All it takes is one sibling making it

KULIM: All it takes is for at least one member of every family in Malaysia to attain a high level of education, and the quality of life for the family as a whole will increase by leaps and bounds.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said ensuring free basic education for every Malaysian child would enable those who are capable to attain a high level of education and eventually lift the socio-economic status of their families.

He said the New Economic Policy launched by his father and ex-prime minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein in the 1970s, had been dedicated to eradicating hardcore and relative poverty in the country.

The next step, he said, was to focus on the B40 group, or the 40% of Malaysians from households with an income below RM3,050 a month.

“Aid such as BR1M or social welfare will only give temporary relief. It is more important to give the families’ children free and high quality education, so that they can upgrade themselves,” he told over 3,000 members of the Indian community at Paya Besar here.

Najib was here yesterday to open the 524th Tamil vernacular school in the country, SJKT Ko. Sarangga­bani.The school was formerly known as SJKT Paya Besar.

He had approved the RM13mil needed to build the school for 452 pupils with 12 classrooms and other facilities in 2013.

School pro-tem board chairman R. Amaiappan said the school’s name was derived from Tamil education activist Thamizhavel G. Sarangapani, who was a popular community leader in the 1950s in Singapore and Malaya.

“He was a journalist, writer and publisher, who founded the Tamils Reform Association,” he added.

Najib said he had recently visited Sarawak and was briefed on 170 schools there which are in urgent need of funds.

“We have a big plan to cover all areas for all communities. Our promises are not empty. We deliver,” he said to applause from the audience.

Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahadzir Khalid said in his speech there were 10,191 schools nationwide with 430,000 teachers.

“We will strive to ensure that by 2020, 100% of Malaysian children will enjoy free basic education as laid out in the National Education Blueprint,” he said.

MIC president Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said about RM760mil had been allocated to develop Tamil schools since Najib took over as Prime Minister in 2010.

“This has benefited all 524 Tamil schools. Six more Tamil vernacular schools are to be built after this. They are in Taman Keladi, Sungai Petani; in Heawood Estate, Sungai Siput, Perak; in Taman Sentosa, Klang; in Bandar Mahkota, Cheras; in PJS1, Petaling Jaya; and Bandar Seri Alam, Johor.

Among those present at the ceremony were Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah, state Speaker Datuk Md Rozai Sapian and Deputy Education Minister Datuk P. Kamalanathan.