THE government’s unfair distribution of laptops, which has largely left out the Tamil schools (SJKT), is a great disservice to the concept of “Keluarga Malaysia”, Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching said.

The former deputy education minister said only six of 527 SJKT schools received laptops from the government, according to the Education Ministry.

She said SJKT schools received only 406 of the total 150,000 laptops that were handed out.

There are 4.7 million students in the country, she said, and 80,500, or 1.7% of them attend the SJKTs.

However, only 0.27% of SJKT students benefitted from the laptop distribution programme, which incidentally, was also delayed, Teo said in a statement today.

Teo called the disparity a “clear mark of discrimination” especially when it is well known that the Indian community is economically disadvantaged and a large number of B40 Indian students study in SJKT.

“I will classify this as a vast injustice to the Indian community and such discriminatory distribution of essential devices for educational purposes in times of a pandemic should never happen,” she said.

“The manner in which these laptops were distributed is not a tested method in fairness and equity and will not pass the test of equitable distribution of essential aid.”

Last year Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz announced in his Budget 2021 speech that 150,000 laptops will be distributed to B40 students in February.

She said while the education system is based on the premise that everyone should have meaningful access to education and no child should be left behind, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s government is not shy of neglecting this basic principle of education and governance.

“The current government’s acts and principles do not reflect the spirit of Keluarga Malaysia as claimed by the prime minister,” she said.

“The interests and needs of SJKT have been severely neglected and (the distribution of laptops) is a far cry from the ideal concept of fairness that a family would have,” she said.

Teo reminded Putrajaya that it had already reduced the special maintenance allowance for SJKT schools from RM50 million to RM28.9 million.

“This indicates and reflects how the government of the day prioritises education for the Indian community and to me it looks as if the government does not care for the needs of children from the minority community,” she said.

Teo urged the Education Minister to redress the situation immediately.

“A true Malaysian will fight for Malay, Chinese and Indians. A true ‘Ahli Keluarga Malaysia’ will strive to serve all races.”

The six Tamil schools that have benefitted from the government laptop distribution campaign are SJKT Taman Tun Aminah, which received 215 of the devices, SJKT LDG Temiang Rencong (11), SJKT LDG Chembong (21), SJKT Bharathi (46), SJKT Mahatma Gandhi Kalasalai (75), and SJKT Teluk Merbau (38). – October 8, 2021.