SK Puncak Alam 2 gets RM500,000 allocation for repairs and school field, thanks to PM
KUALA SELANGOR: Thunderous applause and cheers echoed through the hall of SK Puncak Alam 2 when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced RM500,000 allocation for the cluster school.
The allocation is meant for repairs and upgrading of the school field, which according to its headmaster Jumaat Haron, has been in a bad shape for about five years.
While announcing allocations and planned developments for Kuala Selangor district, Najib also mentioned the school field, which immediately garnered claps from some 500 educationists and teachers in the hall.
“I can see that once the field was mentioned the response was different. More intense claps compared to the others (announcement of the new District Education Office in Bukit Melawati and a teaching hospital in Jeram).
“Regardless, I approve the allocation of half a million so students can now run straight,” Najib, who is also Barisan Nasional chairman said in his speech during a working visit to Kuala Selangor.
Kuala Selangor member of parliament Datuk Seri Dr Irmohizam Ibrahim, who will be defending his seat in the 14th General Election had in his speech earlier mentioned the dire state of the field.
“I was invited to the school once when I saw the children running in a 100 metre race. But when I looked at the lines, they were all crooked. When I asked the headmaster why, he said the field had many stones. I pity the students,” he said, to the crowd which nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, Jumaat said the allocation announced by Najib, had indirectly eased the burden of the school which has been seeking funds to repair the field.
“The field’s condition is quite severe. It is uneven since it is located on a hilly site and has many stones, which makes it less suitable for co-curricular activities.
“The school administration and the Parent Teachers Association had previously decided to organise a programme to raise funds for the field.
“But today, with the Prime Minister’s announcement, it has provided relief to all parents, teachers and students of the school. We would like to thank the premier for this allocation.”
“Following the repair works, our students can practice freely and train themselves to participate in sports and other co-curricular activities.
Jumaat, who has been the school’s headmaster since 2015 said a committee meeting would soon be held with the respective parties concerned, including the Parent Teachers Association to discuss the allocation.
“Besides the field, we also have plans to repair and upgrade the school hall and provide other facilities needed for students. We will discuss this and calculate the budget,” he added.
Meanwhile, the school’s physical education teacher Muhamad Shahir Sallehuddin described the special announcement as “durian runtuh” for the school.
“This announcement came as a surprise. We did not think the Prime Minister would offer such an amount to help fix the field.
“We had plans to organise a programme to raise at least RM100,000. We did not expect to get way more than the targeted amount,” he said.
Present at the programme were Selangor BN chairman Tan Sri Noh Omar, Irmohizam, Jeram state seat candidate Zahar Azlan Arifin and Ijok candidate K. Parthiban.