KUALA LUMPUR – Gifted children in Malaysia will have their own school if a plan for such an institution here works out.

The school will be modeled after the privately-run Leonard De Vinci Gifted School in Herblay, France, except that in Malaysia it is likely to be managed by the government.

Rosmah Mansor, wife of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, said: “The school in France, which I visited this week, is privately run and the expenses are borne by the parents of the gifted children.

“Malaysians are lucky that the government is willing to provide assistance,” she said.

The Permata Negara programme

Rosmah, who had mooted the idea, said this at the Heart 2 Heart Deepavali charity programme, organised by the Malaysian Associated Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MAICCI) here, Sunday.

On another matter, she said she was willing to work with the MAICCI to implement the Permata Negara programe, an early childhood care and education programme, for the benefit of the Indian community.

“We are having difficulty in extending this programme to the children of the Indian community,” said Rosmah, who is the policy chairman of the Permata Negara programme.

In praise of the MAICCI

Regarding the MAICCI, she said it had played an important role in the economic development of the Indian community and had not forgotten its social responsibility for the underprivileged.

“I hope it will continue with such charity programme in the coming years and it should not be confined to just Deepavali but also during other festivals,” she said.

MAICCI head K K Eswaran said this was the second time that they were organising the charity event which would become an annual event to bring cheer to the underprivileged.

Rosmah later distributed food hampers to 100 poor families and 0angpows to 150 children from various homes.