‘Boycott students’ school to start in three months

MELAKA: Work on a new building for SJK (T) Jasin Lalang near here is expected to start in three months’ time, the school’s ParentTeacher Association (PTA) announced after a meeting in Putrajaya.

The meeting came a day after parents of 50 pupils refused to send their children to classes, in a move the PTA described as a boycott.

The boycott had come after the PTA was unhappy that promises made during the Merlimau byelection in 2011 and again in 2016 for a new school had not materialised.

PTA chairman R.Murugan said the Education Ministry officials told the entourage there were still procedures that had to be followed before construction could start.

“We were told another approval has yet to be obtained from the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) and this is expected to take about three months,” he said after the meeting.

Murugan said the PTA was not satisfied with the explanation but decided to set aside their discontentment and hope for the best.

“We were told there was no definite date on when the construction would start.

“We trust that construction will start as promised so we can continue sending our children to the present school as usual,” he said.

He said the ministry’s official disclosed that funds for the school’s construction was increased from the initial allocation of RM3.5mil to RM4.6mil.

Murugan said the entourage that went to Putrajaya for a meeting with Deputy Education Minister Datuk P. Kamalanathan included, among others, Jasin MP Datuk Seri Ahmad Hamzah and Melaka Woman and Family Development and Welfare deputy committee chairman Datuk Roslan Ahmad.

“We are thankful to the Melaka government, especially Datuk Roslan, for showing their concern over the issue,” he said.

The present dilapidated school building is situated deep inside an estate without a proper road while pupils often faced attacks from wild animals.

The school was supposed to be relocated to a nearby 1.7ha site at Taman Air Merbau in Jasin with proper infrastructure.

So far, only the signboard detailing the project has been erected in the new site.

Protest: Pupils of SJK ( T) Jasin Lalang in Jasin gathering outside the school after promises made of being relocated to a new school building this year wasn’t fulfilled.