PETALING JAYA: The Government will carry out the construction of 10 new Chinese vernacular schools or SJK(C) in the country, said the Education Ministry.

Six of them will be built at locations already identified in Penang and Selangor.

This matter was decided in a Cabinet meeting on July 11 based on studies by several parties and discussions with the Finance Ministry, added the ministry in a written parliamentary reply to Ayer Hitam MP Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.

The remaining four will be built in Johor at proposed locations where enrolment in the current schools was very high, and there were no other schools in a 5km to 10km radius to accommodate the needs of the Chinese community there.

However, the construction of these four additional schools in Johor was dependent on the economy and advice from the Finance Ministry.

In his question, Dr Wee asked if the building of the 10 new schools and the relocation of six schools with low enrolment to high-demand areas – a decision approved in October last year by then Barisan Nasional government – would be continued by the Pakatan Harapan administration.

As for the relocation of six schools, the ministry said any decision made would have to ensure it benefited the local communities.

It added that the relocations should follow procedure, which included getting the agreement of parents and determining the land ownership.