KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 (Bernama) -- The decision by the United Chinese School
Committees'' Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong) to pull out from the special
committee to address the shortage of teachers at Chinese primary schools would
not affect the committee''s work, said Deputy Education Minister Datuk Wee Ka
Siong.
He said the special committee which was set up under a cabinet directive
would continue its work with other stakeholders as it was set up in good faith
to consult and seek views from various stakeholders in resolving the issue.
"I regret that they (Dong Zong) have decided to pull out. However, we
will continue to convene meetings and thoroughly resolve the issue. We can''t
force them (Dong Zong) to attend. However, our conscience is clear and we will
move forward," he told Bernama when contacted.
On Friday, Dong Zong chairman Yap Sin Tian announced that the chinese
education movement was pulling out from the special committee, claiming it
did not make sense to stay on as "the committee is not a policy making body" and
"not able to handle the fundamental problem" faced by the Chinese schools.
Yap also claimed that the committee could only handle technical issues and
resolve problems on a case-by-case basis.
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WEE-DONG ZONG 2 KUALA LUMPUR
However, Wee explained that the scope of work of the special committee had
been clearly spelled out, that was to deal with the problem, regardless
of whether it was technical or at policy level.
He said the committee, chaired by him, had so far has come out with various
efforts under an eight-point plan to address the issues which included sending
teachers who were not very proficient in Mandarin to teach in Chinese vernacular
schools.
The plan, endorsed by the cabinet and announced by Deputy Prime Minister
Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also Education Minister, in early
April, also stated that teachers with the minimum Chinese language qualification
at the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) level would teach in grades A and B
Chinese vernacular schools for Level One (Year One to Three) while teachers with
the minimum SPM Chinese language qualification would teach in schools with a low
enrolment.
Meanwhile, Federation of Chinese Associations in
Malaysia (Huazong) president Tan Sri Pheng Yin Huah has urged Dong Zong not to
quit the committee as as it was akin to giving up a direct communication
channel.
"The special committee cannot make any changes to the existing policies and
systems, but its recommendations reach the highest policy making decision level,
that is Cabinet. Therefore, we should not give away this opportunity to solve
the problem," he said in a statement.
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