PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong (pic) has questioned the government's continued policy of separating Chinese primary schools (SJKCs) into government and government-aided schools.

"In the past, DAP protested against dividing SJKCs into 'government schools' and 'government-aided schools' because government-aided SJKCs have to raise its own funds.

"And yet the new Pakatan Harapan government continues to enforce this policy which they used to consider unfair," the MCA president said in a statement on Saturday (Jan 19).

Dr Wee said this in reference to Deputy Education Minister Teo Nie Ching, who in an interview with online portal The Malaysian Insight in July last year, had said that she hoped to give the same treatment to all schools.

Dr Wee said if the school was a "government-aided school" then the funds would have to come from the respective school boards since the government does not own the school sites and buildings.

Hence, he questioned whether Teo agreed with the Education Ministry's reply.

"What has she done so far to do away with categorising SJKCs since she took her oath of office?" he asked.

The previous federal administration had planned to built 10 new SJKCs and relocate six others but the Pakatan government has since axed the construction of five new SJKCs in the 10+6 plan.