KLANG: Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) believes PKR candidate for the Sungai Kandis by-election, Mohd Zawawi Ahmad Mughni's experience will be helpful in uplifting Selangor's education sector.
Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik said Selangor is in need of a religious figure, who is also an academician, like Zawawi in the state assembly to share input and opinion on education.
“We want a religious person like Ustaz Zawawi (who is also Maahad Tahfiz Al Fateh principal) in the state assembly because he can help with the education development.
“Hence, on behalf of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM), we fully support Ustaz Zawawi and we hope the people here will too,” he told reporters at Sekolah Rendah Islam Al-Ainani hall in Taman Sri Andalas.
Asked on the ministry’s plan to impose a temporary freeze on MyBrain, the scholarship programme for postgraduate and doctorate students, Maszlee said he will issue a statement on the matter soon.
“Today, it is only about the by-election. (I will) make a statement (on MyBrain) later.”
His recent announcement on MyBrain was met with criticism from students, netizens and the opposition.
Former Umno youth chief and former youth and sports minister Khairy Jamaluddin took to Twitter recently to express his dissatisfaction of the move.
He wrote: “It is better if the government did not fulfil its promise of deferring PTPTN loan repayment until the borrowers earn RM4,000 per month.
“That ‘savings’ could be used to continue programmes like MyBrain,” he added.
Meanwhile, on issue concerning allocations for Chinese independent schools, Maszlee also said: “We will make the announcement later.”