Joint Statement Released by Dong Zong and Jiao Zong

November 5, 2020

Government to Proactively support Chinese Education Urged

Appropriation to Cover All Types of Appropriation for SMJK (Chinese) Expected

In response to the newly released Budget 2021, Dong Zong and Jiao Zong herewith forward their joint statement proper as follows:

• We believe the Budget proposed by the government closely correlates with national development and thus it involves the interests of all types and streams of schools, as well as the entire student population in the country.

In this vein, the government needs to proactively support Chinese education by assuring fair distribution of educational resources. Further, attributed to the current Covid-19 impact, online teaching has become the new norm for all schools. As such, the government needs to enforce online teaching models and optimise learning materials and school facilities, including tax cut or exemption to encourage the purchase of online teaching hardware and subscription of internet service as well as reviewing the charge and service of internet providers.

All Types of Appropriation for SMJK (Chinese)

• We strongly posit, the appropriation for SMJK (Chinese) should include all types of appropriation and the government should not illicitly and wrongly divide SMJK (Chinese) into Fully Subsidised and Half Subsidised, or only allocates promotion and maintenance appropriation to Half Subsidised schools and not Fully Subsidised schools. As informed by the Education Act 1996, all vernacular Chinese primary schools enjoy the right to receive appropriation of all types (Administration and Development) from the government. That said, the government should not exploit their right to receive appropriations.
• We expect the appropriation allocated to all vernacular Chinese primary schools to include all administration and development appropriations, including the salaries and allowances of temporary and relief teachers, water and electric, waste discharge bills and internet service as well as appropriation for promotion and maintenance like school construction and relocation, school expansion and reconstruction, furniture or facilities (such as tables, chairs, cabinets, fans, air-conditioners, wire and installment of lamps, etc.). Therefore, the government needs to allocate sufficient appropriation for the abovementioned use and not an annual RM50 million for some vernacular Chinese primary schools only. As understood, the construction and relocation of many vernacular Chinese primary schools are still ongoing and they urgently need appropriation to complete the work for their impending school opening. The Education Act 1996 states that the school boards of vernacular Chinese primary schools are the managerial units and they are accountable for the sound management of school finance and funds. As such, the government needs to deposit the appropriation into the school boards’ bank account so that they can make use of the fund for the unfinished constructions and submit progress report to the Ministry of Education duly. This not only assures the sound management and proper use of appropriation but also outstands the transparency of appropriation distribution.

Appropriation for MICSS

• In both Budget 2019 and 2020, MICSSs were allocated an appropriation of 12 million and 15 million respectively. According to a survey embarked by Dong Zong, every independent Chinese secondary school student in the entire year of 2015 needs an average overhead cost and expense of RM4,859. Attributed to this, we urge the government to the least appropriate RM20 million to independent Chinese secondary schools to relieve their financial burden.

Appropriation for National-type Secondary Schools

• The 81 national-type secondary schools in year 2020 received an appropriation of RM20 million for promotion and maintenance purposes. In matter of appropriation, they have been facing unjust treatment in the form of inconsistent appropriation. National-type secondary schools belong to one of the ramifications of national education and thus the government’s previous promise is expected to be honoured, put simply, to be responsible for all the administration and development expenses generated in these schools as well as increasing the total sum of appropriation.

Appropriation for Three Privately-run Tertiary Institutions

• In both Budget 2019 and 2020, New Era University College, Southern University College and Han Chiang University College were allocated an annual appropriation of RM6 million in total, meaning an appropriation of RM2 million for each institution. By the same token, we propose appropriation to be allocated to New Era University College, Southern University College and Han Chiang University College in Budget 2021.

Appropriation for Relief and Temporary Teacher Salaries

• The Ministry of Education had appropriated RM40 million and RM48 million respectively in Budget 2018 and 2019 for the purpose of relief teacher recruitment, only the sum was insufficient to cover the total salaries as it was used up prior to the second half academic year. The shortage of fund made relief teacher recruitment impossible and thus incumbent teachers had to relieve the teaching tasks, or the school boards as well as parent teacher association had to cover the expenses which in actual fact aggravates their financial burden. Since providing sufficient teachers for the schools is the responsibility and obligation of the Ministry of Education, we thus urge earnestly the government to increase appropriation for relief and temporary teachers in Budget 2021 to ensure the smooth flow of teaching needs lest compromising daily teaching and administration. We also believe the government needs to address the long existing teacher shortage problem through the formulation of policy and operation mechanism radically and not to push the schools to rely on relief and temporary teachers, or be caught in the dilemma of insufficient appropriation for teacher recruitment.

Appropriation Increase for Water, Electric and Waste Discharge Bill (Utility Bill)

• In year 2020, the government agreed to pay in accordance with the actual bills of water, electricity and waste discharge not exceeding RM50 million for “Government-funded Schools”. To small-scale schools, the sum is sufficient but not the actual expenses of large-scale schools, in particular schools with a nigh or above thousand population as the expense may be as high as ten thousand or several ten thousand ringgit and thus eventually the school boards were to be responsible for the bills. The Education Act 1996 clearly stated the government should be responsible for all the administration expenses of government-funded schools, including water, electric and waste discharge bills. With this understanding, we urge the government to increase the appropriation on water, electric and waste discharge in the Budget and to directly settle water, electric and waste discharge bills for these schools nationwide.

Tax Exemption for Non-profit NGOs and Education Institutions

• We propose that the government should consider exempting tax on education industry surplus and donations received by non-profit NGOs as well as educational institutions. That said, donors and beneficiaries will be exempted from tax to encourage contributions of non-profit NGOs and education institutions on national education.

