‘CBN will not be demolished’

SMK Convent Bukit Nanas .-filepic

KUALA LUMPUR: The iconic Convent Bukit Nanas (CBN) will not be demolished when the school’s land lease expires, assures the Federal Territories Director of Land and Mines Office (PPTGWP).

The land would instead be reverted to the government to enable it to be gazetted as a fully aided school, said PPTGWP director Datuk Muhammad Yasir Yahya.

He said the government’s decision to not renew the land lease was to ensure that the school becomes a fully aided government school that would enable it to receive all the benefits it needs for the future.

“And to ensure that happens, CBN is better off being a fully aided school.

“Right now, CBN is partially aided and it is a very old school, and it will benefit more if it is made a fully aided government institution, ” he told The Star yesterday.

Muhammad Yasir cited as an example, since the school was located near a slope and if there was a landslide or erosion, the remedial works would be borne by the government.

“This is just an example of how the school will benefit from being partially aided to fully aided.

“It was the only reason why the Federal Territory Land Executive Committee decided not to renew the lease, ” he said.

Muhammad Yasir reiterated that the CBN would remain as a school and there would not be any development on the land.

“There is nothing sinister about the issue (of not renewing the lease).

“However, if the school board (Lady Superior of the Society of Saint Maur) wants to continue operating the school, they can appeal to the Federal Land Commissioner who owns the land lease, ’’ he said.

“If they choose to do so, the school may not be able to enjoy the full benefits that come by being a fully aided government school, ’’ added Muhammad Yasir.

On April 7, the corporate entity operating CBN, Lady Superior of the Society of Saint Maur, was granted an application for leave for judicial review to challenge the government’s decision to not extend the school’s land lease.

The school had written to the Land office on Oct 4,2017, to seek an extension of the lease. On Dec 18 last year, it received a reply that the lease would not be renewed.

The lease is due to expire on Sept 6 this year and the school is seeking a stay against the decision.

The all-girls school, established in 1899 by nuns of the Sisters of the Holy Infant Jesus – an institute dedicated to the education and training of underprivileged children and the betterment of their lives – is located along Jalan Bukit Nanas here.