JOHOR BARU: The Johor government will continue its policy to expedite the development of schools as these facilities are important for people when building human capital.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said this was important as there should not be any stumbling block for the
development of schools.
“This policy has been in active for some time. As far as possible, we (state government) want to expedite such matters. We do not want to be
the body that hinders such development as (schools) are needed by the people,” he told reporters after launching the piling works for the new SJK(C) Pei Hwa 2 in Permas Jaya, here today.
Khaled said the state government would facilitate the terms of approval for land and local authorities as well as taxation matters when it came to
the development of schools.
“Other issues on allocation for building new schools, teachers and curriculum will still come under the Education Ministry.”
Khaled said the state government was committed to the development of human capital for people, as the state was undergoing rapid
development.
“How much knowledge we have will determine how far we will go in life and our value in human capital.”
Khaled said the Johor government had taken into account the increasing population, and there were plans for new schools in the pipeline. He said land was being reserved for these new school projects.
He said SJK(C) Pei Hwa 2 will fulfill the needs of the Chinese community in Permas Jaya, who now send their children to schools in other
neighbourhoods such as Taman Molek and Taman Johor Jaya.
SJK(C) Pei Hwa 2 , which costs about RM10million will be completed by the end of this year. It is expected to accommodate up to 3,000
pupils.
Iskandar Waterfront City Bhd (IWC) contributed RM7.2 million for the earth works, a 1 km access road and other infrastructure for the
school as part of its corporate social responsibility.
When commenting on the company’s CSR to help build the school, Khaled said such a thing was encouraged as it helped in the development of community.
“Whatever role played by any corporation has to be a win-win situation. Any corporate social responsibility programme to set up educational facilities is encouraged.”
Meanwhile, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong, who attended the same event, commended the state
government for expediting approval for the school’s development.
“The Johor government obtained approval for planning, early commencement and Certificate of Fitness (CF) within a six month period. This is a record.
“Other states, such as Selangor for example spend one and a half years looking at a “kelulusan merancang” (KM) or approval for planning, but by the time Johor received this approval, construction had started. Johor is very pragmatic in this matter,” he said.