Thursday, May 1, 2008

Pakatan Rakyat To Propose Policy On Free Preschool-Tertiary Education

May 01, 2008 23:27 PM

IPOH, May 1 (Bernama)

Pakatan Rakyat will propose to the government to introduce a policy on free education from preschool to tertiary level, said Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin.

He said such a policy would reduce the financial burden of parents.

"This matter will be raised by our Pakatan Rakyat member in the Dewan Rakyat. We will also explain to the people how they can get free education," he told reporters after officiating at a Workers Day celebration organised by the Perak branch of the National Union of Rubber Product Industry Workers, here, Thursday.

Mohammad Nizar disputed the government's present concept of free education, saying that parents were given the impression that education at the primary and secondary school levels were free while they actually had to pay various fees.

"The only fees that are free are the one at RM4.50 for primary schools and RM9 for secondary schools. These are small amounts but the whole world think that there's free education in Malaysia when it is not true," he said.

On another matter, Mohammad Nizar did not dismiss the possibility of the Perak government introducing a minimum wage policy as a pre-condition for investors to invest in the state if provided for by law.

He said such a policy had long been implemented in developed countries to protect workers.

Meanwhile, he said there were no candidates yet for the post of Perak Islamic Religious Department director after Datuk Jamry Sury was given a 24-hour transfer notice on Tuesday.

He, however, declined to comment on claims that Jamry had been asked by certain quarters not to issue any statement on the controversy.

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