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Lack of funds affecting mission schools badly
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Friday, 7 Sep 2018
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<p id="gmail-slcontent_0_sleft_0_TopHeadTextByLine" class="gmail-byline">by <a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/authors?q=%22Bavani+M%22">bavani m.</a></p>
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<div id="gmail-slcontent_0_sleft_0_storyDiv" class="gmail-story"><p>KUALA
LUMPUR: The hockey court at La Salle Sentul Kuala Lumpur (both SMK La
Salle and SK La Salle) has not been used for some time now. The green
surface looks worn out and moss has grown over it. </p><p>But the school authority has no funds to repair it as they need to raise some RM100,000 to fix a collapsed school wall instead. </p><p>“I
heard the school principal has already seen three contractors but the
quotations were high,” said Malaysian Federation of Lasallian Alumni
Association president Michael Simon. </p><p>At SK La Salle Jinjang, the
school’s member of the board of managers, David Foo, has been seeking
funds to upgrade the school’s ageing facilities. </p><div class="gmail-inlineAd" style="float:left;width:100%">
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</div><p>“Everything is in a state of disrepair; the doors, the windows, the toilets,” he said. </p><p>“But
what’s sad is that the basic facilities – tables and chairs where the
students have to sit on are so old and rickety – has to be put on the
back burner (getting replacements).”</p><p>Mission schools across the
country are facing the same problem; stuck with ageing facilities and
lack of funds, school authorities are forced to make the tough decision
to utilise whatever funds they have for repairs and paying utility bills
rather than for teaching tools and upgrading sports facilities. </p><p>Michael
said it was normal that the upkeep of schools generally received less
attention from the Education Ministry than issues like the language
policy. </p><p>“And, this is so despite there being a direct link between the school’s condition and its ability to educate.</p><p>“It
is no secret that poor conditions like cramped quarters, hot classrooms
and ageing facilities can affect the learning process,” he noted. </p><p>Michael added that it was the reason why mission schools were seeking equal funding like what government schools were getting. </p><p>In
a statement on Aug 24, the ministry had said assistance to
government-aided schools was subjected to the availability of funds.</p></div></div>
<br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone: (215) 898-7475<br>Fax: (215) 573-2138 <br><br>Email: <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com" target="_blank">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/" target="_blank">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a> <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div></div>