Fifty Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil (SJKT) preschools will be built throughout the country this year and expected to be completed in mid-2018, said MIC president Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam.

He said the move was in line with the government's desire to provide early education to Indian children before entering year one.

Dr Subramaniam, who is also Health Minister, said the construction project is expected to commence later this year with an allocation of RM10 million provided by the Federal Government.

"The process of identifying land, contractors and so on is underway," he said after launching the new building and magazine of SJKT Bangi here on Sunday.

Dr Subramaniam said the presence of preschools at all SJKTs will support and increase the number of Tamil school students.

On the issue of delays in the construction of school buildings and constraints in obtaining Certificate of Fitness (CF), Dr Subramaniam said all the issues were being addressed.

"If these are neglected, it is the contractors problem. This matter is being monitored by the Education Department at the district and state level. On their advice, the government may decide to terminate the contract and to appoint a new contractor so that work can continue," he said.

Dr Subramaniam also admitted that there are cases involving contractors appointed for SJKTs facing problems as there were no roads to the schools and advised the Ministry of Education to focus on issues such as this when planning the construction and designing of schools in the future.

"It must be viewed as a package and planned as a comprehensive development so as not to face such problems after the building has been built, but there is no access," he said.

-- BERNAMA