KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 — The government allocation for mission schools in the country has since been clarified as having been disbursed to state education departments, following an initial outcry over its supposed disappearance.
The Federation of Christian Mission Schools (FCMSM) said a meeting had been called on Monday to explain the RM1.2 million out of RM50 million allocation which was set aside during Budget 2020 last year.
Its chairman Moey Yoke Lai said Deputy Education Minister I Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon informed the federation that instead of directly channelling the funds to the schools, it had instead been sent to the respective state education departments as their responsibility.
“We were told that according to the post-Cabinet meeting held on November 1, 2019, it was decided the application and distribution of these monies shall be managed by the ministry’s Asset Management Division,” she said in a statement.
Moey added the division would then authorise the state education departments to determine the amounts to be given on a project-based distribution, without having the school boards handle the monies.
She said on May 13, Dr Mah had met with herself, FCMSM general-secretary Tay Choon Neo and exco member Khor Hong Yin for a discussion, where he was told that for the past decade, government allocations to mission schools have been sent to their respective board of governors, with FCMSM providing consistent monthly reports about its usage to the ministry.
“The deputy minister recognised the contribution and role of the board of governors, and directed his officers to revert to the original method of depositing the RM50 million fund into the Board accounts.
“The federation is grateful to him for this reversal and we look forward to receiving the allocation from the ministry. Regarding the RM1.2 million given to the state education departments, we were informed this money has been given to some of the government-aided mission schools and some government schools,” Moey said, adding that the money has not gone missing as initially feared.
On Monday, it was reported that Khor sounded the alarm over the missing funds, when he claimed that all 438 government-aided missionary schools have not received any of the funds, or been otherwise approached by any contractor for maintenance works.
