The action committee to save the Damansara school wants Deputy Education Minister Hon Choon Kim to clarify the position of the students who refused to register at another school as had been ordered by the Education Ministry at the beginning of the year.

This is necessary following the announcement by another deputy minister of the ministry, Abdul Aziz Samsuddin, that those who refused to be relocated will not be allowed to sit for the Primary School Assessment Examination (UPSR), said Tommy Chin, who leads the action committee.

Sin Chew Jit Poh today reported Abdul Aziz as saying that the education ministry would have to take action against the SJK (C) Damansara students who have not registered at SJK (C) Puay Chai II since the school they are attending now is not recognised by the government.

The Chinese daily reported last month that according to Education Minister Musa Mohamed, the original 67 students who stayed put at the school from the start would be expelled should they fail to report to Puay Chai II by March 2.

This means that of the 67, eight who are in Year Six, would be disallowed from taking the UPSR exam which will be held in September.

Students of the Damansara school were supposed to have moved to Puay Chai II in January while awaiting the completion of the new school building in Tropicana.

However, an initial 67 students, later joined by seven others, and their parents, rebelled against the decision as they were dissatisfied with the authorities' rationale for the relocation as well as the lack of information on the future of the 70-year-old school once it is abandoned.

Chin told malaysiakini that the parents of the now 74 students who are continuing to study in a neighbouring temple have not received any letter regarding the expulsion.

"If the students were not expelled, then they should not be barred from sitting for the exam," he said.

Chin added that the parents should not be too concerned over Aziz's statement as their children have already registered for the examination.

'Issue resolved'

Chin said that the committee queued to shake hands with Dr Mahathir Mohamad at the parliament lobby this morning (the Dewan Rakyat began its first sitting for this year today) to ask for his assistance over the issue only to be told by the prime minister that the Damansara school issue has been resolved.

While in Parliament, the committee also invited other members of Parliament to visit the school.

"One of the Barisan Nasional MPs told us he does not want any media coverage for the visit, though," said Chin.

He added that the committee will also be sending a memorandum on the relocation of the school to Parliament.

Sacrifices

Meanwhile, Dr Yap Sin Tian, deputy chairman of the United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong), told malaysiakini today that the defiant parents of the 74 students will not give up the struggle despite the implicit 'threat' in Aziz's announcement.

Yap said they are determined that their children stay on at the school.

"We respect the parents' stand. To fight for the reopening of the school, they would have to make some sacrifices," he said.

However, he also pointed out that the UPSR is not a crucial examination as even those who failed it are allowed to progress to secondary schools.

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