All set for new Chinese school in Batu Kawan

New school for the people: Chow (fourth from left) and Goh pointing to the location of the site on a map plan while briefing Mohd Bazid (second left) and Teo (third from left) on where the proposed school will be built in Batu Kawan.

BUKIT MERTAJAM: The federal government will build a new Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina or SJK(C) in Batu Kawan costing between RM8mil and RM10mil.

Deputy Education Minister Teo Nie Ching said the school, to be built on a 2.43ha plot provided by the Penang Development Corpo­ration (PDC), is expected to be ready in 2021.

She said they would either provide a new operating licence for the school or relocate SJK(C) Kuang Yu in Kuala Muda to the site.

She said there would be 24 classrooms, with 35 pupils in each class.

“A new SJK(C) is needed here as the population in the area is expected to reach 250,000 following the growth of new housing estates.

“There is already a Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) and a Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK),” she told reporters at the PDC office in Bandar Cassia after a site visit on Sunday.

Teo said upon completion, the new school could take in 840 pupils.

“The site is suitable for a new school as there will be a big space for the pupils to carry out their activities,” she said.

Present were Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, PDC deputy general manager II Mohd Bazid Abd Kahar, Penang Education Department director Jamil Mohamed, Bukit Tambun assemblyman Goh Choon Aik, Chinese and Mission Schools Affairs Coordinating Committee secretary Sim Phoi Yong and its committee members.

Also present were SJK(C) Kuang Yu headmistress Lee Kha Luang, school board of directors chairman Bu Theng Uu and its committee.

In his speech, Chow said the state government and the PDC would assist the ministry in building the school.