Press Statement 
by DAP MP for Kota Melaka, Kerk Kim Hock
in Petaling Jaya 
on Wednesday, August 07, 2002

School textbook loan scheme: Call on the Education Minister to end the discrimination against SJKC, SJKT,SMK, SMKA, SMT and SM V.


In the 2001-2010 Education Development Master Plan, it has been stated that the Skim Pinjaman Buku Teks ( School Textbook Loan Scheme ) was started in 1995 with the objective to help the students who are poor and who cannot afford to buy school textbooks. 

According to official figures in the Master Plan, in the year 2000, a total 1,976, 209 students from the national schools ( sekolah kebangsaan -SK ), 409,812 students from the national type Chinese schools ,92,392 students from the national type Tamil schools and 1, 631,001 students from the secondary schools have benefited from the scheme.

Such a scheme is undoubtedly one that has brought benefits to the students and should be continued. However, as poverty knows no racial background and type of school, I wish to urge the Education Minister, Tan Sri Mohammad Musa to rectify the discrimination against the SJKC, SJKT ,SMK( Sekolah Menengah Kebangssan ), SMKA (Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama), SMT ( Sekolah Menengah Teknik ) and SMV( Sekolah Kebangsaan Vokasional ).

In the 2001-2010 Education Master Plan, it is stated that:

Pemberian Skim Pinjaman Buku Teks ( SPBT ) ini adalah berdasarkan pendapatan ibu bapa atau penjaga dan bilangan tangguan. Bagi SK, semua pelajar yang pendaptan ibu bapa atau penjaga kurang daripada RM 1500.00 sebulan layak menerima SPBT manakala pelajar di SJKC, SJKT, SMK, SMKA, SMT, dan SMV yang layak menerima SPBT di tunjukkan dalam Jadual 5.1.

JADUAL 5.1

Kelayakan bagi menerima SPBT bagi pelajar di SJKC, SJKT, SMK, SMT, SMKA dan SMV.

Pendapatan IbuBapa /Penjaga - RM 700 kebawah 
Kelayakan Menerima SPBT - Semua anak yang bersekolah layak di beri pinjaman buku teks 


Pendapatan IbuBapa /Penjaga  - RM 701.00 hingga RM 800.00
Kelayakan Menerima SPBT  - Perbelanjaan membeli buku teks bagi seorang anak yang bersekolah d tanggung oleh ibu bapa atau penjaga, anak anak ynag lain di beri pinjaman buku teks 

Pendapatan IbuBapa /Penjaga  - RM 801.00 hingga RM 900.00 
Kelayakan Menerima SPBT  -  Perbelanjaan membeli buku teks bagi dua orang anak yang bersekolah di tanggunag oleh ibu bapa atau penjaga, anak anak yang lain di beri pinjaman buku teks 

Pendapatan IbuBapa /Penjaga  - RM 901.00 hingga RM 1000
Kelayakan Menerima SPBT  - Perbelanjaan membeli buku teks bagi tiga orang anak yang bersekolah di tanggung oleh ibu bapa atau penjaga, anak anak yang lain di beri pinjaman buku teks

It is obvious from the criteria above that the students who go to the national primary schools enjoy an advantage compared to other schools. 

The Education Minister must realize that while it is the basic duty of the government to build, fund and develop all types of schools through fair education policies and resource allocation, it should be left to the parents to decide the choice of school they wish to choose for their children.

It is both unfair and unnecessary for the government to try to give advantage to a particular type of school so as to make it more "attractive", especially through a scheme that is aimed at helping the poor students. 

Such advantage given to the national primary school is not only a form of unfair discrimination, time has also proven that it has not brought about the results desired by the Ministry of Education--- to increase the student enrolment in the national primary schools.