Lau said he hoped current minister Fadhlina Sidek would be more approachable and responsive to matters concerning Chinese private schools unlike her predecessors.
KUCHING (Feb 29): The Sarawak United Association of Chinese School Boards of Management advisor has questioned the apparent difficulty in meeting federal education ministers.
Speaking to the press during the association’s visit to the See Hua Daily News management here today, Temenggong Dato Vincent Lau said he hoped current minister Fadhlina Sidek would be more approachable and responsive to matters concerning Chinese private schools unlike her predecessors.
Lau, who is also the association’s former president, said it was “very difficult” to meet past education ministers who always asked their deputies to deal with representatives from Chinese education bodies.
“In the past, whenever we wanted to meet with an education minister, we were asked to meet their deputies and even for that we had to wait hours for the meeting.
“Shouldn’t the minister be asking to meet us instead?”
Lau said he was only able to meet then education minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid once in 2015 with the assistance of Bintulu MP Tiong King Sing.
Meanwhile, Sarawak United Association of Chinese School Boards of Management deputy president Dato Richard Wee hoped that parents of students who wished to apply for loans from Yayasan Sarawak would change their perception that approval for the applications is hard to obtain.
“I have been recently appointed as a member of the Board of Trustees, and Yayasan Sarawak welcomes all students irrespective of race or family financial backgrounds.
“As long as you meet the requirements and qualify, please apply for the loans on their website. I have observed the processes which are done professionally,” he said.
“The loans can be converted into scholarships if you obtain good results in the second year,” he pointed out.
Also present were Sarawak United Association of Chinese School Boards of Management vice president Datuk Jonathan Chai, secretary Kong Chong Men, treasurer Ting Meng Hock and chief executive officer Hong Woan Ying.