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Daily Express
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Express
Government urged to increase allocations for rural religious schools
Published on: Thursday, July 10, 2025 Published on: Thu, Jul 10, 2025 By: Nora Ahmad Text Size: Aliakbar also proposed closer collaboration between the Ministry of Education and Jheains to optimise the use of underutilised government school buildings as temporary religious learning spaces. Kota Kinabalu: The Government has been urged to strengthen religious education institutions in Sabah by increasing allocations in the recently tabled supplementary budget, particularly to address the poor condition of state religious schools in rural areas. Nominated Assemblyman Datuk Aliakbar Gulasan (PAS) said that based on field observations, many state religious schools are still operating under inadequate conditions, while some remote areas have no religious schools at all. 'I have raised this matter before in the House. When we visit the ground, we find that many of the most rundown schools are state religious schools, which I believe fall under the jurisdiction of the Sabah Islamic Religious Affairs Department (Jheains). 'There are even villages that still don't have a religious school at all. These schools are crucial for children in rural communities to learn religious knowledge,' he said during the debate session at the State Assembly sitting. While expressing confidence in Jheains' efforts to address the issue, Aliakbar stressed the need for greater focus on rebuilding, maintaining, and staffing these schools. 'I believe the government has many initiatives and incentives in this area, but I ask that specific attention be given to improving the physical structure of these schools, especially in rural areas where there is a severe lack of manpower and religious teachers. 'Some of the additional funds from this budget should be allocated for new construction, maintenance, or the hiring of more teachers,' he said. Aliakbar also proposed closer collaboration between the Ministry of Education and Jheains to optimise the use of underutilised government school buildings as temporary religious learning spaces. 'There are areas with no religious schools, neither state religious schools nor Kafa (Kelas Agama dan Fardhu Ain), but they do have national schools. Perhaps discussions can be held between the Ministry of Education and Jheains to allow these national schools to be used as religious schools,' he said. He also thanked the State Government for tabling the supplementary budget and expressed hope that religious education would not be sidelined in the allocation process. Meanwhile, State Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun, in his winding-up speech on the RM1 billion Supplementary Supply Bill 2025, said that RM2.69 million has been proposed for the construction of religious schools and the maintenance of teachers' quarters and school facilities. Earlier, Deputy Speaker Datuk Richard Yong We Kong announced that the bill was passed unanimously after being debated by 26 assemblymen. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Malaysiakini
17-06-2025
- Malaysiakini
S'pore arrests 3 M'sians for suspected cigarette duty evasion
Three Malaysian men have been arrested for suspected evasion of S$812,384 (RM2.69 million) in cigarette duty and goods and services tax (GST) following an enforcement operation at Gul Drive. In a statement, Singapore Customs said that during the operation on June 10, its officers observed the three men, aged 24, 30, and 40, transferring brown boxes between two Malaysian-registered vehicles parked by the roadside.
The Star
17-06-2025
- The Star
Three Malaysians arrested in Singapore for evading over RM2.69mil in cigarette duty and tax
Two of the men arrested following enforcement operations by Singapore Customs on May 9 and 10. -- PHOTO: SINGAPORE CUSTOMS via The Straits Times/Asia News Network SINGAPORE (Bernama): Three Malaysian men have been arrested for suspected evasion of S$812,384 (RM2.69 million) in cigarette duty and Goods and Services Tax (GST) following an enforcement operation at Gul Drive. In a statement, Singapore Customs said that during the operation on June 10, its officers observed the three men, aged 24, 30, and 40, transferring brown boxes between two Malaysian-registered vehicles parked by the roadside. "Officers moved in to conduct checks and found 7,400 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes in a prime mover attached to a trailer, and 100 cartons in a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV). "The three men were arrested at the scene. Both vehicles and the duty-unpaid cigarettes were seized,' the agency said on Tuesday, adding that the two vehicles had entered Singapore separately. Singapore Customs said the 30-year-old suspect had allegedly driven the prime mover from Malaysia, with the duty-unpaid cigarettes concealed among boxes of coffee products. The 24-year-old allegedly assisted with transferring the duty-unpaid cigarettes to the MPV, while the 40-year-old was allegedly tasked with delivering them to customers in Singapore. All suspects are believed to have been recruited by unidentified individuals in Malaysia. Court proceedings are ongoing. Buying, selling, conveying, delivering, storing, keeping, possessing, or dealing with duty-unpaid goods are serious offences under the Customs Act and the GST Act. Offenders can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty and GST evaded and/or jailed for up to six years. Vehicles used in such offences are also subject to forfeiture. - Bernama
