permit issue via the press, and said that they instead should have contacted him personally.

Musa claimed that he had not received the complaints on non-renewal of the permit from the colleges.

Both New Era College and Southern College have clarified in Sin Chew Jit Poh today that they did not have any political interest in highlighting the issue, but merely had education objective.

According to Choong Woei Chuan, Head of Resource and Information Affairs Department of Dong Zhong, the permit has been due in end-1997 and they had submitted their applications in January 1998.

"We have made numerous attempts including meeting former deputy Education Minister Fong Chan Onn a few times, " he told malaysiakini , adding that they had also discussed the issue with MCA Education Unit, MCA Secretary-General Ting Chew Peh and many other ruling party leaders .

Meanwhile, deputy education minister Hon Choon Kim said the ministry has not made any decision concerning the issue.

He declined to comment on any action on the amendment of the Act to cover non-profit colleges like New Era and Southern College.