Anwar Promises RM20 Million For Chinese Schools, Calls For Respect Between Communities

0 Sara Smith February 14, 2026

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Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced an extra RM20 million for Chinese national-type secondary schools (SMJKCs) during his visit to the Sumbangan Kasih MADANI event at SMJKC Yuk Choy in his Tambun parliamentary constituency, Perak.

The event was held in conjunction with the upcoming Chinese New Year and Ramadan celebrations.

Present were Nga Kor Ming, Minister of Housing and Local Government, and Tan Sri Vincent Tan, founder of Berjaya Corporation Berhad.

Anwar also presented RM1 million in contributions to nearly 3,000 students from 16 schools in the constituency under the initiative.

Earlier this year, the government also increased funding for Chinese primary schools (SJKCs) from RM50 million to RM80 million.

This continues the government’s focus on Chinese education, with the RM20 million being the latest addition to support these schools.

Is RM20 Million Enough?

RM20 million represents significant funding.

When distributed across the reportedly 81 SMJKCs in the country, it works out to about RM246,914 per school.

This amount could potentially make a more meaningful difference in facilities and resources for each school.

During his speech, Anwar emphasised the importance of students maintaining respect for all groups regardless of background and cultivating humility as the foundation for excellent character development.

Regarding the funding, he stated that the RM20 million allocation is intended to strengthen and improve educational facilities to meet current needs, including the maintenance and upgrading of basic infrastructure.

In January, it was announced that Tamil schools would receive RM50 million in funding, underlining the government’s commitment to supporting vernacular education across communities.

Addressing Public Concerns

Some Malaysians have expressed concerns that the Prime Minister is favouring Chinese communities while sidelining Malays.

However, the actual budget allocation tells a different story.

According to the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) 2026 budget breakdown, religious schools (sekolah agama) receive the largest allocation for school upgrades.

The government has allocated RM66.2 billion to the MOE for next year, with plans to build 38 new SK (national primary schools) and SMK (national secondary schools) – not SJK or SMJK schools.