In six days, students will be back at the recently reopened SJK(C) Damansara - the Chinese primary school which has been the subject of a protracted campaign after it was unceremoniously shut down seven years ago.

Workers are rushing to complete the much-needed repairs of the school buildings which have been abandoned since 2001.

When Malaysiakini visited the school in Kampung Baru Damansara today, a team of workers were busy wiring the electrical system and clearing up debris from the last-minute renovation work.

damansara school repairing The roof and toilets have already been repaired and the walls were given a fresh coat of paint, making the school look brand new.

The workers said they have been at work non-stop in the past 10 days and more men are joining them to ensure the school will be ready when the new term starts - Jan 5, 2009.

Normally, such a task would take one month, but the workers have been ordered to finish it in half that time.

damansara school wiring There are still some tasks to be done, especially for Tenaga and Syabas to reconnect the electricity and water supplies respectively.

Save Our School committee (SOS Damansara) chairperson Hew Wah, a key campaigner in battle to save the controversial school, said he was satisfied with the progress of the work.

"The workers did not rest, they worked even during public holidays and weekends," he added.

One-upmanship expected from MCA, DAP

Hew said the committee will organising an opening ceremony for the school next Monday and members of public are invited.

damansara school new furniture It is expected both MCA and DAP would be seeking political mileage on that day - both the predominantly Chinese parties are claiming credit for ‘saving’ the school.

Deputy Education Minister Wee Kah Siong has visited the school several times and MCA members are at hand to help with cleaning the school’s compound.

They are keen to burnish their image as the party responsible for 'closing' the school.

Meanwhile, DAP and some local residents are worried that the repair work would not finish in time for the school’s reopening. To press their point, they held a protest during one of Wee’s visits.

sos damansara school reopening 030108 children Hew conceded that such politicking is unavoidable, but stressed that his Save Our School (SOS) committee is independent.

SJK(C) Damansara was closed by the Education Ministry on Jan 2, 2001, and most of the students there were relocated to new premises at Tropicana, a few kilometres away.

The reason for the school’s relocation was that it could no longer provide a "conducive learning environment" due to traffic congestion and noise and air pollution from the neighbouring Sprint Highway.

sos damansara school reopening 030108 days However, several disgruntled parents and supporters refused to send their children to the new school.

They formed the SOS Damansara Committee to fight for the school’s reopening and continued running classes in air-conditioned containers in the nearby Ruan Liang temple.

This make-shift school of 50-odd students, funded mostly by the local community, was the most enduring symbol of their campaign over the past seven years.

Hopes rekindled

After being repeatedly ignored by the authorities, SOS Damansara’s hopes were rekindled just before the March 8 general elections when Education Minister Hishammuddin Hussien held a meeting with the committee’s late chairperson, Yong Yoke Song.

sos damansara dinner 270605 students Regretfully Yong did not live to witness the re-opening of the school - he died two days after the historic general election which saw the ruling Barisan Nasional given a trashing by angry voters.

The re-opening of SJK(C) Damansara was nevertheless in doubt as MCA lost Petaling Jaya Utara parliamentary seat, where the school is located.

However Hishammuddin said he was committed to solving the problem and assigned Wee to personally handle the case.

sos damansara school reopening 030108 abandoned Wee subsequently announced that the school will be re-opened by next school’s year and renamed it SJK(C) Chung Hwa Damansara - a school relocated from Perak.

The government has decreed that no new Chinese schools are to be built and thus another school - one which have a handful of students - must give way to ‘save’ SRK(C) Damansara.