PUTRAJAYA, Sept 28 – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak indicated today a possible increase in government allocation for Tamil schools despite having already allocated a staggering RM100 million under his second stimulus package programme for this purpose.
Najib also announced the development of a multi-racial hostel for secondary students in the Klang Valley area in a bid to foster better racial integration as part of his 1 Malaysia concept.
The decision appears to be part of with Najib’s ongoing effort to win back for the Barisan Nasional (BN) the lost support from the Indian community.
Speaking at a press conference held after chairing a Cabinet committee meeting on the Indian community here, Najib said the Tamil schools allocation had been temporarily stalled to give way for a revision due to the increase in cost.
“The cost of each classroom has increased to RM125,000 from what was originally estimated, the relevant ministries have been asked to look into this,” said Najib.
On other matters discussed during today’s meeting, Najib said the government’s quest to provide better education and employment opportunities is right on track.
The percentage of Indians working in the public sector and government-linked companies have significantly increased and efforts have been undertaken to transform the Indian community into a pool of skilled labourers and be commercially driven.
Some 2,600 Indians have been trained in various fields like aircraft maintenance by the Human Resources Ministry, said Najib, adding that the government had also taken measures to ensure small commercial loans and government contracts are accessible.
Currently there are more than a thousand Indians or four per cent of the total number, employed in the public sector ,but the government will do its best to meet its seven per cent target in the near future, he said.
On the education front, Najib said more and more Indian students are also receiving government scholarships.
The government, said Najib, will continue to monitor the progress of these programmes closely in order to ensure its success.
Present at the press conference today were several MIC leaders, including president Datuk Seri Samy Vellu.
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