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PETALING JAYA: The government will not fund independent Chinese schools and universities next year, Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz announced.
He confirmed this in a written response on the annual budget, addressed to the former Deputy Minister of Education and Kulai MP, Teo Nie Ching.
Teo had asked on December 15 whether the ministry would allocate funds for independent Chinese high schools, as well as three private non-profit universities that serve Chinese students.
In the 2019 budget, Putrajaya allocated RM12 million to improve independent Chinese schools. It was part of a 652 million ringgit fund for the same purpose in 10 other types of schools.
This, and a subsequent allocation of 6 million ringgit to three private universities, generated criticism from opposition parties who questioned the justification and urgency of funding these institutions.
Tengku Zafrul said in his response that the Ministry of Education will use a new formula to determine the distribution of funds based on the type of school, the number of students and the individual needs of the school.
The 2021 budget will see RM50.4 billion allocated to the education ministry, while the higher education ministry will receive RM14.4 billion. A total of 800 million ringgit will be allocated for the maintenance and improvement of schools, excluding private institutions.
