Write in appeal, rejected UPSR applicants told
Deputy Education Minister Hon Choon Kim today advised nine students from the original SJK(C) Damansara school s UPSR examination were rejected We were asked to write an appeal letter to the ministry and send a copy to Hon. We were told he would try to assist us on the matter, said parent Wong Yew Kon.
The controversy over SJK(C) Damansara started when the Chinese primary school, the only one in Damansara, was closed down and relocated to a nearby site in Tropicana last year.
This move met with strong protests from several parents and Chinese educationist groups who claimed the government said only a branch of the school was being built at the new site while the old building would be maintained.
Following this, a group of students refused to move and continued to study in air-conditioned containers placed in the grounds of a temple near the original school, much to the chagrin of the government.
Unrecognised school
According to Wong, the nine students submitted their applications with those of the other students at the new building in Tropicana.
We submitted the students names with those of the other students but the principal informed us that the applications were rejected by higher authorities and there was nothing more we could do, said Wong who spoke on behalf of the other parents.
He said the Deputy Education Minister of Selangor Kamaruddin Mansor, who signed the rejection letter, suggested that the students be enrolled in government-recognised schools so that they can register for the UPSR examination
Wong said this was the first time they have been told the SJK (C) Damansara does not fall under the category of recognised schools.
We have not received any letters telling us that our childrens school was not recognised by the government. In fact, the school is the original SJK(C) Damansara, he stressed.
He said parents were puzzled by the ministrys new position as last year eight standard six pupils who were studying at the temple, were allowed to sit for the examination.
Wong said despite the passing of the deadline for registration, there is still an opportunity for the nine students applications to be processed by the ministry.
They [the ministry] do allow for later registrations for exceptional cases such as students who transfer schools later in the year. So we hope our childrens applications will also be approved later, he added.
Coping well
Meanwhile, the Save Our School (SOS) committee — a lobby group set up by concerned residents — said students should not be denied the opportunity to sit for the examination as it concerns their future.
It is unfair for the students to be disallowed from sitting for the UPSR, said its secretary Tommy Chin who was also at the education ministry today.
In a related matter, SJK (C) Damansaras academic supervisor Lee Kim Sin said 59 students are still studying in the original school.
We currently have 13 volunteer teachers for our students and we also have six new students this year enrolled into standard one, said Lee who accompanied the parents today.
Asked how the students were fairing due to the unique arrangements, Lee said they were doing well due to the extra attention they receive from teachers.
There are fewer students so they benefit from the smaller classes, he said.
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