School hall turned merrymaking flashpoint ordered closed after over a year

 

The signage of the events company at SPI primary (left) was taken down earlier this week. (Keney Martin pic)

SEREMBAN: 

For over a year, residents of Taman Bukit Kaya and Taman Labu felt anxious during weekends from the time they woke up to the time they went to bed.

The source of their frayed state was the noisy neighbour, St Paul’s primary school, where the hall had been questionably converted to host public revelry.

The school’s board of governors (BOG) rented the hall to an events company for RM1,500 monthly without the approval of De La Salle Brothers, the owners of La Salle schools in Malaysia.

They gave the company complete freedom to act as it wished despite the absence of a public entertainment permit from the Seremban City Council (MBS).

Large private events, including weddings, complete with fireworks displays and loud music, replaced co-curricular activities for pupils in the hall.

It sparked neighbourhood chaos.

The once-basic hall, where children also played badminton, had undergone significant modifications.

It was equipped with luxury decorations and a sound system fit for grand celebrations, forcing school activities to be moved to another space.

The hall at St Paul’s primary school was questionably converted into a venue for public entertainment. (Keney Martin pic)

Residents claimed MBS, the police, the menteri besar’s office and the school had failed to act on their complaints since the company began operating in February last year.

Their grievances involved noise pollution, safety, haphazard parking, arguments with inconsiderate motorists, rats and indecent behaviour.

This week, the residents’ nightmare finally ended following increased pressure by the residents on the authorities.

BOG chairman, Dr D Mahadevan and the school principal Margret Easiah confirmed that MBS has ordered all events in the hall stopped with immediate effect.

They would not say if the company had mutually agreed to vacate the premises and end the contract without prejudice.

Mahadevan said he will convene an emergency meeting soon to explain the issue to board members, and plans to restore the hall to its intended use.

The mission council of the La Salle Brothers in Malaysia told residents it did not authorise commercial activities to be conducted on the school premises.

A spokesman for the council noted in a WhatsApp message: “The landowners are the La Salle Brothers who are strictly in education.

“Only they can deal with any matter relating to the property. The BOG does not have the mandate to do so.”

The mission council acts as an advisory body to the Brother Visitor on various matters including education quality and social responsibility.

A BOG member, who claimed to have no knowledge about the lead-up to the rental of the hall, said: “The chairman has much to explain as the reputation of the school has been badly damaged.”

“The activities were not only unauthorised but also a clear violation of regulations governing the use of educational facilities.”

The member said the rental rate was a ridiculous deal. “I want to know the number of events that have been held to date and how much the company charged its clients.”

The company, GJI Cristal Mahale, could not be reached for comment.

Responsibility and transparency

Why the parent-teacher association did not object to the transformation of the hall into a venue for entertainment has baffled residents.

Resident Nor Ariffin Abdullah said parents should have raised concerns about the safety implications of allowing strangers onto school grounds.

Nor Ariffin Abdullah.

“Wasn’t there worry that the use of the hall for public events could compromise the security of the school and its students?” he mused.

Nor Ariffin said many residents felt excluded from the process of public engagement. “It raises ethical questions about the role of the school in the community.”

“The school is supposed to be part of the community, but there has been a complete disregard for the people living here.

“They clearly prioritised revenue over responsibility and transparency.

“While schools often struggle with budget constraints, resorting to questionable measures undermines public trust and endangers the integrity of the institution,” he said.

Schools, he stressed, should focus on education and community-building, not profit-making ventures that disrupt the lives of residents.

Neighbourhood chaos

Residents said they were blindsided by the board’s decision, which turned the once-quiet areas into a hotspot of activities, particularly during the afternoons and evenings on weekends.

“The noise levels were unbearable, and the strangers were intolerable,” said Nor Ariffin, a retired civil servant whose home is adjacent to the school.

He said music and fireworks displays went beyond midnight and residents were unable to leave or return to their own homes as event attendees left their cars in front of driveways.

“Police reports were made about the parking menace that led to disputes between residents and visitors, with some incidents escalating to verbal altercations,” he added.

Nor Ariffin said residents had in a letter to the school principal, dated Nov 11, also highlighted the problem of rats breeding due to failure to properly dispose of leftover food from functions.

The principal was also alerted to cases of event patrons consuming alcohol by the roadside, and urinating in full view of residents.

Nor Ariffin said it was ironic that MBS officers inspected the hall and its surroundings on a weekday on Sept 10 at 11am, and gave an all-clear sign, when the goings-on occurred at night on weekends.

Many feel MBS’s closure order is too little, too late. “They should have addressed this before it became such a big issue,” said Nor Ariffin.

“Action must be taken against those who failed to resolve the issues and we need assurances that this won’t happen again.” - FMT