SMK Perempuan Pudu’s principal Liow Miin Yi (third right) introduces the newly built classroom to PM’s political secretary Chan Ming Kai (third left). — LEONG WAI YEE/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: The Federal Government has approved RM200,000 in funding for Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (Perempuan) Pudu after the school’s building project remained stalled for years.
The Prime Minister’s political secretary Chan Ming Kai said such institutions "cannot be left alone to struggle" when public fundraising efforts fall short.
Chan said many partially supported schools were required to be self-sustaining and often had to initiate their own donation drives to cover infrastructure costs, as government assistance typically extended only to maintenance.
However, in cases where schools had repeatedly applied for funding and were still unable to raise sufficient money, the government had a duty to intervene, he said when met at the school here on Tuesday (Dec 9).
"For us, it is part of our responsibility. Even though this is an SBK (sekolah bantuan kerajaan or government-aided school) school, it is still an education centre for the community in this area.
"When we saw that it needed a top-up after being rejected for years and still couldn’t collect enough, we felt that it was time to give a bit more so the project could be completed," he added.
The RM200,000 allocation will support the school’s donation campaign to complete a new building that has been delayed since 2019.
Datuk Andrew Tan, a member of the board of governors, said the school, established more than a century ago, had struggled to meet rising construction costs.
The project, initially estimated at RM3.2mil before the Covid-19 pandemic, now requires RM4.5mil following cost escalations, he added.
"That’s why we need funds from the public," Tan said, adding that the latest allocation would help the school inch closer to completing the long-awaited structure.
