KANOWIT: The government’s education blueprint contains many things that could benefit Chinese schools, said Second Finance Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh yesterday.

As such, he urged the people to study and understand the blueprint first before making comments.

“When the deputy prime minister announced the blueprint, many of the ingredients in the blueprint are our voices and proposals to the government. The government actually accepted our suggestions,” he said at the earth-breaking ceremony to construct new classrooms for SJK (C) Yee Ting in Kanowit.

“Many times, whenever the government has some views on education, before giving our own comments, we need to ask ourselves ‘Do I really understand the facts or the policy?’ and not just follow and accept what other people commented.”

Wong stressed that education should not be politicised or taken lightly because it would affect the education of future generations.

Wong, who is also Local Government and Community Development Minister and Bawang Assan assemblyman, said if people had anything to say about education, they should do it in a professional way, instead of getting too emotional about certain issues.

One of the hot issues was the merger of schools, which has become a great concern to the public, especially the Chinese community.

“I believe it is better to gather students together than to have the license revoked due to insufficient number of students.”

On SJK (C) Yee Ting, Wong promised to help get funds for the school.

“As an assemblyman, I allocate RM50,000 to the school. After this, I will communicate with the government to get more allocation from the federal and state government for the school (sic).”

Also present at the event were the school’s board of management chairman Kong Shian Yung, United Association of Chinese Primary Aided School Boards of Management Sibu and Kapit Division chairman Tiong Hock Kiang and Sibu Resident Sim Kok Kee.