KUANTAN: Armed with a broom and ladder, parent K. Janarthanan was busy dusting cobwebs off classroom ceilings at SJK(T) Ladang Jeram along Jalan Kuantan-Bypass here today.
Janarthanan, who is also the school’s Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) chairman, later arranged 10 tables and chairs in the three classrooms which will be used by the Year One, Two and Three pupils for the new school term which starts tomorrow.
The makeshift classrooms that were previously separated by zinc walls, with wire netting for windows and cement flooring have undergone minor renovations during the school holidays.
They now have structured plywood walls, dark tinted windows and tile flooring.
Janarthanan, who was putting the finishing touches to ensure that pupils can study in a more conducive environment, said although lessons at the school were conducted in makeshift classrooms and cabins for almost two decades, the PTA wanted to provide the best for the pupils.
“Since the construction of the new school building in the vicinity was never completed and is embroiled in controversy, the PTA along with support from the school decided to slowly refurbish the premises. Although we cannot do much as the school is located on private land, we do not want the pupils to be left behind.
“Since the classrooms have zinc roofs and can be very warm, we equipped the classrooms with stand fans. Recently, we upgraded three classrooms and next we will install a television set in each classroom as a teaching aid,” he told the New Straits Times when met at the school here today.
Nestled amid rows of oil palm trees, the Year One, Two and Three pupils study in makeshift classrooms while three cabins, measuring 30m by 40m, that had once served as the temporary office units for the housing estate developer, will be occupied by the Year Four, Five and Six pupils.
The school has been deploying containers as their classroom for almost two decades after the construction of the new school building on a 2ha site located less than 1km from here was delayed due to various issues.
The RM14.8 million project, which was supposed to be completed in August 2016, was extended to November 2018. However, once the clearing works had been completed, the contractor ran into trouble and the project was halted.
Janarthanan said while the public had a negative impression on the school due to its location and classroom setup, the teachers have been doing their best to make sure the pupils do well in their academic and co-curricular performance.
“The school recorded 74 per cent in passes during the recent Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah examination and even produced a UPSR straight-As pupil in 2012. Special tuition classes are held ahead of the examination and there are computer classes at the school. The pupils even participate in extra co-curricular activities at the state and national level," he said.
He said the PTA and school management believed that a new school building would boost enrollment as it would be equipped with modern facilities and learning tools.
“Sometimes parents who bring their children here (for enrollment) change their mind after looking at the school’s condition. A new building will allow parents to be more confident and they will voluntarily send their children here," he said.
“For now, the PTA has to visit Indian families living at the nearby housing settlements to encourage them to send their children to the school. And usually, we have to give a lengthy explanation.
“To make it easier for parents, I make three trips every morning and in the afternoon in a van to help pick up students for class and drive them home later,” he said, adding the school had about 50 pupils for the new school term, including 10 who would be joining Year One.
A parent who wanted to be identified as Kumar said the PTA was going the extra mile but it was difficult to convince parents to enrol their children to SJK(T) Ladang Jeram.
Meanwhile, Indera Mahkota member of parliame
nt Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah recently said the construction of the new school building was expected to begin early this year.
“The Education Ministry is in the process of appointing a new contractor after terminating the services of the previous contractor. I visited the school last year. It is important to have a proper studying environment and not in cabins.”