File photo of students attending a school event in the state.
KUCHING: The recent Ministry of Education’s (MoE) directive to bar Sarawak state ministers and Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) elected representatives from attending school events starting next year has been termed as “ridiculous and discriminatory” by Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Youth chief Michael Tiang.
Tiang, who pointed this out in a statement today, said the MoE applied “double standards” as Pakatan Harapan (PH) ministers and elected representatives were permitted to do so.
“This shows both Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik and his deputy Teo Nie Ching have no regards for Sarawak’s autonomy in education as well as Sarawakians’ sentiments,” the statement read.
Tiang reminded the MoE that the Sarawak government had been contributing state funding to all schools in Sarawak especially aided Chinese primary schools despite the fact that education came under the Federal List.
He said it was only right for state ministers and elected representatives to visit schools in Sarawak in order to understand their needs and challenges.
“By barring the state ministers and ADUNs (state elected representatives) from (visiting) schools in Sarawak, the PH government is not only discriminating the state government, it is also isolating Sarawak schools from its own state government for assistance.
“The MoE’s latest directive is purely a political decision made at the expense of the schools’ welfare and interests,” he lamented.
Tiang further pointed out that the PH government was “slow in responding” when it came to rebuilding and repairing dilapidated schools in Sarawak.
Recently, the Federation of Boards of Management for Aided Chinese Primary Schools Sarawak has been informed by the state Education Department that state ministers and elected representatives from the opposition will not be allowed to attend any school events in Sarawak starting next year.