Putrajaya, Jan 2 – Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Thursday visited several schools here and in Kuala Lumpur on the first day of the school year in the federal territories of Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur.
Muhyiddin, who is also the Education Minister, called at Sekolah Kebangsaan Presint 14 (1) and spent about 30 minutes with Year One pupils and had a look at the special education therapy room.
He also chatted with the pupils and their parents.
Muhyiddin was accompanied on the visit by Education Ministry secretary-general Datuk Dr Madinah Mohamad and director-general of education Datuk Dr Khair Mohamad Yusof.
SK Presint 14 (1) has 1,350 pupils as well as 45 pupils in five special education classes and four pupils in a special education pre-school class. Some 260 pupils joined Year One today.
Its headmaster, Norihan Karim, described Muhyiddin’s visit as historic and told reporters that the deputy prime minister enquired about the facilities at the school, including Internet access and co-curriculum activities.
Muhyiddin then visited several schools in Kuala Lumpur, the first being Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan St Gabriel in Kampung Pandan.
He was welcomed by the principal, Tan Loo Kee; Parent-Teacher Association chairman Capt Sam Abdul Mutalib Hassan and Titiwangsa MP Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani.
During a tour of the school, Muhyiddin called at three classrooms and chatted with the students and teachers.
Tan told reporters the visit provided the teachers and students with the rare opportunity to meet the deputy prime minister.
“We took the opportunity to present a letter from the parent-teacher association seeking a RM3-million aid to build a three-storey building and replace the leaking roof of the existing building.
The school, which was opened in 1946, conducts classes in two sessions. It has 44 teachers and 560 students, 70 per cent of whom are Chinese.
Muhyiddin then went to Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (SJK) Tamil Kampung Pandan in Jalan Thaver.
He spent about 30 minutes observing the classes in session and called at the class with 39 Year One pupils.
Headmaster R. Rathinammal told reporters she hoped that an application for a new four-storey building to replace the existing premises would be approved soon.
She said the new building would be able to accommodate the increasing number of pupils. Besides, the school did not have a hall and a meeting room, she added.
Opened in 1953, SJKT Kampung Pandan only has two double-storey blocks comprising 10 classrooms, one of which is a pre-school class. It has 269 pupils, 25 of whom are pre-school pupils, and 22 teachers.
Muhyiddin also visited SJK Cina Chung Hwa Setapak.
– Bernama
