BUTTERWORTH – More than 30 parents of SK Assumption’s students held a peaceful rally at Jalan Bagan Dalam here to protest the Education Ministry’s (MoE) decision to close the school.
The rally held in front of the nearly nine-decade-old school was also attended by Deputy Chief Minister II P. Ramasamy and Bagan Dalam assemblyman M. Satees.
Save Assumption School Joint Task Force spokesman Vernon Fernandez said his party had written to the MoE four times to resolve the matter but had yet to receive any response.
“We have four demands, namely that we want the MoE to withdraw the school closure order and approve the formation of the school governing board.
“We also want the MoE to stick to its letters dated 5 September 2013 and 22 October 2018, which stated that the ministry has no intention of closing schools.
“MoE is also urged to hold direct negotiations with landowners and stakeholders to find the best solution for the sake of SK Assumption,” he said.
On January 24, MoE in a statement said that a total of 53 students and teachers of SK Assumption will be transferred to several schools nearby.
Considering the ongoing school session, the MoE has also applied for a postponement of the evacuation of the school building and site until the end of the third term for the 2021/2022 session in March 2022.
Meanwhile, Ramasamy said he did not understand why the MoE did not want to try to save SK Assumption even though the landowners were willing to negotiate with all parties.
The landlord understands about the future of this school, he is also willing to negotiate with the school representative so that this school can be saved.
“What is the real intention of MoE? We want to save SK Assumption because this is not only a place to study, but also a nostalgic history to the people of Butterworth.”
Ramasamy, who is also the state Education, Human Capital Development, Science and Technology Committee chairman, said the state government was ready to save SK Assumption but noted that education was under the authority of the federal government.
Meanwhile, Satees said he had sent a memorandum to the MoE last Thursday but had not received any response.
He said he had also met the landowners recently and was informed that they did not intend to evict or close SK Assumption.
“They just want a clear stance from the MoE. We also want the MoE to postpone their decision for another year so that we can get a solution.
“However, if the MoE does not give any answer within two weeks, we will hold a peaceful protest in Putrajaya,” he said.
Earlier, The Vibes reported that SK Assumption in Bagan Dalam will cease operations from February 28 as the private landowner is seeking the return of the land as soon as possible. – The Vibes, February 2, 2022
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