She said despite following the national curriculum and using Bahasa Melayu as a medium of instruction, SMJKs had long been treated unfairly.
“These schools should not be sidelined by the education ministry. They deserve recognition, proper funding and clear legal status,” she said in debating the 2026 budget in the Dewan Rakyat.
Kok said SMJKs were left undefined in the Education Act 1996, creating confusion over their governance and funding, and that the SMJK Development Council had long asked for the schools’ formal recognition and dedicated officers in the ministry.
She cited SMJK Confucian, which she said operates in an unsafe, century-old building. Kok said its request to move to a government-owned education site in Taman Danau Desa had been rejected.
“The education ministry’s rejection of SMJK Confucian’s land application is illogical and unfair. Its teachers and students are of various races, it uses Bahasa Melayu as the main language of instruction, and its teachers are paid by the government.
“Will the education ministry only approve SMJK Confucian’s move once a life-threatening incident happens at the school?” she asked.
She also urged the government to set up a special unit in the education ministry to manage SMJK affairs, and raise maintenance funds to RM30 million for 81 schools nationwide which she said reportedly received only about RM5 million overall this year.
In a later media handout, Kok pointed to the official recognition, in Section 2 of the Education Act 1961, of Chinese secondary schools that accept full government aid as SMJKs.
She said when the Education Act 1996 replaced it, Section 16 grouped all government and government-aided secondary schools as SMKs, dropping mentions of SMJKs and removing their distinct legal status, creating confusion over their maintenance responsibilities.
According to the SMJK Development Council, government maintenance grants fell from RM30 million in 2013 to RM4.1 million in 2021 and about RM5 million this year, forcing many of the 81 schools to rely on donations.