MP condemns MOE for blocking school facilities construction plans

PARLIAMENT | Cha Kee Chin (Harapan-Rasah) has condemned the Education Ministry for blocking the construction of facilities for two schools within his constituency.

The DAP lawmaker said the Negeri Sembilan and district Education Department denied the schools permission to proceed despite raising their own funds to construct an auditorium and roof for their basketball courts, respectively.

Cha (above) also questioned the ministry’s 2024 guidelines and provisions for building and development which disallows the construction of lecture halls, auditoriums, sports pavilions and VIP toilets, through private funding at local primary and secondary schools.

“If these schools have managed to raise funds independently, why should we reject and prevent it? These efforts are only to improve the school facilities.

“Until today, there are still primary and secondary schools, including some within my constituency that have successfully constructed auditoriums, lecture halls, sports pavilions, and so forth, including government-funded schools, which have been constructed through private funding.

“Last year, two schools within my constituency, SMJK Chan Wa 2, and SJKC Kampong Baru Mambau, held fundraising dinners, and successfully met their targets,” he said, adding that Transport Minister Anthony Loke had officiated both schools’ fundraising dinners.

“But they have been denied permission,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today while debating the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP).

Cha argued that it was ‘illogical’ and burdensome for the government to implement such guidelines.

Making pre-school mandatory

On compulsory pre-schooling under the 13MP, he said that while he strongly welcomed the suggestion, he questioned whether existing infrastructures are sufficient for the policy to be implemented nationwide.

He pointed out that there is still a shortage of government-run preschools, and that parents should not be expected to send their children to private preschools solely to meet this requirement, and failure to do so would result in them breaking the law.

“What about B40 parents who cannot send their children to private preschools?” he asked.

“Let all schools, regardless of whether they are government schools, or government-aided schools, be given the same amount of funding to establish these pre-schools, before implementing the policy,” he said.

Cha also urged for increased government spending for special needs education under the 13MP.

He expressed support for the government’s plans to introduce 34 new special needs education centres for autistic children throughout the country, but said it was a “small figure” which should be increased.

Reporting by Dania Kamal Aryf, Hariz Mohd, Haspaizi Zain, Qistina Nadia Dzulqarnain

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