INSTALLING closed-circuit television (CCTV) in schools and distributing Jalur Gemilang badges are not a “zero-sum game”, says Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh.
He told the Dewan Rakyat that the funding initiative does not come at the expense of the other, and it was unfair to make such comparisons between the two different initiatives.
“I hope no MPs will question the Education Ministry’s initiative to distribute these Jalur Gemilang last April to foster patriotism.
“As I have emphasised many times before, these initiatives are not a zero-sum game. Implementing one initiative does not mean neglecting others.
“Carrying out one programme with allocated funds does not mean other allocations are ignored,” he said in reply to a supplementary question from Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim (PN-Arau), who asked the Education Ministry why it allocated almost RM9mil for the Jalur Gemilang badges for students compared to only RM3mil to install CCTV at schools to curb bullying cases.
“Does the ministry believe that more schools need CCTV, and shouldn’t we allocate more money for it?
“If we can spend almost RM9mil to procure Jalur Gemilang badges, why can’t we allocate more for CCTV, which addresses the root of the problem?” asked Shahidan.
To this, Wong said that a total of RM3mil has already been allocated for 200 schools to instal CCTV.
“Perhaps you may have missed it, but the government has also announced an additional RM5mil to instal CCTV in 333 schools nationwide. This effort will continue for the welfare and benefit of our children.”
Wong added that the CCTV recordings are stored according to existing standards, for at least 30 days, and access is strictly managed.
“Guidelines covering supply, installation, access and overall administration of CCTV systems have been issued by the ministry to ensure both security and privacy are protected.”
Wong said the procurement process is conducted openly through the eProcurement system, guided by a Treasury circular, which sets the value limits and adheres to existing procedures.
“The procurement process is carried out by the state education departments, district education offices (PPD), or individual schools, depending on the situation.”
Wong added that to date, 149 out of 200 schools have completed CCTV installation, achieving a current progress rate of 75%.
