PETALING JAYA: The Cabinet has decided that it will consider allowing vernacular schools to receive funds through its board of directors and foundations, including from activities involving alcohol brands.
The stand has been the practice of several administrations without dispute, the Education Ministry added in a statement.
“However, the Cabinet has stressed that activities involving alcoholic brands must not include Muslim students,” it said.
The ministry also said the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday has agreed to uphold existing guidelines that prohibit fund donation activities that display and promote alcohol on school premises.
The statement was issued yesterday in response to the furore involving a charity concert and dinner held at SJK(C) Tche Min in Sungai Pelek, Sepang, Selangor, on July 14.
The event was in aid of the construction of a hall for the school.
Controversy erupted when PAS took issue with the presence of Sepang MP Datuk Aiman Athirah Sabu at the fundraising event. She appeared on stage with several others behind a RM3mil mock cheque bearing the logo of a beer company.
PAS alleged that it was “normalising” alcohol consumption.
On Tuesday, the Education Ministry said it was investigating the incident and reminded schools to follow the existing 2018 guidelines, which state that donations in schools cannot involve proceeds from gambling, cigarettes, drugs and alcohol.
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek also said the ministry would not review or grant exemptions from these donation guidelines, even for vernacular schools.
The issue has since received mixed views, with some saying that having a fair allocation system for all government schools would remove the need for some schools to raise funds on their own.
Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming defended Aiman Athirah, his deputy, for her presence at the event.
He pointed out that such fundraisers have been held since 1984 and had raised a significant amount in support of Chinese primary education over the decades.
He slammed PAS for resorting to its “outdated and conservative” approach that went against the “harmonious, multicultural fabric of our society”.
