SRJK (C) Damansara's Save Our School (SOS) committee secretary Tommy Chin said today that the committee would seek a meeting with the new Education Minister, Hishammuddin Hussein, as soon as possible to discuss two pressing issues.

He told malaysiakini that the committee would bring up the re-opening of the school with the minister as well as the problem faced by UPSR - Year six assessment examination - students of the school.

Saying they were happy with the minister's statement that more Chinese schools will be built, Chin also hoped that Hishammuddin ( photo ) would do all within his authority to resolve the long-standing Damansara school issue.

"13 students in our original school are also worried about not being able to sit for the UPSR this year as they insisted on staying here instead of moving to the new school," Chin said.

No response yet

"We hope that the minister could also help resolve the issue as sitting for the UPSR is very important for the students," he added.

Chin said that the students had applied to take the UPSR in the original school but had yet to receive a positive response from the Education Ministry.

The Chinese-vernacular school in Petaling Jaya was shut down by the Education Ministry on Jan 2, 2001, ostensibly for "no longer providing a conducive learning environment". Students were then placed in a new school nearby.

The Selangor state education department claimed that the school which had 1,430 students at that time no longer has a conducive learning environment because it was too small and too close to a highway that stretches in front of the school.

Despite that, the school continues operating and presently has more than 70 students.

According to Chin, SOS will hold a fund-raising dinner for the school on June 26. Previous fund-raising events for the school had drawn keen support from the Chinese community.