MCA Vice President and Penang State Chairman Dato’ Chan Tek Chin criticized the Ministry of Education for forcefully appointing government-appointed directors to school boards, saying it has already infringed upon the autonomy of Chinese school boards!
He pointed out that although the law allows for the existence of government-appointed directors, there has always been a spirit of mutual trust and respect in practice. To promote the overall development of schools, the board would recommend individuals who are passionate about Chinese education and willing to serve the school as government-appointed directors, instead of having candidates appointed by the Ministry of Education join the board. Over the years, this seamless cooperation has enabled schools and their boards to develop smoothly, laying a solid foundation for the steady progress of Chinese education.
"However, the Ministry of Education has now, without any prior warning, suddenly appointed government-appointed directors to the boards of Chinese schools on its own, without communicating or consulting with the boards. This is puzzling— is this the style of the Madani government? Was Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh also unaware of this at the Ministry of Education?"
Chan Tek Chin pointed out that the current Ministry of Education is facing numerous emerging problems, including frequent incidents of campus violence, yet the authorities have not seriously addressed or resolved these issues. Instead, they continue to trouble Chinese schools over this matter, which is deeply distressing.
"The Penang Chinese School Boards’ Federation and Penang National-Type Chinese Secondary School Board have clearly expressed their stance, and Penang MCA fully supports their position because we believe education should be left to educators. The Ministry of Education's move to appoint government directors to Chinese school boards has ulterior motives and will cause major problems for the boards in the future. What if the Ministry appoints non-Chinese directors unfamiliar with the spirit of Chinese education? The entire board could face difficulties in cultural and language communication, throwing the board’s operations into disarray."
He called on the Ministry of Education to devote more thought and approach Chinese educational affairs with fairness and justice.
He also hoped that the Ministry of Education would prioritize and seriously address and resolve the very serious issues of campus violence and student safety, instead of just nitpicking Chinese schools.