Mission school falls on hard times
Power disconnected at St John’s as it struggles to pay electricity bill
KUALA LUMPUR: The 114-year-old iconic boys’ school, St John’s Institution, went dark on Monday when its electricity was disconnected following its inability to pay its outstanding bill of RM245,348.54.
St John’s Institution Alumni Association president Isham Ishak said following a meeting with Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) yesterday , the company waived the RM55,000 in interest, adding that this brought the total bill to about RM190,000.
“From the total of RM190,00 owed, it was proposed that the school pay RM50,000 by the end of this month.
“The outstanding balance would be paid over the next three years in instalments. This is on top of the school’s monthly bills,” said Isham at the school located in Bukit Nanas.
He said TNB offered to instal solar panels to reduce electricity consumption.
Isham said the St John’s Institution Alumni Association then set up the #SAVESJI Fund on Monday to resolve the school’s outstanding electricity bill.
The proceeds of the fund, he added, would be used to settle the charges, as well as aid the school in subsequent payments.
While people have been generous in donating, Isham said the mission school, which receives an allocation of RM16,000 from the Government per year, did not always get all the funds it needed to cover operational and maintenance costs.
“This has been an ongoing matter for almost eight years. The school has been paying whatever it could every month to prevent the electricity from being disconnected.
“Some months, we would be able to pay the full amount,” he said.
Isham said that the monthly operational expenses at St John’s is almost RM20,000, out of which RM13,000 was on electricity consumption.
He said the school has come up with plans to prevent similar issues from recurring.
“For the short term, we are raising funds to pay TNB. We will also conduct an audit into the school’s energy efficiency and manage the usage more effectively.
“For the medium term, the alumni is looking to set up an endowment project, which allows the public and alumni to contribute to the school. The fund would then be governed by its own trustees,” he said.
He added that the school is looking at monetising some of its facilities, streamlining rental rates as well as looking into corporate partnership programmes with companies in need of training facilities in the city centre.
“For the long term, we are planning to meet Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik for an open dialogue on how we can resolve the status of government-aided schools,” he said.
Isham who finished his schooling at St John’s in 1996, added that a note has been sent to Dr Maszlee on the matter.
He explained that the school’s alumni association was not asking for a change in its mission school status but to look into the available options to help such schools.
School principal Manmohan Singh declined to comment on the issue.
Muthokumaran Arasappan, who finished at St John’s in 1994, said he was surprised when he found out that the fund was set up to resolve his alma-matter’s substantial electricity bil.
“I thought it was a prank at first,” said the proud Johannian who will contribute to the fund.
He added that the new government should do more to protect the historic and iconic school, which is a national monument.
Jerome Lim, a fellow Johannian, said the high cost for electricity consumption could be lowered if the school has new electrical wiring.
“The school should look into rewiring the building,” he noted.
Another Johannian Kim Lee, who graduated in 1984, said the school administration should have brought up the issue at the many events and gatherings.
“The alumni returns to the school to show support for these events. We didn’t know about this issue till now,” she said.
As of Aug 21, Isham said more than RM30,000 has been collected for the fund.
Contributions to the school can be made to Persatuan Alumni Sekolah St. John KL (1988), Maybank account 5140 5718 4577.