(Parliament, Thursday): I have asked the minister of education in Parliament to state the number of national primary schools (SK) with less than 600 students and the number of Chinese primary schools (SJKC) with more than 2000 students-  throughout the country. I also asked why the government would not convert the national type schools with low number of students to Chinese primary schools.

The answers that I received are as follows:

“There are 5,761 national primary schools throughout the country, and out of this figure, 4,418 (76.6%) has enrolment below 600. The total number of Chinese primary schools are 1,287 and 58 (4.5%) of them have enrolment above 2,000 students.

The government would not convert national type primary schools to Chinese primary schools. It is not the policy of the government to convert a particular type of school to other type (for example from SK to SJK or the reverse). The 1996 Education Act has clearly stated the types of schools that are allowed to be operable in the country and parents are free to choose any type of school for their children. However, the government will strengthen and promote the national primary schools (SK) as the main stream type of school for all races - for the sake of unity.”

In reply to the above answer of the Minister of Education , YB Tan Kok Wai, MP for Cheras as! ked the Hon. Minister on the primary school reserves site in Kuala Lumpur on 4th October 2005, the Hon Minister said that the government has outlined 9 school reserve lands in Kuala Lumpur which is under the school development project and all of them are for national type primary schools. Besides, the government has also identified 10 primary school reserve lands which have not planned for the construction of schools.

I am appalled to read that 76.65% of the national primary school has enrolment less than 600 students throughout the country, and I am also appalled that the government still insists on building about 19 national primary schools in Kuala Lumpur when many Chinese primary schools in Kuala Lumpur are over-crowded simply because many parents, including non-Chinese parents, prefer to send their children to Chinese primary schools, instead of the national type.

The reply of the Education Minister further reflects the government's imprudence and lack of vision, in the allocation of resources in school construction in that it did not use the taxpayers’ money accordingly and in consonance with the need and desires of the majority of people in Kuala Lumpur. The resultant effect is that the Chinese primary schools continue to be over-crowded and their plight gets no notice nor assistance from the Education Ministry. In making matters worst, the government continues with impudence, by wasting the taxpayers’ precious money, in building new national primary type schools which are under enrolled and less popular, even amongst non Chinese parents.

Hence, I would strongly urge the government to be practical and prudent and review its policy of school construction. The government should respect the wishes of the taxpayers and practice impartiality and fairness in allocating scarce resources in building schools.