malaysiangBUTTERWORTH, Jan 18 — The parents of students of Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Assumption, Jalan Bagan Dalam, near here, have expressed hope that the school landowner will reconsider the decision to officially close the school.
SK Assumption will be closed for good on Feb 28 after operating for 89 years.
Che Su Tahar, 42, said she needed more time to find a suitable school for her eight-year-old son for at least a year, adding that even though there were several primary schools in the vicinity that she could choose from, it would not be the same as SK Assumption has quality educators and the welfare of the students were well-taken care of.
“My son’s school performance has also increased,” she said when met at the school compound here today.
Che Su said the school Parent-Teacher Association (PIBG) has implemented various efforts to prevent it from closing such as urging the Penang State Education Department to speed up the registration of the pro-tem board of governors for the school.
However, she said, they would have to acquiesce if the landowner was adamant to close the school as scheduled.
Meanwhile, Shahrizan Sickandar, 42, who is an engineer said the school heritage should be preserved due to its historical value and the education quality that the school provides to students.
“All my friends (who went to SK Assumption) are now professionals. My son who is now in Year One has improved a lot due to the focus provided by his teacher,” he said.
A mother of four, Nazirah Mohd Salihu, 43, said she hoped that relevant parties would review in depth the decision to close the school for the benefit of all parties.
“If you want to close it, don’t discard the name of the school. Build a secondary Assumption school for boys as this area does not have a school for male students,” she added.
On Jan 9 Bernama reported that the school’s licence would be revoked upon the closure, as the private landowner (Sri Avenue Sdn Bhd) has requested for the return of the land and building “as soon as possible”.
The Save Assumption School Joint Task Force is hoping that the Penang Education Department will immediately approve the registration of the pro-tem board of governors for SK Assumption in Butterworth, in a bid to save the school.
Its spokesman, Vernon Fernandez was reported as saying that the pro-tem board of governors, which includes representatives from the Parent-Teacher Association, the Alumni Association, the landowner and the Diocese of Penang, was set up last year, primarily as a legal platform to solve the issue of the school and its premises.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency
