Drop ‘absurd’ Bumiputera equity rule for tuition centres, govt urged

Independent scholar Sharifah Munirah Alatas and parents' group Melaka Action Group for Parents in Education (Magpie) have criticized the 30% Bumiputera equity requirement for tuition centres, urging the education ministry to abandon the rule by 2027. The group argues that the policy is unfair to operators who have built their businesses over the years and does not effectively promote Bumiputera entrepreneurship.

Sharifah claims that the policy is absurd and risks racializing the education sector, stating that it merely redistributes earned benefits to passive groups rather than creating new Bumiputera entrepreneurs. She asserts that successful entrepreneurs typically emerge through personal struggle, market discipline, and risk-taking, not through forced affirmative action.

Magpie president Mak Chee Kin proposes that the government should provide financing, training, and grants to encourage Bumiputera participation in tuition centres. He questions why existing businesses, some of which have operated successfully for decades, should surrender 30% of their ownership to continue operating, especially when they invested their own money, took risks, and built their centres from scratch.