Tightening the conduct of PIBG

By Stephen Ng

It is not very helpful when the Deputy Minister of Education, Teo Nie Ching allowed the Parent-Teacher Association (PIBG) to decide on whether computer classes can be conducted during school hours.

This clearly shows that Teo is either unaware of the numerous issues with PIBG in schools, or she is aware, but willing to play along with the PIBG. If the latter is true, it is legacy and impression that she will leave behind which is inconsistent with Malaysia Baru.

It is no wonder that even writer, Mariam Mokhtar says, after the 14th General Election, the "DAP plays the "Three Monkey" -- deaf, blind and mute." Only a few people such as the DAP stalwart, Lim Kit Siang speak up against injustice, race based politics and attacks on religion.

Repeatedly, I have urged the Ministry of Education to tighten the control over the PIBG, as the association has often been used as a rubber stamp for school principals.

School principals love to have chairpersons who do not subscribe to the principle of integrity. They can bend to the left and bend to the right, and without backbones.

They become the principal's pet boy who can be told to agree on almost anything, even if the expenditure is huge and not beneficial to the majority of the children. As a result, PIBG becomes the kitty of the principals to spend as she likes.

For example, RM100,000 for band equipment and another RM100,000 to change the full set of tables and chairs, when only a few tables or chairs need to be replaced. Maybe, another RM200,000 for the smart boards in every class which are hardly to reduce the bag load! Meanwhile, the storeroom is full of basketballs and volleyballs that should have been replaced.

Although these are just fictitious figures, we have seen how PIBG is being manipulated to cough out huge sums of money.

When come the Annual General Meetings (AGM), the dates are picked close to the Chinese New Year so that most parents are unable to attend.

Minutes of meeting from the previous year's AGM is only released on the day of the meeting so that parents do not have time to read the contents.

When meeting is conducted and controlled by the chairman, he gets to speak what he wants to say. When members asked questions or attempts to make a comment that is not favourable to the chairman, he blocks.

After the meeting, the minutes of the AGM is written to fit their own agenda, and members only get to read the minutes the next year. By then, everything is forgotten.

So, even when there are objections against a certain decision, they are not recorded. The minutes will only highlight that the members voted "unanimously" for a motion tabled by the PIBG chairman.

A lot of decisions can be made in PIBG that are in favour of the school principal or the PIBG committee, especially those with hidden agenda.

Even decisions that go against the ministry's own directives, for example, the PIBG can vote to agree to a fee for paid computer classes during school hours and paid computer classes.

When parents write in officially to complain to the ministry, there is nothing but silence. Investigations are done, but the wrongs are not corrected.

Therefore, I find it hard to believe that when something is wrong with the way the PIBG conducts itself, the answer that is given by the deputy minister is, "Go and speak to the PIBG."

In the first place, if the PIBG is a good one that we can speak to, we do not need to bother the minister or the deputy minister.

With this, I want to conclude: if the ministry fails to address the issues on the ground after being told what is happening, it has failed all Malaysians who voted them in the last general election.

In previous years during the reign of Barisan Nasional, the entire education landscape has gone rotten, and unless the new government, hence, both Maszlee Malik and Teo Nie Ching have the political will to solve the issues on the ground, we will continue to see people moving into the PIBG with their hidden agenda.

Often, huge sums of money is involved and this comes from parents' hard-earned money. Can Maszlee and Teo afford to let things be 'business-as-usual' for these rogues?


END.