MP SPEAKS | The proposed elite kindergarten (tabika) is a bad idea. The government’s proposal to create an elite tabika by whatever name it may be called is ill-advised. It was announced previously that the government will establish one with a better curriculum for children whose parents have a higher financial capacity to pay.

Rural Development Deputy Minister Mohamad Abdul Rahman now explains that the proposal is to meet the demand from M40 families. However, he did not clarify whether the parents need to pay higher fees. Although the deputy minister now says there will be no difference in the curriculum, the question remains as to why there is a need for M40 parents to pay higher fees for the same or better curriculum.

Why can’t the government allocate more funding so that all children irrespective of their parents’ financial capabilities be given quality education? Are children of poor families condemned to receiving poor quality education beginning in the starting gates of life at the pre-schooling stage?

The Rural Development Ministry appears to have failed to...