KUALA LUMPUR: Kuen Cheng High School, a Chinese independent high school in Kuala Lumpur, plans to recruit more non-Chinese students with scholarships and financial aids starting next year.

The school will not be only made up of one ethnic group of students.

Tan Sri William Cheng, chairman of the school board, said he hopes Chinese independent schools can be similar to Chinese primary schools which attract parents, including Malay parents, to send their children to Chinese primary schools.

“We hope to get non-Chinese pupils at Chinese primary schools to study in Kuen Cheng.

“We will be offering them scholarships and study aids for them to complete their secondary education here,” said Cheng during the school’s 115th anniversary celebration.

To financially support a student’s secondary education for five to six years, the fee is about RM40,000.

Cheng said the presence of non-Chinese students in Chinese independent schools would be a great help to the schools in terms of development.

By having more non-Chinese students, he believes the government would also view Chinese independent schools in a different manner.

Cheng urged other Chinese independent schools to study whether the plan is feasible and should start implementing it in Klang Valley starting from next year before expanding to other schools.

He also hoped universities in China and Taiwan will reserve seats for students from Chinese independent schools and that the students are able to contribute more in nation-building so that the government and members of the public will change their perception of Chinese independent schools.