KUALA LUMPUR: One of the country's largest privately- funded education foundations, the ECM Libra Foundation, gave a much needed boost to 12 needy Chinese schools by donating RM600,000 to them yesterday.

The funds -- RM50,000 to each school -- will be used to upgrade facilities, repair classrooms and provide scholarships for poor students.

In an hour-long ceremony at the Housing and Local Government Ministry, ECM Libra executive chairman Datuk Seri Kalimullah Hassan and co-CEO Lim Kian Onn, two of the three partners who funded the foundation, handed over the cheques to representatives from the schools.

The fund, which started with a seeding of RM63 million from the three partners -- Lim, David Chua Ming Huat and Kalimullah -- has since its inception three years ago assisted hundreds of students in Sabah, Sarawak and the peninsula, and dozens of schools in the country.

Housing and Local Government Minister and MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting, who was present at the ceremony, said Kalimullah had asked him to identify needy schools which the foundation could help. "Kalimullah and his partners have great Malaysian spirit and we are grateful for their help to these schools."

Ong said the MCA would try to find more ways to help needy schools financially as they played a role in the country's development.

"Chinese schools have been part of the country's education system even before Merdeka and today 10 per cent of its enrolment consist of non-Chinese students," he said.

He added that 85 per cent of the students from Chinese primary students later went to national secondary schools and integrated well with other races.

He also said there were many Chinese primary schools in need of funding and praised ECM Libra Foundation's move to help the schools, calling it an effort that promoted national harmony.

In a short speech, Kalimullah said he and his partners came from relatively poor families and knew the hardship of getting an education.

"We felt it was the right thing to do, to give back to society and when Kian Onn suggested setting up the foundation, we agreed.

"It is only through education that the country can succeed and we hope we can provide opportunities to as many Malaysians as possible, irrespective of race or religious background, to ensure they get a chance in life," he said.

Also present were ECM Libra Foundation trustees Datuk Roger Tan, Datuk Mohd Ali and Tan Sri Sak Cheng Lam, MCA assemblymen, MPs and school representatives.

The schools that received the funding were SRJ (C) Sungai Chua, Kajang; SJK (C) Chi Wen, Bahau; SJK (C) Connought (2); SRJK (C) Perempuan Klang; SJK (C) Serdang Baru (1); SJK (C) Chen Moh, Petaling Jaya; SJK (C) Sungai Way; SJK (C) Pei Chun, Pontian; SRJK (C) Kg. Baru, Mambau; SRJK Chan Wu, Seremban; SMJK Perempuan Perak and SJK (C) Sam Chai, Ipoh.