OCT 30 — Almost a week after the 2016 Budget was tabled in Dewan Rakyat, the public are still wondering whom this “Prospering the People” budget will actually benefit.

And most definitely the word “prospering” is nowhere within reach for Chinese primary schools, national-type secondary schools and independent Chinese high schools.

The government will only make a modest RM500 million allocation for the maintenance and equipment expenses for schools nationwide. This amount is not only RM300 million short of this year’s allocation, but the humble sum is to be split among national, Chinese, Indian primary schools, missionary and government-sponsored religious schools, full-boarding schools, MARA Junior Science College, People’s Religious Schools and national-type secondary schools.

To make things worse, the government has never specified the exact quotas for various types of schools, and this has triggered tremendous concerns over unfair distribution of limited financial resources.

Given the non-transparent distribution of education allocation in past years, it is difficult for the Chinese community in this country to speculate on the actual amount Chinese primary schools and national-type secondary schools will ever get next year.

It has been shown that the allocation for these two types of schools has been dwindling over the years. In 2014, Chinese primary schools received a total of RM100 million, halved to RM50 million in 2015. It is not that hard to believe that the amount set aside for Chinese primary schools will not be more than RM50 million out of the slashed RM500 million total for next year.

Such unfair distribution of financial resources only serves to prove one thing that the government has largely sidelined Chinese education in the country.

Even the RM50 million for 2015 is never enough to cover the overall expenses for some 1,297 Chinese primary schools in the country. Weirdly, with only two months to go before the year comes to a close, the RM50 million pledged to Chinese primary schools is still nowhere in sight. Many schools have not received a cent from the government and some have not even received their 2014 share yet.

Similarly, national-type secondary schools also have yet to receive the RM25 million allocation they should get under 2015 Budget.

What is the matter actually? Where has the money gone?

The education ministry says the treasury has only released RM20 million and they will only release the money to Chinese primary schools after they have received the balance RM30 million from the treasury.

Nonetheless, the finance ministry claims that it has released all the allocation for schools of different language streams, and is not owing anyone anything now.

As both the finance and education ministries are tying to evade their own responsibilities, the question remains: Where is the RM30 million for Chinese primary schools and RM25 million for national-type schools?

The disappearance of pubic funds is a very serious problem that is poised to tarnish the government’s reputation and image if no investigation is initiated or explanation offered.

This is a question very much bigger than mere “miscommunication” between two ministries.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Malay Mail Online.