FROM 1995 to 2016, the State government has allocated RM184 million in financial assistance to private and national-type schools, including Chinese independent schools, Sekolah Menengah Jenis Kebangsaan (SMJK), primary and secondary mission schools, Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina (SJKC), kindergartens and private schools.
Assistant Finance Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Michael Asang said the State government had also allocated RM273 million to non-Islamic religious bodies such as churches and temples during the same period.
This year, he sai the State government had allocated RM20 million for religious bodies and RM12 million for schools.
He said the annual allocation is aimed to alleviate the financial burden of the schools and non-Islamic religious bodies in Sabah.
“The allocation is provided as a form of subsidy, not to cover all the expenses (of the schools and religious bodies),” he said, when replying to Datuk Joniston Bangkuai’s (BN-Kiulu) question on the amount of allocation given to non-Islamic religious bodies and schools in Sabah this year.
Joniston also asked if the State government planned to increase the allocation next year in view of the growing needs.
To that, Michael said the State government had no plans to increase the allocation at the moment after taking into consideration the funds required for other programmes, adding that the matter was also subject to the financial position of the government.