“Mitra should empower Indians through science education”

THE Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra) has announced that RM39 mil will be allocated to assist the B40 Indians this year.This essentially means financially assisting undergraduate students, assisting Tamil kindergartens in Tamil schools and assisting kidney patients by subsidising the costs of dialysis.I am glad that Mitra has taken on the role of focusing on target groups rather than providing funds for the NGOs. It is not that some well-deserving NGOs should not be assisted, but the bulk of the RM100 mil budget should go to the poor and underprivileged target groups in the B40 category.It cannot be forgotten that Mitra went astray earlier by giving funds to some dubious NGOs in the name of assisting the poor category of Indians. The end result was that the funds were misappropriated by certain individuals for their own greedy and selfish ends. Some of them have been charged in court for the misappropriation of funds.I hope Mitra learns from her past pitfalls.Financial disbursements directly to target groups require a lot of work and preparation. Giving to NGOs is the easiest form of disbursement. It might be a simple and easy way to allocate funds to the hastily selected NGOs, but the pitfalls of such an administrative exercise are well known.

The end result will mean only connected individuals and organisations will benefit in the name of assisting the Indian community.As I have remarked in my other articles on Mitra, the budget of RM100 mil is a drop in the ocean for the Indian community.

Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy

However, Mitra’s first task is to ensure that the RM100 mil is well spent in terms of benefiting the Indian poor.Only then can it convince the government and the Indian public that the Indian community needs more than the meagre RM100 mil. It serves no purpose to ask for additional funds, at least for the time being, if the RM100 mil allocated is not judiciously spent.It is alright to say that Mitra is going to assist the three categories of recipients mentioned above.But the public needs details, as the devil is in them.Hopefully, Mitra will provide additional details about the potential recipients, the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and others regarding the disbursements of funds. Yes, poor Indian students in tertiary education need financial assistance.The one-time assistance might help them.Hopefully, Mitra does not become too engrossed in assisting students in tertiary institutions to the neglect of students pursuing certificate and diploma courses, especially in talent acquisition.Mitra should realise that, given the talent crunch in the country, it is best to equip students with qualifications in computer science, technology, and information technology.The duration is short, but nonetheless, it prepares students for the right and challenging jobs in the private sector. Gone are the days of preoccupation with merely tertiary credentials.Pre-school or kindergarten education is essential for the survival of Tamil schools in the country, especially those with low enrollment.While kindergartens registered with the education ministry are growing, private kindergartens both on the Tamil schools premises and outside are providing excellent service in supplying students to Tamil schools.Without the function of kindergartens, many Tamil schools might face a decline in student population.In this regard, Mitra should not become overly fixated on the so-called government-registered kindergartens.It should assist hundreds and thousands of kindergartens in the country that mostly operate outside the Tamil school system.In Penang, the state government has given importance to these private kindergartens by providing yearly financial allocations. Mitra must exercise care and caution in the disbursement of financial allocations to the identified target groups.It must move away from providing the bulk of financial assistance to NGOs that have been ostensibly set up to assist the poor segment of the Indian community.However, Mitra’s unpleasant experience in the past with the NGOs must be avoided.Rather than blindly supporting the Indian poor, the financial needs of the community must be predicated on the need to empower them through education with an emphasis on science, technology, engineering and mathematics. — May 6, 2023

 

Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is the DAP state assemblyman for Perai. He is also Deputy Chief Minister II of Penang.

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.

 

Main photo credit: cilisos.my

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