GEORGE TOWN: It has been almost four months since he took office and Deputy Chief Minister II Dr P. Ramasamy is unhappy that he has been invited to only two of the 28 Tamils schools in Penang.
“I am in a position to help, but I can’t if the schools do not seek me out,” he said. “If I am not invited, how then am I going to find out about their problems and help them?” he asked.
Dr Ramasamy alleged that there seemed to be an “unwritten rule” that state exco members in charge of Tamil schools should not be invited to the schools as they were under the Federal Government’s purview.
The two schools Dr Ramasamy had visited so far were in Prai and Batu Kawan, of which he is assemblyman and MP respectively.
The visit to the Prai Tamil school was at the invitation of its parent-teacher association while the second was on a Saturday, not during school hours.
Dr Ramasamy, who is state Economic Planning, Education, Human Resources, Science, Technology and Innovation Committee chairman, said one of the biggest problems at Tamil schools was the lack of land and space.
He said he could help the schools overcome these if he was given a chance.
Meanwhile, a state education department spokesman said there was no such “unwritten rule”.
“We do not know why the Tamil schools are not inviting Dr Ramasamy,” said the spokesman, adding that schools were required to write to the department if they sought to invite state government leaders, including the Deputy Chief Minister, exco members and assemblymen.
He added that it was the prerogative of the schools to invite such leaders.
“I am in a position to help, but I can’t if the schools do not seek me out,” he said. “If I am not invited, how then am I going to find out about their problems and help them?” he asked.
Dr Ramasamy alleged that there seemed to be an “unwritten rule” that state exco members in charge of Tamil schools should not be invited to the schools as they were under the Federal Government’s purview.
The two schools Dr Ramasamy had visited so far were in Prai and Batu Kawan, of which he is assemblyman and MP respectively.
The visit to the Prai Tamil school was at the invitation of its parent-teacher association while the second was on a Saturday, not during school hours.
Dr Ramasamy, who is state Economic Planning, Education, Human Resources, Science, Technology and Innovation Committee chairman, said one of the biggest problems at Tamil schools was the lack of land and space.
He said he could help the schools overcome these if he was given a chance.
Meanwhile, a state education department spokesman said there was no such “unwritten rule”.
“We do not know why the Tamil schools are not inviting Dr Ramasamy,” said the spokesman, adding that schools were required to write to the department if they sought to invite state government leaders, including the Deputy Chief Minister, exco members and assemblymen.
He added that it was the prerogative of the schools to invite such leaders.
Source from thestar
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