Tamil schools being shortchanged by contractors

A DAP senator claims that government appointed contractors are building Tamil schools below the value of the contract.

GEORGE TOWN: Education Ministry-nominated contractors are building Tamil schools below the value of the contract.

DAP Senator S Ramakrishnan alleged that more often the development projects failed to cater to the actual needs of Tamil schools.

He suggested that the solution would be to dedicate and liaise with respective Tamil schools’ board of governors to carry out the projects.

He called on the federal government to stop engaging MIC and NGOs because school boards were definitely in a better position to contribute to develop and maintain school infrastructure and facilities.

He said the boards of governors comprised ex-school boys, representatives from the schools’ parents and teachers associations’ members (PIBG), contributors and trustees.

“They are dedicated and honestly want to contribute to Tamil school development,’ he said in a statement here today.

Under the present system, the Education Ministry which manages the funds, will award Suria Cooperative nominated contractors to built, renovate and repair work in Tamil schools.

But due to the Ali Baba pyramid system, he said Tamil schools ended up short-changed as the contractors’ finished work worth was often found far below the original contract value.

For instance, he said the federal government may allot RM50,000 for a particular Tamil school project and the ministry’s main contractor may engage a sub-contractor to carry out the project for RM20,000.

He said the sub-contractor in turn would dish out a RM15,000 valued job and pocket RM5,000 as profit.

“An unworthy RM15,000 job was finally done for a RM50,000 contract.

“But BN federal ministers would propagate that RM50,000 had been spent for a Tamil school when the Indian community was actually shortchanged,” said Ramakrishnan.

He said there were cases in which government contractors charged more than private ones for similar Tamil school project.

He cited the case of SJK (T) Ladang Semenyih, which wanted a three-storey building with 12 classrooms, one each resource , multimedia, meeting and operation, counseling, prefect, cooperative, treatment and recovery room, one each living skills and art classrooms, and several toilets.

He said private contractors were willing to carry out the project for RM1.7 million.

But, he said the ministry had engaged a contractor to build a two-storey building with six classrooms for RM1.5 million instead.

“Yet again it the government has failed to address a Tamil school’s needs.