KUALA LUMPUR, SEP 26 – The Community Chest, an independent apolitical non-ideological charitable organization set up by the private sector to focus on education, was officially launched today in Kuala Lumpur.
Officiated by the Prime Minister Y.A.B. Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak, a ceremony to mark the launch was held at SJK (C) Confucian, one of the inaugural beneficiaries of the charity’s philanthropic initiatives.
Founded by a group of prominent contributors led by some of Malaysia’s most successful and distinguished entrepreneurs, The Community Chest was established to promote and support education for the sole benefit of the Malaysian community. It focuses on funding learning institutions in Malaysia which are not-for-profit and which require financial assistance due to insufficient funding and/or aid from the community or the government, and can provide scholarships to help exceptional and financially needy Malaysian students gain access to quality education.
The Community Chest can also fund initiatives designed to transform and improve the quality of education of learning institutions in Malaysia and the quality of these learning institutions.
The Community Chest is managed by a Board of Trustees, comprising community leaders such as Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, Tun Mohammed Hanif bin Omar, Tan Sri Quek Leng Chan, Tan Sri William Cheng, Tan Sri Dato’ Chua Ma Yu, Tan Sri Datuk G. Gnanalingam, Tan Sri Datuk Seri Lee Lam Thye, and Tan Sri Leonard Linggi Jugah.
“The establishment of The Community Chest will provide a timely boost to the advancement of education in Malaysia, especially for schools that urgently need a helping hand,” said Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Community Chest.
“The Community Chest will initially be supported by contributions from the profits of Pan Malaysian Pools Sdn Bhd (PMP) and the investment returns from the fund. However, we hope to receive strong support of donations from the public,” he added.
PMP, more commonly known as ‘Da Ma Cai’, was acquired by Jana Pendidikan Malaysia Sdn Bhd (JPM) on 9 August 2011 from Tanjong Public limited company. Following the acquisition, JPM pledged to donate to The Community Chest all of the dividends it receives from PMP, after meeting all of its own expenses and debt obligations. With this structure, ‘Da Ma Cai’ has effectively been transformed from a for-profit organization into a social business, providing long term donations to The Community Chest for the benefit of the Malaysian community.
To maintain full transparency and accountability, The Community Chest has set up a subsidiary, Pusat Pengurusan Pendidikan Malaysia Sdn Bhd (PPP), which is entrusted with proposing and implementing initiatives and activities to promote and support the objectives of The Community Chest, and will be managed by a team of professionals and volunteers.
SJK (C) Confucian was chosen as the site for the launch ceremony as the school’s name, Confucian, in Chinese means ‘to honour Confucius’, the sage who is synonymous with learning and education, the charity’s very focus. SJK (C) Confucian is also the nation’s second oldest vernacular Chinese school, and was among the 61 schools to receive the first batch of financial assistance amounting up to RM26.1 million from The Community Chest.
About The Community Chest
The Community Chest has been established as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee (Company Number 952008-A). It is an independent apolitical non-ideological charitable organization set up by the private sector to promote and support education solely for the benefit of the Malaysian community.
As reflected in its tagline “Community in our heart, Education at our fore,” The Community Chest believes that education creates opportunity, shapes individuals and ultimately, the well being of the community.
For details on its charter, the funding application guidelines and how to donate to The Community Chest, please log onto www.commchest.org.my or send your enquiry by fax to +603-2333 3939 or email to enquiries@commchest-2022.ob4p1u7gbo-xlm418gkk3dy.p.temp-site.link.