GEORGE TOWN: Gerakan has chided the authorities for their behaviour over the impending closure of Sekolah Kebangsaan Assumption in Jalan Bagan Dalam, Butterworth.
Stressing that many parties were involved in the issue — from the landowners to the teachers, students, the Parent-Teacher Association, as well as the Education Ministry and local city council, Gerakan vice-president Datuk Baljit Singh said a meaningful outcome must be reached for the most affected.
"The stakeholders here are the children, parents and teachers. We should be discussing the options with them. Do they want the school closure or do they want this learning institution to continue its status quo?
"It is not about who was right or wrong in the past, who sold the land and vice-versa. History is important but what is more pertinent is the present - the plight of the parents, teachers and students from ages 7 to 12," he said today.
"Away from each family's house, we realise that schools are second homes for our young. Education has always been the top priority in our society. We, as parents, want the best for our children.
"When reports surfaced that SK Assumption is on the verge of closing, we wonder how the relevant authorities would react to such a situation.
"Sadly, as the issue dragged on, the authorities have behaved in a way which has disappointed the public.
"If it's true that the student enrolment for a primary school is down to 55, isn't it only reasonable to consider relocating to another school? On the other hand, if the stakeholders persist that the school should remain, shouldn't the authorities find ways to increase the enrolment to provide ideal numbers of students, so as to offer a cohesive learning environment for the students? We definitely do not want to waste education resources," he added.
Baljit said he was made to understand that the National Union of Teaching Profession (NUTP) was receptive to the closure but on conditions that the teachers, parents, and students were not duly burdened with a relocation.
He added that with Covid-19 lurking, perhaps a small enrolment could be temporarily allowed as physical distancing could be better enforced.
Preventive measures, he pointed out, could also be adopted from masking to disinfection and consistent testing at schools.
"We are now living in an age where the results of an outcome matters.
"So, let us find an outcome which is meaningful to the most affected - the teachers, students and their parents. Schools are the playgrounds for nation building. If we strive to make them centre of excellence, the investments in our children will pay off when the country inherits the type of talent which can take Malaysia forward," he stressed.
The Save Assumption School joint taskforce, in a statement, had said that at a meeting last Saturday, the Education Ministry announced that the mission school would be closed with effect from Feb 28.
The joint taskforce claimed the "instruction" to meet was called by the ministry, giving the recipients less than 24 hours of notice.
It said a joint taskforce comprising representatives from the Parent-Teacher Association, the Assumption Butterworth Alumni Association and pro-tem Board of Governors was quickly formed.
"There was insufficient time for many other interested parties to attend, sadly the most important being representatives of the landowner.
"It was not a meeting to engage all stakeholders to seek solutions but simply a pronouncement of a decision made by higher-ups to inform the stakeholders, especially the students and their parents to accept the decision," it was quoted in the statement.
The taskforce urged the state Education Department to immediately approve the registration of the pro-tem Board of Governors.
"This was set up last year primarily as the legal platform to solve the school and premises' issue. It includes representatives from the Parent Teacher Association, the Alumni Association, the landowner and the Diocese of Penang.
"The Save Assumption School joint taskforce remains committed to ensuring that the well-being and welfare of the students remain a top priority and seek solutions that will allow them to finish their formative primary school years without any disruptions or negative experience of feeling 'unwanted' by any action of the Education Ministry," it further added.