SHAH ALAM - Dewan Belia India Malaysia (DBIM) has raised concerns about the insufficiency of the RM100 million allocated to the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra) in the Budget 2025.
In a statement, its president Kiran Raj Sathivel expressed that the stagnant funding was inadequate to address the ongoing socio-economic challenges faced by the Malaysian Indian community.
"While the RM100 million allocated to Mitra is appreciated, it is far from sufficient to bring about the meaningful change our community desperately needs. This amount, which has remained unchanged for the past eight years, fails to address the pressing socio-economic challenges that continue to persist within the Malaysian Indian community," he said.
One of the most urgent issues, according to Kiran, was the limited access to early childhood education for Indian children.
He pointed out that out of 528 Tamil schools in the country, only 271 have preschool facilities, and many of these can only support a single class.
He highlighted this as a glaring example of the lack of investment in foundational education for Indian children.
"Our Malaysian Indian community has long been marginalised when it comes to access to critical resources such as education, especially at the foundational level.
"It is alarming that only 271 out of 528 Tamil schools have preschool facilities, with most of them able to operate only one class," he added.
Kiran also criticised the government's heavy reliance on Mitra to subsidise private kindergarten education for Indian children, calling it a flawed approach.
He argued that the responsibility for ensuring public preschool facilities should rest with the Ministry of Education, rather than being placed on a specialised task force like Mitra.
"The reliance on Mitra to subsidise private kindergarten education is concerning.
"The responsibility for ensuring access to preschool facilities should lie with the Education Ministry, not a specialised task force.
"Our children deserve the same key to public early education as other communities in the country," he said.
Kiran expressed strong support for Batu Member of Parliament P. Prabakaran, who had recently raised similar concerns in the Dewan Rakyat, criticising the inadequate allocation for the Malaysian Indian community.
He emphasised that without significant investments in initiatives aimed at uplifting the community, the gaps in education, employment, and overall economic participation would continue to widen.
"We stand in full support of Prabakaran’s recent remarks in the Dewan Rakyat regarding the insufficient allocation for the Malaysian Indian community.
"Without serious efforts to prioritise funding for transformational initiatives aimed at uplifting the community, the disparities in education, employment, and economic participation will only grow," he said.
Kiran further urged the government to move beyond what he called 'token allocations' and focus on long-term solutions that would benefit future generations of Malaysian Indians.
He called on policymakers to reconsider their approach and acknowledge the crucial role the Indian community plays in the nation’s development.
"It is time to move beyond token allocations and commit to long-term, impactful solutions.
"Only then can we ensure that future generations of Malaysian Indians have the opportunities they deserve," he added.