Despite a series of negotiations between Seaport Tamil primary school (SJK Tamil Seaport) and the authorities, it seems there is no solution yet over the school relocation issue.
Its students returned to its original site in Kelana Jaya today to continue their studies rather than the new school at Kampung Pelindungan.
However Deputy Education Minister II P Kamalanathan (right), who visited the new school today, insisted that the school has been relocated and urged the parents to send their children there as soon as possible.
After spending two weeks studying under a tent at the old school, some 23 students returned there to continue their studies with three retired teachers who had volunteered their services.
As the school was officially relocated, all its tables and chairs for the students had been taken away. However they have been replaced by square tables and plastic chairs.
Malaysian Tamilians Today Welfare Association national secretary K Gunasekaran said the desks and chairs were sponsored by some NGOs that cared about this school.
He said as the parents did not want to move their children to the new school at Kampung Pelindungan), they would run our classes here. “We will try to engage the ministry to allow the children to study here,” he said.
The ministry had told the parents that the Kelana Jaya land, which belongs to the state government body, the Selangor State Development Authority (PKNS), had been sold to a private developer.
But a land search done by the parents reveal that the land is still in the name of PKNS.
The low-income parents claimed that they are unable to afford the transport expenses should their children study at the new building, which they had claimed was located about 9km away from the old school.
However Malaysiakini had visited the old and new school buildings and found that the distance between them is about 3km.
No teachers
Although the Selangor government had declared that it was prepared to gazette the school land, the Selangor Education Department refused to provide teachers at the old building.
Gunasekaran (left) insisted that the Education Ministry should return the school license to the 80-year-old Seaport Tamil primary school and issue a new one to the new school at Kampung Pelindungan.
He said that the parents had sent letters regarding this matter to the Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim and all the state exco members and he believed that they will discuss it in today’s exco meeting.
Gunasekaran, who had visited the new school building, said it no field and thus there was no difference between the two schools.
He added that the new school is close to a mosque which would affect teaching and learning in the school.
When asked on the refusal of Kamalanathan to visit the old school building instead the new one, Gunasekaran expressed his disappointment.
“As a representative of the people, he should have come here to meet the parents,” he said.
He opined that Deputy Prime Minister cum Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin should visit the school. “I think he is the best person to solve this,” he added.
‘Perhaps those are tuition classes?’
Meanwhile, Kamalanathan seemed unaware that the students are attending classes at the old school.
“Perhaps those are tuition classes?” he asked when interviewed by the press after giving out BR1M handouts to the parents.
Nevertheless, he urged the parents to send their children to study at the new school building as soon as possible.
“I urge them not to sacrifice the future of the children merely because of ego or personal rights. We can find a solution. Right now there is no problem which we can’t solve through negotiations.
“Maybe it will take time, but we want to do it the right way. Let’s not get emotional, be a little bit rational, so that we can find the solution,” he said.
According to Kamalanathan, the land also belongs to others besides PKNS.
He also asked the people to stop spreading false news as the truth was that the ministry did not close down the primary school but merely relocated it.
“There are 523 Tamil primary schools (in the country) and seven new ones will be built in the future.”
“If this school is closed, that means we have 522. No, we still it is 523,” he stressed.
Echoing Kamalanathan, Selangor Education Department director-general Mahmud Karim (right) also asked the parents to send their children to the new school or else the Standard Six students will be unable to sit for UPSR exam.
He said that the students need to register with the new school in order to take the exam because there’s no school at Kelana Jaya anymore.
Mahmud said that the department had done all it could and had met with the parents thrice.
He also rebutted the claim that the parents have transport difficulties taking their children to the new school as he was informed that there was no such problem at the last meeting.
“The department had sent buses (to send students to the new school) in last four days but none of the students wanted to use them,” he said, adding that the school board had agreed to aid the parents in terms of fees for transport.
Its students returned to its original site in Kelana Jaya today to continue their studies rather than the new school at Kampung Pelindungan.
However Deputy Education Minister II P Kamalanathan (right), who visited the new school today, insisted that the school has been relocated and urged the parents to send their children there as soon as possible.After spending two weeks studying under a tent at the old school, some 23 students returned there to continue their studies with three retired teachers who had volunteered their services.
As the school was officially relocated, all its tables and chairs for the students had been taken away. However they have been replaced by square tables and plastic chairs.
Malaysian Tamilians Today Welfare Association national secretary K Gunasekaran said the desks and chairs were sponsored by some NGOs that cared about this school.
He said as the parents did not want to move their children to the new school at Kampung Pelindungan), they would run our classes here. “We will try to engage the ministry to allow the children to study here,” he said.
The ministry had told the parents that the Kelana Jaya land, which belongs to the state government body, the Selangor State Development Authority (PKNS), had been sold to a private developer.
But a land search done by the parents reveal that the land is still in the name of PKNS.
The low-income parents claimed that they are unable to afford the transport expenses should their children study at the new building, which they had claimed was located about 9km away from the old school.
However Malaysiakini had visited the old and new school buildings and found that the distance between them is about 3km.
No teachers
Although the Selangor government had declared that it was prepared to gazette the school land, the Selangor Education Department refused to provide teachers at the old building.
Gunasekaran (left) insisted that the Education Ministry should return the school license to the 80-year-old Seaport Tamil primary school and issue a new one to the new school at Kampung Pelindungan.He said that the parents had sent letters regarding this matter to the Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim and all the state exco members and he believed that they will discuss it in today’s exco meeting.
Gunasekaran, who had visited the new school building, said it no field and thus there was no difference between the two schools.
He added that the new school is close to a mosque which would affect teaching and learning in the school.
When asked on the refusal of Kamalanathan to visit the old school building instead the new one, Gunasekaran expressed his disappointment.
“As a representative of the people, he should have come here to meet the parents,” he said.
He opined that Deputy Prime Minister cum Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin should visit the school. “I think he is the best person to solve this,” he added.
‘Perhaps those are tuition classes?’
Meanwhile, Kamalanathan seemed unaware that the students are attending classes at the old school.
“Perhaps those are tuition classes?” he asked when interviewed by the press after giving out BR1M handouts to the parents.
Nevertheless, he urged the parents to send their children to study at the new school building as soon as possible.
“I urge them not to sacrifice the future of the children merely because of ego or personal rights. We can find a solution. Right now there is no problem which we can’t solve through negotiations.
“Maybe it will take time, but we want to do it the right way. Let’s not get emotional, be a little bit rational, so that we can find the solution,” he said.
According to Kamalanathan, the land also belongs to others besides PKNS.
He also asked the people to stop spreading false news as the truth was that the ministry did not close down the primary school but merely relocated it.
“There are 523 Tamil primary schools (in the country) and seven new ones will be built in the future.”
“If this school is closed, that means we have 522. No, we still it is 523,” he stressed.
Echoing Kamalanathan, Selangor Education Department director-general Mahmud Karim (right) also asked the parents to send their children to the new school or else the Standard Six students will be unable to sit for UPSR exam.He said that the students need to register with the new school in order to take the exam because there’s no school at Kelana Jaya anymore.
Mahmud said that the department had done all it could and had met with the parents thrice.
He also rebutted the claim that the parents have transport difficulties taking their children to the new school as he was informed that there was no such problem at the last meeting.
“The department had sent buses (to send students to the new school) in last four days but none of the students wanted to use them,” he said, adding that the school board had agreed to aid the parents in terms of fees for transport.
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