Grants for mission, vernacular schools based on needs – Mary

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KOTA KINABALU: Mission and vernacular schools in Malaysia still need to submit their annual application for allocation from the federal government, Deputy Education Minister Datuk Mary Yap said.

This is because the government cannot give the schools a ‘fixed’ annual allocation as the financial aid is disbursed according to the needs of the respective schools, she said.

Yap, who was met after the launching of the Brother Charles O’Leary Centre (BCOC) at SM La Salle here Saturday, said this when asked if the Government could consider giving fixed allocation to mission schools instead of having to apply annually for the financial assistance.

“No we can’t because different schools have different needs. It is just not practical to give a fixed amount as some schools may need more financial aid than others,” she said.

In terms of allocation to mission schools, Yap said that it had already been included in the annual national budget.

According to her, there are 438 mission schools throughout Malaysia and 101 are in Sabah. The schools in Sabah apply for funds through the Sabah Council of Christian Mission School and the applications will be handed over to the Federation Council of Christian Mission Schools (FCCMS) which in turn will submit them to the Education Ministry.

“This year mission schools were allocated RM50 million to be shared by 438 mission schools and the Education Ministry and State Government will disburse the funds stage by stage. We have our constraints as well but rest assured the ministry is very supportive of mission schools and it is definitely in the Education blue print,” she said.

Yap also reminded schools which have received the allocation to spend the money because based on the reports that the ministry had received, some of the schools have not done so.

“When we ask you for your report and the money is not spent, you are giving us the impression that you do not need the money. There was also an issue that some schools put the money in fixed deposit.

“You can do that for a short time while waiting for the projects to start but not to earn interest. In terms of integrity that is very wrong. We may as well give the money to other schools that need it,” she stressed.