SMK St Bernadette’s Convent in Batu Gajah, Perak, needs funds for a soil erosion mitigation project at the school.
Principal V. Krishnaveni said a slope at the back of the school was in danger of further eroding and required fixing for the safety of students and staff.
“Following consultations with contractors, engineers as well as geologists, a retention structure needed to be built, so that the perimeter wall in the affected area would not collapse.
“The quotation for the mitigation work is about RM690,000, which includes building a drainage system, as well as a retention structure on the slope.
“At the moment, we could only cordon off the area to prevent students from going near it,” she said when met at the school.
Krishnaveni said the problem arose in 2022, when water started to stagnate at the affected area.
“The wall also showed signs of slanting, which we later found to be due to soil erosion. Sinkholes appeared later.
“We hired a contractor to build a manhole so that water could disperse, but the issue has persisted,” she added.
Krishnaveni said the school would hold a charity event on Sept 12 to raise funds for the mitigation work.
“So far, we have collected about RM37,000,” she said, while expressing hope that Education Ministry and relevant governmental agencies would also help.
Its board of governors chairman Prof Dr B. Vishalache from Universiti Malaya’s Education Faculty called on former students to donate.
“We hope that they can play a part to help the school,” she said.
The school can be contacted at 05-366 1577.
Earlier, alumni from the Class of 1973 visited the school and donated RM10,100.
