KUALA LUMPUR: Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek today reminded all school management boards to comply with the guidelines when accepting any donations.
She said while the ministry is open to all forms of contributions and crowdfunding, schools must follow established guidelines for organising events and accepting donations.
"We have guidelines for schools to ensure that all donations or contributions benefit the institution.
"My advice is to adhere to those guidelines. Schools must ensure that the responsibility lies with the administrators to ensure everything runs smoothly," she said.
She was speaking to the press after attending the 2023 national-level Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) and Malaysian University English Test (MUET) best student awards ceremony at the Malaysian Examinations Council headquarters here today.
Asked if there were plans to amend the donation guidelines, she said the current guidelines will remain for now.
"I don't think the mechanism is too complicated or harmful to schools. As long as the guidelines are followed, I don't see any issues and there's no need to create a polemic.
"This has been the practice for a long time. What is required is better guidance on implementation and encouraging more donations.
"We still welcome all forms of donations, but they must adhere to the guidelines, which means there must be a mechanism to harmonise the situation," she said.
Yesterday, MCA vice-president Wee Jeck Seng suggested that the Education Ministry allocate equal funding to all schools if it is concerned about the sources of their donations.
Fadhlina, in response, said MCA must understand the different categories of schools, and that equal funding must align with current policies.
She said investigations into the matter were not meant to result in punitive measures.
"The investigation is not aimed at action or punishment, rather, it is to enable the ministry to provide guidance to the school management.
"We are conducting an investigation, anything related to the issue is on the ministry's radar. This is to ensure that if there is a problem related to the guidelines, we only want to provide guidance and there are no issues," she said.
On July 19, Sepang member of parliament Datuk Aiman Athirah Sabu said she was not informed about contributors to the construction of a hall for SJK(C) Tche Min, which allegedly included a beer company.
A post on the Pusat Khidmat Rakyat Parlimen Sepang Facebook page said Aiman Athirah was aware of viral photos showing her, other contributors, and a mock cheque for a RM3 million contribution from a beer company at an event at the school.
Yesterday, the Education Ministry said it was investigating a recent report that a school had organised a charity programme that involved contributions from a liquor company.
The ministry said it viewed the matter seriously and further investigation is being carried out.