SIBU: United Chinese Schools Committees Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong) chairman Temenggong Dato Vincent Lau Lee Ming has promised to help resolve the woes faced by the 14 private Chinese secondary schools in Sarawak.
On this, he admitted that the most serious problem encountered by these schools was the low student population, with more than half of the schools housing less than 300 students each.
“This is a longstanding problem and we will be working hard to look into it to ensure that all the 14 private Chinese secondary schools here would continue to remain relevant,” he said at the opening of the annual general meeting (AGM) of the Sarawak United Association of Private Chinese Secondary School Management Board yesterday morning.
Lau said a pilot project had been conducted at Ming Lik Private Chinese Secondary School in Sarikei and should it prove to be feasible, the rest of the schools might apply the same model.
According to Lau, there are about 80,000 students studying in private Chinese secondary schools nationwide.
“In Sarawak, the situation is different and despite the low school fees, people here still regard studying in private Chinese secondary schools as something of less importance.”
Lau said such issue needed further discussions and deliberations with the relevant authorities to ensure that the private Chinese schools would not encounter problems of having very low student intake.
He said the state government, particularly since Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem took over as leader, had shown tremendous commitment in helping to promote the importance of Chinese education.
‘Within two years, he (Adenan) has already allocated RM12 million for the development of Chinese education (in Sarawak) and he has also promised more funds towards this mission.”
In addition, Lau said the state government also recognised the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) — an issue that had been a stumbling block in the development of Chinese education in the state for many years.
“We know that this is not an easy pathway to walk, but all of us ought to persevere in ensuring that the Chinese education would eventually prevail in our community.”
Earlier, Lau expressed his gratitude to the board of directors of Sarawak United Association of Private Chinese Secondary School Management Board for their full support behind him over the years.
“I must admit that there are still lots of work to be done and I am confident that all this could be achieved if we continue working cohesively with one another.”-Borneo Post
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