Tamil school receives aid for repair work
KUALA LUMPUR: The 70-year-old SJK Tamil Cheras will get RM200,000 from the Government to carry out remedial works on the building, said Deputy Education Minister Dr Puad Zarkashi.
“This is a short term measure,” he said after spending nearly an hour yesterday at the school, which had been trying to raise funds to provide a better environment for its 350 pupils.
Dr Puad said he will propose to the ministry to build a new block to replace the dilapidated school and would ask its education planning and research department to study the matter.
“I noticed the pupils are studying in congested classrooms with poor ventilation.
“I heard from the parentteacher representatives that the roofs leak during a downpour,” he said.
Dr Puad said SKJ Tamil Cheras was one of 151 fully government-aided Tamil schools in the country, while 372 are partially aided.
He said the Government would build six more Tamil schools, three in Selangor and one each in Johor and Kedah.
One of the new Tamil schools in Selangor will be located in Taman Mahkota Cheras.
Dr Puad said between 2009 and 2011, the Government had spent Rm300mil for Tamil schools in the country.
Asked about the declining pupil enrolment in Tamil schools, he said that besides infrastructure improvements the ministry was also improving the quality of education in these schools.
On the lack of Tamil school teachers, he said the problem would be resolved by December.
He said this was partly due to the current crop of teachers whose first option is not Tamil.
Under theministry policy, only teachers qualified with Tamil as their first option can be sent to Tamil schools.