Education Ministry recognises and supports vernacular schools, says Fadhlina

KUALA LANGAT: The Education Ministry is committed to acknowledging the existence of vernacular schools and supporting them, says its Minister Fadhlina Sidek.

She said it will continue to uphold and stand by the Education Act 1996 which recognises the establishment of such schools.

“This legislation recognises the schools, and we are committed to maintaining that stance in accordance with the law,” she said after visiting SK Saujana Putra here on Monday (March 11).

Fadhlina was responding to Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh’s call for a reassessment of the vernacular education system amid growing concerns over the lack of cohesion among the population.

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“We acknowledge those opinions, but currently, the ministry is focused on bolstering the Education Act," she said.

Meanwhile, pupils in states under Group B returned to class for the new school year on Monday.

Fadhlina said 3.6 million students from pre-school to Form Five started their school session today, including 927,528 in Selangor; while about 1.4 million in Group A started on Sunday (March 10).

Group A comprises Johor, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu, while the states in Group B are Selangor, Melaka, Negri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Penang, Sabah, Sarawak and the three Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya.