Muhyiddin announces allocation, MSSM can reinstate 11 excluded sports
JOHOR BAHARU: Malaysian Schools Sports Council (MSSM) can reinstate the 11 sports it had excluded from its calendar as Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced yesterday an RM89 million allocation by Education Ministry for sports and co-curricular activities in schools.
SPLENDID PIECE OF NEWS: Muhyiddin speaks during the ground-breaking ceremony of a stadium and sports complex of Educity@Iskandar in Nusajaya. — Bernama photo
Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, said the allocation would enable MSSM to have all the 24 sports in its programme catering for the Under-12, U-15 and U-18.
Early last month, Education Ministry had slashed the annual allocation to MSSM, thus leaving the latter no choice but to reduce the number of sports in the calendar.
The 11 sports excluded were bowling, squash, archery, table tennis, rugby, cricket, sailing, softball, handball, cross-country and chess.
“Initially, many quarters were disappointed with MSSM’s decision to reduce the number of sports from its calendar, but I have issued a directive for the sports to be reinstated.
“The RM89 million allocation will be used in every school and the sports can be held,” he told reporters after officiating at the ground-breaking ceremony of a stadium and sports complex of Educity@Iskandar in Nusajaya.
Muhyiddin said the sports policy reversal of the ministry would be translated into additional allocations under the 10th Malaysia Plan (2011-2015) for construction of sports infrastructure such as school fields.
“Under the 10th Malaysia Plan, we will develop sports infrastructure in schools. Some schools even do not have fields,” he said.
He also said that the per capita of students participating in sports would also be increased.
Muhyiddin said the ministry was in the process of setting up a sports teacher training institute specially to train teachers to become sports coaches.
Four sports excellence centres in existing teacher training institutes in Johor, Terengganu, Sarawak and Sabah would serve as feeder centres for Raja Melewar Sports Teacher Training Institute in Seremban, he added.
A total of 320 teachers would undergo training in eight sports beginning in the middle of next year, he said.
Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman and Iskandar Investment Berhad chairman Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar were also present at the event. — Bernama