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In Reply :
Date : 23rd September 2010
Y.B Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin Minister of Education Malaysia, Pejabat Menteri Pelajaran, Aras 10, Block E8, Complex Kerajaan Parcal E, Fax : 03-8889 5846 62604 Putrajaya. E-Mail: khairulam@moe.gov.my
Re: 16,965 Tamil school UPSR students will excel when all 523 Tamil schools are made fully government aided schools.
This year 16,965 Tamil schools pupils are currently sitting for their UPSR examinations after having gone through their learning process for six (6) miserable years under very difficult circumstances. (see Utusan Malay-sia 22/9/10 at page 24).
May we bring to your kind attention that at least 371 of these Tamil schools are not fully aided (TN 5/1/09 at page 1), with 250 situated in the estates according to former Education Minister Dato Seri Hishamuddin Hussein (UM 25/7/08 at page 6). It is a shame that most of these Tamil schools are in cowshed like and dilapidated conditions even after 53 years of Independence.
The government has disallowed hundreds of new Tamil schools in Indian populated areas for example in Pandamaran which has 3,000 Indian families and Kg Lindungan which has 10,000 Indian families and also in Triang, Pahang (see TN 30/8/8 at page 13).
This has led to cramped up Tamil schools like the 355 Indian children cramped up in to the 0.2 hectres of land at the Cheras Tamil school (NST 9/9/10 at page S4). Only in One Malay-sia and no where else in the world we also have the whole of the Sungai Salak Tamil school fully in shipping cabins, the Lukut Tamil school upstairs a shophouse with no canteen and playing field, the basement Tamil school in Penang the Tepi Sungai, Klang Tamil school in a JKR store etc.
There are 1,522 untrained and temporary teachers in the 523 Tamil schools (TN 5/1/09 front page) . Whereas even for the Permata kindergartens trained Diploma kindergarten teachers are being sent to the Sultan Idris Teachers University in Tanjung Malim to secure degrees.
This state of affairs is in contravention of Article 12 of the Federal Constitution which states that there shall be no discrimination in education for schools receiving government financial assistance. Also Article 28 of the United Nations Conventions Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989 which Malaysia has rectified in 1995 which in effect guarantees compulsory free education for all children. (NST 30/10/08 at page 10).
Despite the odds, 817 of these Tamil school children managed to score 7As’ in their UPSR this year (Malaysia Nanban 20/11/09 headlines), which is an increase of about 100 students compared with 719 in 2008 (TN 14/11/08 headlines). However almost all of these top Indian students were denied places in the 5,900 places in the 39 Maktab Rendah Sains Mara colleges and 6,000 places in fully residential schools. (BH 17/1/10 at page 16).
The current up to sixth generation Malaysian born Indians no longer want piecemeal addressing of Tamil school problems and “peruntukan” allocations for “one school by one school” tamil daily propaganda but want a wholesome solution that is for all 523 Tamil schools to be made fully financially government aided schools and in line and on par with any other Malay muslim school.
We call upon the government of Malay-sia to declare all these 523 Tamil schools as fully aided schools by 31/12/2010 and for the same to be accorded equal status and with equal government financial allocations, teaching staff, clerical staff, school fields, sport facilities , resource rooms, computer and science labs etc.
This should be the case especially so after Malaysia having been independent for 53 years now and under Malay-sian Prime Minister Najib Razak’s One Malay-sia.
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P.Uthayakumar
Secretary General (Pro-tem)