Joint Statement Released by Dong Zong and Jiao Zong

October 19, 2020

Former Education Minister Maszlee’s Unwarranted Views Begs Redress

The Enhancement of Town Hall Meetings Mechanism Expected

This statement is to restore the true fact apropos of the unfounded contents upon Dong Zong stated in an article entitled “Education belongs to all, thus all bear their share of the responsibility” written by the former Education Minister Maszlee published on 18 October 2020. Simultaneously, we wish to remind the former Education Minister to abide by the responsibility of public figure, viz., to comment based on facts and not to point the finger too wantonly for political needs compromising national progress and harmonious integrity.

To begin with, Dong Jiao Zong had confirmed beforehand with the then Education Minister Secretary Sulaiman and attended the Education Ministry located in Putrajaya on 29 November 2019 to submit the “Grade Four Jawi Units for Vernacular Chinese Primary Schools” memorandum. Unfortunately, an internal miscommunication caused the delegates to wait in limbo for two solid hours and the memorandum was finally received by the Deputy Head of the Corporate Communication Unit of the Education Ministry. The narration of the entire event was posted in a statement released on 1 December 2019 on Dong Zong’s official website and thus not recounted here further.

But we wish to rectify, while Dong Jiao Zong delegates were waiting on 29 November 2019, the former Education Minister Maszlee was not seen or accepting them as stated in his article. We thus want to rectify his oblivion via the detailed recount of that day. In actual fact, Dong Jiao Zong sustains a stance of “corresponding beyond political parties but maintaining a care for politics” though witnessing the current political turmoil prevail. Nonetheless, Dong Zong safeguards mother tongue education, respects pluralism as well as needling social ills by attending many meetings organised by the Education Ministry. In a word, Dong Jiao Zong identifies with “education belongs to all, thus all bear their share of the responsibility” and believes that education plays a critical role in the rise and fall of a nation and the government hence needs to respect public opinion supervision and consolidate town hall meetings mechanism.

Statement Released by Dong Zong

September 10, 2020

Dong Zong backs Lee Tian Lin’s Freedom of Speech

Public Power Intervention in the Freedom of Speech Opposed

Notwithstanding several NGOs alleged Penang Island and Seberang Perai Chinese School Boards Federation President Lee Tian Lin of incitement for his comments to retain the status of four controlled secondary schools in Penang state, Dong Zong strongly backs president Lee and opposes the police’s exercise of public power towards individual freedom of speech too readily aiming for a chilling effect.

Under the Constitution, each and every subject is endowed with the freedom of speech on any public issue, albeit the opinion needs to be rationally and scientifically based. The enrollment system of the four controlled secondary schools in Penang state is a public issue and thus correlates with common interest. As such, the collection of opinions initiated by the Penang Island and Seberang Perai Chinese School Boards Federation is one of view generation on educational issue for the state education bureau and not incitement, discrimination or hatred as alleged.  With this understanding, we herewith opine the intervention of public power exercising on the comments of individual and organisation is an intent to suppress for obedience.

The freedom of speech provides leeway and lets the general public understand the implementation of policy for the conveyance of public will. Dong Zong believes, a mature democratic society calls for openness, respect as well as compassion of dissent and it encourages rational dialogues and exchanges. In the face of disagreement, rational communication and dialogue verily work beyond individual limitations which actually helps democratic progress and makes the society more civilised and developed.

Joint Statement Released by Dong Zong and Jiao Zong

September 9, 2020

Face up to Urban-Rural Resource Disparities Urged

To Promote Fair Telecommunications Competition

Dong Jiao Zong urges the government to face up to the extant regional development disparities and believes that government servants need to improve the disparities between urban and rural education resources as well as stopping to bully Sabah undergraduate Ms Veveonah and hold strategic discussion on the issues instead. Besides, the government is further urged to promote fair telecommunications competition, develop public network to shorten the digital gap between urban and rural areas in the country.

The said bullying took place immediate after Sabah undergraduate Ms Veveonah Mosibin had uploaded her footage of spending 24 hours on top of a tree for better web accessibility for online examination, she was later reprimanded by two cabinet ministers successively. Zahidi Zainul Abidin, in the capacity of the Deputy Communication and Multimedia Minister, seems to overlook the needs of internet infrastructure in rural areas as a reality. Datuk Abdul Rahim Bin Bakri as the Finance Minister cum the Member of the Parliament of Malaysia for the Kudat constituency in Sabah, likewise needs to understand the importance of fair resource distribution and his contemptuous defiance of public opinion is a dereliction of duty. These two ministers are arrogant in attitude and have been casting personal attacks on Ms Veveonah Mosibin since then. We reckon, if an elected minister feels not truly for the sufferings of the general public, but alternatively voices spurious comments for immediate victory, a pressing self-criticism is needed or otherwise the impression of incompetence stays.

Of late, the right of internet access has gradually been accorded as yet another human right; that said, the government bears the responsibility to provide basic internet access to the people. Unfortunately, the accessibility of the internet in Malaysia has long been denounced in terms of quality such as coverage, speed and price comparing to similar provision in countries like Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, etc. It is thought that the poor internet accessibility correlates with the tolerance of monopoly given to a handful of consortiums. We suggest that the government should nationalise the key structure of broadband internet and retender service providers thus to break away from consortium monopoly as the promotion of fair telecommunications competition is beneficial to the public at large.

We understand that Ms Veveonah Mosibin comes from the underprivileged group in an education resource wanting region. The priority of the government is expected to address structural problems like resource disparities and the like. The said incident reveals the long existing unfair gap and distribution of education resource, in particular internet accessibility and digital provision for underprivileged students in the society. The covid-19 ravage has changed the country’s education ecology as it makes online teaching even more necessary. As such, the Ministry of education and the Ministry of Higher Education are urged to attend immediately to problems such as online teaching confronted by all types of schools as well as urban and rural telecommunications disparities.