KOTA KINABALU: The Education Ministry must refrain from imposing a 30% Bumiputera equity quota on existing tuition centres in Sabah, says Parti Warisan vice president Datuk Junz Wong.
Wong warned that forcing established education providers to restructure their equity, management, and ownership arrangements would disrupt long-standing family-run businesses and undermine the quality of local education.
He urged the ministry to immediately clarify whether centres failing to meet the threshold would be denied licence renewals starting in 2027.
“The focus should be on whether teachers are qualified, students are safe, and centres comply with regulations, not on the ethnic composition of the company's shareholders,” the Tanjung Aru assemblyman said in a statement on Saturday (Sept 19).
Wong stressed that federal policies must accommodate Sabah’s distinct demographic landscape, warning that applying blanket equity requirements without clear regional guidelines raises serious concerns for local operators.
While supporting broader efforts to increase Bumiputera economic participation, Wong argued that forced corporate restructuring is the wrong approach for the education sector. Instead, he called on the government to assist operators through teacher development programs, performance incentives, and regulatory support.
“Tuition centres should be judged by the quality of education they provide, not by the race of those who own them,” Wong said.
