PETALING JAYA: A total of RM200mil has been allocated for the Chinese community.

       Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz said the purpose of the allocation was meant for, among others, the development and upgrading of Chinese new villages, as well as financing schemes for the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the community.

       Apart from the Chinese community, he said that RM145mil has been allocated for socio-economic programmes to uplift the Indian community.

       “Among others, the allocation is meant for the implementation of programmes to strengthen the community’s social economy through Tekun Nasional – the National Entrepreneurial Group Economic Fund, under the Indian Entrepreneurs Development Scheme,” he said.

       Another RM274mil has also been allocated to deliver various cost of living aid to 200,000 Orang Asli.

       Tengku Zafrul also announced that RM120mil has been allocated for 1,800 Tamil and Chinese vernacular schools in the country.

       Educationists and parent-teacher associations lauded the allocation provided for vernacular and dilapidated schools.

       Former National Union of the Teaching Profession secretary-general Datuk N. Siva Subramaniam welcomed these allocations but he cautioned that contractors must carry out proper work and ensure that work was completed on time.

       “Contracts must be fairly distributed and projects must be supervised and completed without delay.

       “School heads must ensure proper checks and brief the school’s parent-teacher association (PTA) on the progress of the work.

       “Allocating funds is one thing but we must also identify the schools that are in need as it is not about getting the biggest slice of the pie,” he added.

       SJK(T) Telok Panglima Garang PTA deputy chairman Kamalanathan Chellappan said the association welcomed the effort.

       He emphasised that the government must continue to pay attention to school infrastructure as most schools in the country were more than three decades old.

       The 44-year-old school recently had one of its roofs cave in.

       Agreeing, SJK(C) Kota Emerald, Rawang PTA vice-chairman Ian Chooi said he hoped the allocation for vernacular and dilapidated schools would be distributed equally.