State to subsidise utility bills of Chinese and Tamil primary schools

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THE state government will continue to subsidise the utility bills of Chinese and Tamil primary schools in the state next year due to the increase in electricity tariffs.

State executive councillor Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon said the state would allocate RM1mil for the purpose as it had done so this year.

“The state feels that it should help out these schools although our studies show that the combined subsidies received from the Education Ministry and state is sufficient to cover their utility bills.

Cash aid: Chang (right) looking at a cheque held by Lim Chee Kheong of Rela Taman Cempaka. Looking on are (from left) Lim Pak Fee of Majlis Pusat Kebajikan Semenanjung Malaysia, Wong Choon Mun of Sam Wong Kong Temple and Lee Yueh Ngor of Persatuan Tabung Kebangsaan Pemindahan Sumsum Tulang.

“I have proposed to the state executive council to allow the schools to utilise the balance for other expenses,” he said.

Dr Mah explained that the schools required help in other areas of their administration and that the allocation from the state should be allowed to be used for other purposes other than to pay for their utility bills.

He had earlier presented the allocations to the heads of 196 Chinese and Tamil primary schools at the state secretariat building in Ipoh.

In his speech, Dr Mah said the state had been giving out RM1mil annually since 2010 to subsidise the schools’ utility bills.

He added that a sum of RM2mil had been allocated to national type secondary schools and missionary schools for similar purposes.

Dr Mah, who is also Perak MCA Youth chief, said the Barisan Nasional government, under the leadership of Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir, placed importance on education.

“We are aware that only through education, the poor can free themselves from the cycle of poverty,” he said.