AFTER six days of controversy, the Education Ministry (MOE) seemed to U-turn on the issue of tuition centres needing 30% Bumiputera ownership.
This pullback occurred on Sept 21 after it had first been raised by Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung on Sept 15.
Why did Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek allow anger to simmer for six days before quenching it?
It’s one thing to insist on Bumi shares for big companies. But to demand 30% of small tuition centres, close to the community, struck a raw nerve.
Scholar Sharifah Munirah Alatas described such policy as “absurd” given it would racialise education while failing to focus on improving teaching.
The Melaka Action Group for Parents in Education (MAGPIE) commented, “Is it unfair for existing businesses – some of which have operated successfully for decade – to surrender 30% of their ownership?”
“These entrepreneurs invested their own money, took risks, employed teachers and built their centres from the ground up,” asserted its president Mak Chee Kin.
When I posted about this on my social media, one commenter joked, “My business is struggling. Can I get a Bumi partner to inject 30% shares?”
How far will “wealth sharing” go? Ex-banker JK Joseph asked if gyms, music schools and yoga centres would be next.
Datuk P. Kamalanathan, the former deputy education minister from MIC contended that the rule would create more unproductive Ali Baba “sleeping partners” rather than improve education.
Henceforth, if these centres close or raise fees due to extra share restructuring costs, they will lose access first.
I would add that the tuition business could simply go online or into homes. Shops would lose rentals, some teaching staff would lose jobs while surrounding eateries would lose customers.
Lawyer-activist Siti Kasim suggested that rather than taking part of other people’s hard-earned success, the government should help Bumi entrepreneurs to set up their own tuition centres with loans and training. Authorities should also subsidise tuition centres to help B40 pupils.
In other words, the government should do many mini-MARA Digital Malls – for tuition.
Political football
This Bumi equity rule is contentious and it soon became political football. On Sept 20 MOE indirectly blamed UMNO for introducing it 20 years ago and said the cabinet would “review” it.
The day after, it was reported that MOE had either “relaxed” or “cancelled” the 30% requirement after “discussions” with the Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry (MITI).
The turmoil continued on Sept 22 when MITI said it had “no information” on the alleged pull back and added that bumi share issues are under the Economy Ministry.
Was MOE misleading the public? Or was MITI wrong? The situation is uncertain. If the rule has been merely “relaxed”, will it be “tightened” later? Thus, Kamalanathan urged MOE to issue a written confirmation to clarify matters.
But the question remains: Why did Fadhlina wait six days to douse the simmering anger? This affected both the reputation of her Ministry and PKR.
Why was this policy defrosted after 20 years in cold storage? Was it to allow certain quarters to get shares of thriving tuition centres – before PKR loses the elections?
This may seem like a cynical view but the Madani government has been clouded by misconduct such as the alleged MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) corporate mafia scandal.
Rather than waiting for the political damage to build up, Fadhlina should have quickly quenched the embers of discontent by announcing that MOE would not implement the policy.
Instead, she kicked the hot potato over to the Cabinet and MITI which then bounced it over to the Economy Ministry. This is the classic bureaucratic ball game.
School problems
The PKR women’s wing chief was allegedly appointed not due to ability but because of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s close ties to her father Prof Datuk Siddiq Fadzil during his days in Islamic youth activism at ABIM.
Apparently, two months into her tenure as minister, she made the shocking statement that Malaysian education was “on par” with Singapore and Japan.
In October 2025, Education Director-General Datuk Dr Mohd Azam Ahmad admitted that sexual harassment and bullying cases in schools were being “swept under the carpet” but Fadhlina downplayed this.
But soon Anwar himself raised the issue, citing an alleged gang rape by several Malacca pupils. Fadhlina’s rapid response to placate her boss was to introduce “Pendidikan Karakter” (Character Education) on top of the ineffective Moral Education subject.
Surely PMX could have found a more capable person for a crucial Ministry affecting millions of students?
Insulting capable Bumi educators
Of course, the infamous doctor provoker from Melaka attacked the MOE for scrapping the 30% rule, implying that Putrajaya is taking advantage of infighting among Malays to erode Bumi rights.
Actually, he and his supporters are insulting capable Malays. Nowadays, there are celebrity teachers online like Fathi Hussein (called Sir Fathi) who has added humour to Mathematics.
Ahmad Shahrul Azhan (Sir Asai) teaches English by asking his online pupils to pronounce tricky words, making millions laugh. In 2023, he was chosen as Best Educator at the TikTok Awards Malaysia.
They have huge online followings, as do others like Iqbal Ahyar and Saliza Ibrahim (Cikgu Zack) who turn science and Bahasa Malaysia into fun learning.
In reality, the dispute over shophouse tuition centres is getting outdated as platforms like MCPlus are doing loads of online tuition.
The 30% Bumi quota rule is part of the New Economic Policy (NEP) that was supposed to end in 1990. It has become the “Never Ending Policy” and a lightning rod for non-Malay anger.
But actually, it’s less about race and more about elite greed. Political cronies grab wealth – while poor Malays struggle to survive as Grab Food riders, hawkers, farmers etc
How do I know this? Well, back in April 2007, Anwar thundered that the NEP had been “hijacked” to enrich the UMNO elite as shameless “daylight robbery”.
“A chosen few allocate to themselves its fruits and deal out the crumbs to the rest,” he added.
The attempted grabbing of shares in tuition centres almost happened but was probably aborted after the uproar. But it has tarnished the Reformasi karakter of PKR and Pakatan Harapan (PH)
The solution is simple – help the poor of ALL races rather than the elite with cables. The poor Bumi majority will get the majority of aid but don’t forget struggling Indians and Chinese, too.
Cronies should stop preying on successful businesses. If politicians can’t help, at least leave them alone to boost education, jobs and the economy. – Sept 24, 2026
Former The Star environmental editor Andrew Sia is now a Malaysiakini columnist and political commentator.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main image credit: Luke Skytalker in Kelab Penyokong Apek Cina/Facebook
