IPOH, Sept 10 — Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad today clarified that the state government did not sideline Islamic religious schools in its education allocations, as claimed by the Opposition.
He said the state government had allocated and distributed RM10 million specifically for Islamic religious schools, while Independent Chinese schools (Suwa) and Tamil schools received RM1.8 million and RM1 million respectively.
Saarani explained that the RM1.8 million for Suwa was divided among nine schools, with each receiving RM200,000 per year.
“It is unfair to claim that the government only funds non-Islamic schools.
“The RM10 million allocation for Islamic schools is already in place, but unfortunately some choose to highlight only the Chinese school allocation while ignoring this fact, creating a misleading impression,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the State Assembly sitting today.
He also urged all parties not to compare allocations given to different types of schools in the state.
Yesterday, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) Alor Pongsu assemblyman Noor Azman Ghazali, from Perikatan Nasional, had questioned when the government approved the RM1.8 million for Suwa and what allocation had been made for Islamic religious schools.
Saarani further explained that historically, the state government had provided direct allocations to all these schools.
However, during the tenure of Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir, Saarani said the approach was changed, with schools given land to cultivate oil palm instead, and the income generated was meant to fund their operations.
“Land was allocated through agencies such as the State Finance Office (PKN) and the Perak Islamic Economic Development Corporation, benefiting Islamic, Chinese and Tamil schools.
“But after Covid-19, the plan collapsed as the land was left undeveloped and no income was generated. All schools suffered as a result,” he said.
Saarani added that in 2023, the state government decided to resume direct allocations to ensure the continuity of educational support across all school streams.
