School appealing to Education Ministry to allow it continue as single-session system

SJKC Khai Chee’s board of governors is appealing to the Education Ministry to allow the school to continue its single-session system and the use of its four-storey annex.

The school's board chairman Lim Beng Hean said the ministry through a letter dated Feb 21 had instructed the school in Segambut, Kuala Lumpur to cease usage of the building and move back to the original 1.21ha (2.99 acre) space.

The current capacity of the school including its four-storey building is what allows its 2,000 plus students from Primary One to Six and over 100 teachers and staff to attend school as one-session.

The school expanded its area in 2017 after purchasing the land adjacent to its original site from an oil-company and building a four-storey block with extra classrooms and office space for administrators and teachers.

Lim said the school’s board was in discussion with the Education Ministry to resolve the issue on Dec 30 last year and proposed to keep the new building operating as the larger area would benefit its students and staff.

“We were hoping for a favourable reply from the ministry but then the school head received the letter dated Feb 21 which instructed the school to stop using the new building and implement the dual-session system,” said Lim in a press conference.

Lim said that moving back would pose many challenges and make life difficult for students, parents and teachers, from the lack of parking for teachers and administrators to the lack of manpower for conducting proper sanitising before the second session.

“We are appealing to the ministry to give us at least one more year to extend the single session while we work together towards a win-win solution.”

“We also hope that MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong will step in to help us with this matter and approach our prime minister for a long-term solution,” he added.