BN Committed To Ensuring Mission Schools Stay - Muhyiddin

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the Barisan Nasional (BN) was committed to ensuring that mission schools remained as part of the national mainstream education structure.

He said it was among the pledges made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in the BN manifesto, which also guaranteed financial assistance for the schools in the government's annual budget.

"We will support the mission schools not only in terms of manpower but also in ensuring that their quality of education is equal to if not better than other schools. This is BN's commitment," said Muhyiddin who is also education minister.

During a meeting with mission school teachers in Sarawak and presentation of special funds for mission schools at SK Garland, Padawan, here, today, he said RM100 million was set aside for mission schools in the 2013 Budget, which included RM31 million for 127 such schools in Sarawak.

Muhyiddin said the government and education ministry had never neglected the 12,549 teachers in the country including 1,930 in Sarawak. Meanwhile, he acknowledged the contribution of the founders of the mission schools, "which were established more than 100 years ago, even before this country achieved independence, with their respective ethos and uniqueness".

He noted that their endeavour to build the schools not only in Sarawak and Sabah but also in the peninsula, had produced many notable public figures.

According to him, there are 10 mission schools throughout the country with a student population of 217,056, including the 43,384 in 127 (114 primary and 13 secondary) mission schools in Sarawak.