THE government has assured that it will not close Tamil National Type Schools (SJKT) and Chinese National Type Schools (SJKC).
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the commitment was in line with the provisions in the Education Act, besides stressing that the public need not worry or be influenced by allegations to the contrary.
"The MADANI government will not close SJKT and SJKC. We will defend both schools as stipulated in the Education Act. So, do not be afraid, do not worry and do not be influenced by the sentiments in question," she said.
She said this at the Kalvi Yutham 2026 programme organised by the Sri Murugan Centre (SMC) at Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Tamil) Castlefield, Puchong, today.
Fadhlina said she was committed to holding a meeting with the SJKT Headmasters' Association twice a year to resolve outstanding issues, including school maintenance and relocation.
"All these issues need to be resolved while the current government still has a mandate," she said.
At the same time, Fadhlina reminded Education Department officers not to only focus on national schools when conducting visits.
"SJKC is our school, SJKT is also our school. Chinese children, Indian children and Malay children are all our children," she said.
Commenting on other issues, Fadhlina said the Malaysian Examinations Board had been instructed to examine and improve the Moral Education subject following concerns from the Indian community regarding the marking system.
Regarding opportunities for the matriculation programme, Fadhlina said the government remained committed to the policy of giving automatic offers to students who obtain 10As regardless of background.
"If you get 10As, the offer is automatic. We want to defend this policy," she said.
However, she admitted that the implementation of the policy was challenging due to the 90:10 quota structure, with 90 per cent of places allocated to Bumiputeras.
"It is not easy, but we will continue to fight so that students who obtain 10As are eligible to be offered places automatically," she said.
Fadhlina also stressed that the 'top-down' approach to education governance was no longer relevant.
"The era of the government knowing everything is over. Now is the time to work together to continuously improve the education system," she said. – May 3, 2026
