As the closure of SJK (C) Damansara school enters its fourth year, it continues to attract fresh enrolments as each new school year begins.

It may be a modest figure by comparison with national schools, but five new Standard One pupils were added to the school rolls today. In January last year, there were four new students.

The school is now operating from a temple adjacent to the original premises, which were shut down by the Education Ministry on Jan 2, 2001, ostensibly for "no longer providing a conducive learning environment".

Principal Ong See Yong said today that two more students - in Standard Two and Four respectively - are expected to report to the school tomorrow.

"With this, there will be 47 students and 11 teachers," he said, adding that 11 of the 50 students last year had completed their primary schooling in December.

"I am glad parents are still sending their children to the school despite the constraints we face. This shows how important it is for every community to have its own school - it is the main reason why we have been able to survive so long."

Another factor, he explained, has been parental support for the school's teaching methods which focus on counseling and theme learning in a smaller group - these differ from methods used in national schools.

The school needs about RM14,000 per month to support its operational costs, but Ong said there is sufficient funding for the current year.

"Even if we run out of money, I am confident that the public will give strong support and will donate any time because this issue is still alive among the public," he said.

A Standard One pupil, Kong Su Jun (see photo)

said she likes the environment at the school. Her sister is in Standard Four.

"My mother sent me and my sister here. I am happy and like learning because it is fun and I have many friends," she said, adding that her favourite subject is Chinese Language.

MCA urged to act

Apart from students and parents, about 70 villagers, educationists and political leaders were at the school-year opening ceremony, held in the compound of the original premises this morning.

Among those present were United Chinese School Teachers' Association of Malaysia (Jiao Zong) vice-president Loot Ting Yee, DAP national publicity chief Ronnie Liu and Parti Keadilan Rakyat vice-president Tian Chua.

Save Our School (SOS) committee vice-president Wong Yew Kong urged the MCA to respond to a memorandum submitted by various Chinese organisations last November during a meeting with the party.

The memorandum, among other points, highlighted the closure of the Damansara school and urged the MCA to give due attention to the issues involved.

MCA president Ong Ka Ting was quoted in a Oriental Daily News report last Friday as saying that the issue would be discussed at a second meeting with the Chinese organisations scheduled for Thursday.

The SOS committee had, last month, claimed that the authorities tried to turn the school into a warehouse by attempting to dump 50 boxes of documents in the classrooms.

The committee later sent a letter to Education Minister Musa Mohamed, calling for an inquiry into this. However, Ong said today that there has been no response to date.

On New Year's Eve, the committee distributed leaflets at Dataran Merdeka highlighting the incident, but three supporters were arrested .