THE plan to cut education subsidies for wealthy children in Budget 2025 to assist poorer groups seems reasonable as it indicates the government’s efforts to ensure that targeted subsidies reach those who are genuinely in need, said MCA Youth.
However, its secretary-general Saw Yee Fung said this proposal requires thorough guidelines on its implementation to prevent unnecessary conflicts and controversies from erupting in society.
In noting that the current education system does not categorise schools based on household income, Saw expressed concern as to how Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim intends to define and execute the subsidy withdrawal for families determined to be “ultra rich”.
“Should the government allocate water and electricity tariff reliefs based on the incomes of families with children in each school, and then determine the specific proportion of the expenses to be borne by the respective family and the government?” she questioned in a statement.
“How will the government identify which families are ‘ultra-rich’ to revoke their subsidies? In the Klang Valley, would a T20 household income of RM15,000 monthly be considered wealthy?
“If the mere T5 and T1 are referred to as the top ultra rich families, how many of these families enrol their children in schools receiving government subsidies, instead of international schools? Isn’t the government’s move thus a redundant exercise?”
On Monday (Oct 1), Anwar said the government is examining the distribution of education subsidies to the people.
Anwar, who is also the finance minister, explained that the elite and wealthy currently enjoy subsidies in the education sector.
“As far as I understand, there are children of the rich who enjoy education facilities funded by the government, compared to children of the poor.
“What should we do? This form of leakage, including the children of those from the wealthiest groups going to secondary schools aided and highly subsidised by the government, should be stopped,” he said.
According to Saw, the essence of education should aim to bridge disparities among students, noting that the Education Ministry has moved away from classifying students based on grades since 2018 to prevent children from being labelled from an early age.
She also pointed out that using income to categorise students creates divisions between the “wealthy” and the “poor” which contradicts the spirit and essence of education.
“While acknowledging the government’s aspiration to assist vulnerable groups, the lack of details in yesterday’s announcement might foster resentment and ‘class envy’ sentiments,” she remarked.
“This could exacerbate social tensions and contravene the principle of education enabling inclusiveness.
“We understand the government’s challenges on financial allocation, but we must avoid adopting any anti-wealth sentiments in official discourse or policies.
Such attitudes can skewer society’s view of wealth as a ‘crime’, ultimately undermining social cohesion in the long run. The government wields a duty to promote fairness and justice, not to create new conflicts in society.” – Oct 2, 2024
Main image: Akhbar Rakyat
