SK Garland gets RM100,000 grant for maintenance works
KUCHING: Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs and Stampin MP Chong Chieng Jen has donated RM100,000 to SK Garland here for the school’s maintenance works.
The grant was handed over to school headmaster Elvan Kim Lai by Abdul Aziz Isa, special assistant to Chong during a simple ceremony on Thursday.
With Abdul Aziz at the handover ceremony were Sim Kiat Liang and Brandon Lee Pak Fook, who are special assistant and personal assistant, respectively to Chong.
“In November last year, I went to SK Garland to attend to their problem regarding a long overdue dilapidated building that needed urgent attention and financial assistance from the federal government.
“Among the problems were the damaged window structures caused by termites and roof structural damage caused by sedimentation,” said Abdul Aziz in a statement yesterday.
The Democratic Action Party (DAP) Batu Kitang protem branch chairman claimed that the school’s management had requested several times for financial aid from Local Government and Housing Minister, Batu Kawa assemblyman and Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) chairman Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian as well as Padawan Municipal Council chairman and Batu Kitang assemblyman Lo Khere Chiang.
“Unfortunately, such requests had not been entertained. It is horrible to think how SUPP pretended to care about the school’s conditions and fight for education rights in the mainstream media but in reality, they lack empathy to act and help solve the problem,” lamented Abdul Aziz.
According to him, the Ministry of Education will be granting another RM150,000 to SK Garland to fix the mentioned problems.
Abdul Aziz said the RM150,000 grant would be channelled to the school in one or two months’ time. He said SK Garland was built in 1899, adding that this century old school is built next to St Basil’s Church at Jalan Batu Kawa here.
It is a mission primary school managed by the school management board under the administration of St. Thomas’ Cathedral Kuching. SK Garland presently has a total of 428 pupils.