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BUTTERWORTH – Widely circulated messages on the permanent closure of SK Assumption in Bagan Dalam here are fake as a school official urged parents to send their children for classes when the term resumes on Monday.
The official told The Vibes that there have been no instructions from the Education Ministry or state Education Department on the apparent closure.
The messages have also prompted some members of the public to initiate a save-the-school campaign.
Bagan Dalam assemblyman M. Satees said he was surprised to get the unverified messages that indicated a landowner wanted the land back in three months’ time.
The messages also alleged that the school’s Parent and Teachers Association (PTA) chairman and former chairman of the board of governors were summoned to the Education Department for a meeting recently.
Another claim was that the closure was decided without consulting the PTA, board of governors, Penang Catholic Diocese, Federation of Christian Mission Schools in Malaysia, and other stakeholders.
SK Assumption, a missionary school originally in Jalan Assumption, was closed down when the Penang Catholic Diocese sold the land to a private developer some 15 years ago.
Although its name was retained, the school was relocated several hundred metres from its original location.
Officers at the state Education Department have refused to comment on the issue, adding that their director is currently in Pahang to help schools affected by the floods and will be back next week. – The Vibes, January 7, 2022