MIC is crying foul over the Education Ministry's allocation of LCD projectors and laptop computers to facilitate the language switch after the party learned that schools with a small number of students and those on private land may not receive them.

This would affect some 300 out of the 520 Tamil primary schools in the country which are under-enrolled or have less than 150 pupils.

MIC education bureau chief Prof T Marimuthu today said that all schools should be given the same benefits.

"It is not fair for smaller schools, (the policy) is disadvantageous to those schools and they must be provided with the same facilities," he said when contacted.

The ministry is providing the hardware to assist teachers in implementing the switch where Standard One, Form One and Lower Six students will be taught Maths and Science in English starting next year.

Special committee

Several Tamil primary school headmasters from different states raised the issue at the MIC Tamil school action council meeting held at MIC president and Works Minister S Samy Vellu's office in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

They expressed concern for not having received the equipment although the new school term will commence in 15 days.

The headmasters were informed by their respective state education departments that schools with less than 150 students and those not built on government land will not receive the projectors and computers.

However, they have yet to receive any official letter from the ministry regarding the matter.

Meanwhile, Marimuthu said if these schools are not given the equipments, it will create the impression that the government is not helping under-enrolled schools and marginalising them further.

He also revealed that a special committee, headed by him, was formed at the meeting yesterday to study the matter.

"This was based on the feedback obtained from the headmasters. We will compile the information we have received and submit a memorandum to the ministry within one month," he said.

However, he said the bureau is still waiting for a confirmation from the ministry that these schools will not receive the equipment.

Promise rescinded

In a related development, the MIC president criticised the ministry for breaching its promise.

"Although MIC accepted the using of English in teaching Science and Mathematics at Tamil primary schools, now the Education Ministry has rescinded its promise," Samy was quoted as saying by Sin Chew Daily today.

Samy complained that many Tamil schools that are under-enrolled and those in estates and private lands would be affected.

A check by malaysiakini revealed that several Chinese primary schools have not received the equipment either.

"I have no idea when we will receive it. We haven't receive any letter from the ministry yet," said one headmaster when contacted.

Attempts to get comments from the ministry proved futile. Education Minister Musa Mohamed is on leave while his deputy Abdul Aziz Samsuddin could not be reached.

The ministry's director-general Abdul Rafie Mahat also could not be reached as he is attending a training course.

The government allocated RM5 billion to be spent over a period of seven years for the implementation of the language switch.