Martin Stephen Jalleh wrote:
PM tries to fool a studentA "Love Your Country" programme was held
at the Sekolah Bestari Putrajaya recently.Form Four and Lower Six secondary students
were selected to participate in the programme,
where the PM was the honoured guest
(NST, 9.11.2000) .A student (probably one of those who loves
the country enough to give officials a "slip"
from "selected" questions) commented:
"...it seems that the Government spends
more on education in urban areas than in
rurual areas."The PM responded by saying that the
Government "was not neglecting rural
people."Alas, if only he would ask his deputy, and
Badawi, who was in Miri recently, would be
able to tell him how " alarmed (he was) by
the extent of the problems affecting rural
education in Sabah and Sarawak" (Star,
19.9.2000)Surely, he would have seen and heard Deputy
Education Datuk Hon Choon KIm, on closed
circuit TV, revealing in Parliament that
* 701 schools in Sarawak are without pipied water
* 444 schools use generators for electriciry supply
* 61 do not even have generators (Sun, 2.3.2000)If only the PM would consult the Sabah Government
Teachers Union, and its president Mohd Yusof Mataim
would enlighten him on the plight of children from
at least 1,000 kampungs in the state who are without
proper shelter at their schools and are therefore unable
to continue their education (Star, 12.2.2000).What about the orang asli "On the fringes
of Kuala Lumpur, lie pockets of orang asli
children who do not have access to even the basic
facilities -- water supply and electricity, let alone
to education." (Star5.3.2000)What about the 520 Tamil schools in the
country, most of which, according to Samy
Vellu, are in a deplorable condition and lack
basic necessities such as tables and chairs.
200 of these schools face closure.(NST,
30.10.2000)The PM also said that "rural school children
who show potential are assisted and encouraged
to move to schools where they can enjoy better
facilities, such as those foiund in Smart Schools."How does one discover one's potential when
the most basic is lacking, and for many, there is no
school to go to ?The PM also said "...of all sectors, the Government
allocated the biggest amount to education, while
30 per cent of civil servants are teachers."He failed to mention that the bulk of the teaching
profession are in the urban rather than the rural areas,
and, according to Badawi, some 3,500 teachers'
quarters in Sabah and Sarawak have been identified
as being in "bad shape".Alas, when the Prime Minister of this country does
not tell the truth in the presence of a group of
students, what future has this country?(Martin Jalleh, 10.11.2000)
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