Of schools, hostels and tight budget

FEB 3 – I first heard about it a couple of weeks ago from a friend who said a friend told him so. Since it cannot be “independently verified”, I dismissed it as rumour and hearsay. That was until last week when I heard about it again.

This time, it was on the radio. You know, those shows on which the presenter or announcer or DJ (they are known by many designations) take a hot current topic and ask listeners to phone in and comment?

The topic that day was “excellent” or “high performance” schools, a new concept unveiled by our DPM cum Education Minister recently.

After the few early callers, a lady who was put on air. But instead of commenting on the topic she went on to say that her children who were studying in a boarding school have been told to go home every weekend. Reason being, the school (which she did not name) could no longer provide meals for the students during weekends.

Apparently, the days of giving hostel students meals seven days a week are gone. Why? Well the lady claimed she was told that the school’s annual budget had been slashed. Meaning the school is running on less money.

For some “hostelites”, going home every weekend is not only troublesome but costly as well. It is a burden on the parents, too. Fetching their children from hostel every Friday and sending them back every Sunday is also troublesome and costly .

The lady caller is one such affected parent. Hence, her tirade on live radio to vent her anger at the government and calling the authorities to be “fair” and “sensitive” towards the plight of the not-so-well-to-do folk. It was quite an earful for the poor radio presenter, who could only muster a “huh huh, ya ya” and a quick “thank you for your comment” routine before gladly taking other calls.

But it did not stop there. Several calls later, another listener called in to say that at the hostel his son was staying, students now had to do group study sessions in the canteen. They used to study in classrooms but not anymore. The lights in the classrooms are now switched off. Reason? Apparently to save on electricity bills, i.e., cut costs, i.e., austerity drive.

Again, the caller did not name the school. Again, the allegation could not be “independently verified”. As such it remained “allegation.”

But then, such “allegations” were hurled about publicly over live radio! Surely, the callers wouldn’t have been “that bold” and “that brave” if they were not telling the truth? Would they? I left it at that.

Over the weekend I bumped into an acquaintance who happened to be a hostel warden. He is a school teacher but, as warden, he is additionally tasked with looking after the well-being and security of students staying in his school’s hostel.

I asked him if it was true that students are now required to go home on weekends.

“Yes,” he said. Initially, all students were instructed to leave for home on weekends, he added, but the ministry then decided the go-home move could not be made mandatory. So students are “advised’ to go home on weekends. Most students do so, he said. Wonder why?

“Why this ‘nasihat’?” I asked. Why has it come to this?

“No money” was his reply. Well, not exactly “no money” but, rather, limited funds. Put simply schools are operating on tight budget.

I couldn’t help but ask, “how come?” What happened to the allocated funds, the “peruntukkan”?

In January, the Education ministry dropped a bombshell by slashing the annual budget for school sports, from the usual annual allocation of RM6 million to RM1.5 million. Eleven sports, including squash and bowling, were axed from the Malaysian Schools Sports Council calendar.

Need we be reminded that squash and bowing had given Malaysia world champions? What  happened to “we want our students to excel in sports as well as academic pursuits” and “education must be wholesome”?

Parents, coaches, teachers, students – many people are angry. Rightly so. The consequences of the  budget cut are dire and many. We all know it, all too well. There’s no need to repeat ourselves. Suffice for me to ask again: “How come?” Why no money?

Then, there’s the 2008 Auditor General’s report highlighted by The Malay Mail recently. The AG report said the Education Ministry paid RM250 for each of six peacock flowers for a school. The market price for the plant is RM30.

The report went on to reveal the ministry had spent RM57,493 for the supply, sowing, gardening and maintenance of flowers and trees for the same school – 880 per cent higher than the most expensive quote available from local nurseries.

And it was reported also that the ministry had replaced doors in two schools at prices 56 per cent to 64 per cent higher than figures quoted by the Works Ministry.

Then there was the RM480 paid for a door when the Works Ministry quoted RM272.70.

There are more examples, of course. But enough said, lest our hearts ache further.

But I ask – why the big spending? How come there’s money to spend?

Anyway, now we know which are the top 20 schools in the country. And we are hearing grouses from many – complaints of unfairness, the absence of a level playing field for schools, etc. Again there’s no need to repeat the arguments .Suffice to say it’s all justified.

But there’s a need to remind ourselves that the ministry wants to give a lump sum grant of “something to the tune of RM1 million” to every high performance school.

So I ask – where’s the money coming from? With all the cost cutting, austerity drive, slashed budget, limited funds for schools, I hope it’s not a case of robbing Ahmad to give Ali.

* The views written here are the personal opinion of the columnist.