KOTA KINABALU: Minister of Special Tasks Datuk Teo Chee Kang hopes that Chinese political parties and Chinese education organizations will work together to turn SK Api-Api into a Chinese primary school.
Teo said he would gather the relevant organizations and Chinese party leaders under Barisan Nasional (BN) to form a committee to handle this matter.
The setting up of a committee to look into the application to turn SK Api-Api into a Chinese school was suggested by The Association of Sabah National Type Chinese School Management Committee (Sabah Dong Lian). The proposal was raised during a courtesy call on Teo by Sabah Dong Lian members led by its chairman, Ben Lim Kiat Kong, here yesterday.
Lim also hoped that Teo would lead the committee.
“I will take the initiative to gather (the relevant parties).
“As to who leads the committee, that will be decided in the meeting,” he said to the media after the courtesy call, adding that the committee would be set up as soon as possible.
Teo said Chinese political parties and education associations would need to work together in this matter as the associations could provide information and statistics while political parties could bring the issue up to the government.
Meanwhile, Lim informed that the percentage of bumiputra students in the 10 Chinese primary schools in Kota Kinabalu had increased from 27 per cent in 2009 to 33 per cent this year.
He said more non-Chinese parents were sending their children to Chinese primary schools to learn Mandarin.
However, many of the Chinese schools in the city are overcrowded.
Lim said an average class at SJK(C) Shan Tao had around 55 students, while the ideal student number per class is 35.
On the other hand, the student number at Sekolah Kebangsaan maintained at 35 per class, he said.
Hence, Lim said an additional Chinese primary school in Kota Kinabalu would not only benefit Chinese students, but bumiputra students as well.