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Local schools ‘always face funding issues’
The debate has raised questions about the amount of government funding for local schools, whether it directly or indirectly accepts money from companies linked to commodities thought to cause social harm, and whether the opposition is distorting the facts.
Primary schools in Malaysia are either national schools or local primary schools – Chinese schools (SJK(C)) and Tamil schools (SJK(T)).
Multi-stream primary schools follow the same syllabus as national schools, excluding language subjects. According to 2020 data from the Ministry of Education, multi-stream primary schools account for nearly a quarter of all primary schools in Malaysia.
Secondary schools are divided into public and private schools. As of 2021, there are 2,444 secondary schools in Malaysia, of which 82 are Chinese government schools (also known as SMJK) and 63 are Chinese independent schools. There are no Tamil secondary schools in Malaysia.
National secondary schools used to be Chinese schools, but in order to receive government funding, they decided to use the Malay language and the national syllabus. As more time was allocated to Chinese courses, national secondary schools were considered multi-stream schools.
Although not all students in Chinese schools are ethnic Chinese — about 20% of students in SJKS, for example, are non-Chinese — some criticise them as a hindrance to national unity and want them closed.
Funding has been a long-standing issue for some of Malaysia’s multi-stream schools, which often have to raise most of the funds they need themselves.
Mr Arun Dorasamy of the Centre for Excellence in Vernacular Schools explained that vernacular schools located on government land receive full funding, while vernacular schools located on land owned by the school board or trustees receive only partial funding.
“For partially-aided schools, the government will only pay the salaries of teachers and basic allowance for students. All administrative expenses, maintenance of school buildings and construction of new school buildings are not borne by the government,” he said.
He added that about 85 per cent of Chinese schools and 67 per cent of Tamil schools received partial funding.
“These schools always face funding issues. They have to rely on donations from philanthropists, businesses, parents and the community, and fundraisers,” he said, adding that most local schools receive donations from the public and small businesses.
Tiger Beer and another beer brand, Carlsberg, have been major fundraisers for Chinese schools for decades. Their efforts have contributed nearly 1 billion ringgit ($214 million) to Malaysian Chinese schools over the past 30 years.
Last year, Tiger Global raised more than RM26 million for eight institutions, the highest amount raised in a year since the CECC programme was launched and more than double its initial target of RM12 million.
According to People’s Post, Carlsberg has raised RM568 million for 684 schools nationwide through the top ten charitable events over the past 37 years.
For the fundraising concert at SJK(C) Tche Min School, teachers also donated money.
According to news reports, 17 teachers donated at least half of their monthly salary to support the construction of a new multi-purpose school hall.
The school’s vice-principal, Zhang Liqing, told People’s Post that their combined efforts raised more than RM200,000, including donations from others.
“Since launching this fundraising campaign in April, our teachers have worked hard to not only donate their own money but also to gain support from the community,” the deputy principal said.
Mr Huang told CNA that the amount of funds raised with the help of the company, which includes not only alcohol brands but also gaming companies, is huge.
Other organisations that have donated to Chinese schools include supermarket chain Econsave and business group YTL.
In his view, this financing model is no different from companies paying taxes to the government and then using the money for public services.
“The taxes these companies pay are also used to build public (infrastructure) such as roads and bridges,” he said.
He said it was important that Tiger Beer did not place its logo in schools and did not encourage students to drink.
While Tiger did not elaborate on what was involved in “inviting” performing artists for the fundraising concert, Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Schools Association secretary-general Low Chee Chong said in a Malaysiakini podcast that concert sponsors “mainly cover the costs of performers, lighting, sound and promotional materials”.
“What they’re actually paying is a fee, not a direct donation,” he said.
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