Death sentence on school boards of management to be passed next Monday
Yesterday, the government introduced in the Dewan Ra’ayat for first reading the Education (Amendment) Bill, 1972 which will empower the Minister of Education to determine the date and way for abolishing school boards of management.
The Education (Amendment) Bill will be rushed through all stages of reading on a certificate of urgency next Monday, 10th January. This means that by Monday, in three days’ time, the death sentence will be passed on school boards of management.
The abolition of school boards of management is of special concern to Chinese schools, for the school boards of management had been the life-blood of Chinese education in Malaysia.
Through the decades, without the school boards of management, these would have not been a single Chinese school in Malaysia. Once the school boards of management are abolished, then the Chinese schools face a very uncertain future.
It is regrettable that the government, with full support of the MCA, is rushing through the Education (Amendment) Bill 1972 without giving educational organizations and public bodies concerned with education, particularly those with Chinese education, time to study, and discuss the bill, and formulate and express public opinion to guide Parliament in its deliberations.
All organizations which are closely concerned by the proposed abolition of school boards of management should meet in the next two days, and express in no uncertain terms by meeting throughout the country their disapproval of the Bill, and their disapprobation for the way in which such an important bill, and formulate and express public opinion to guide Parliament in its deliberations.
I would ask the Minister of Education to allow more time for the public and educational organizations concerned with this bill to study and make representations