JOHOR STATE GOVERNMENT TAKES AWAY TAMIL SCHOOL LAND FOR COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT.

SJK(T) Kangkar Pulai was built in 1953 and was initially known as SRJK(T) Karai Nagar. In 1985, the school was made a sekolah bantuan penuh kerajaan and its name was changed to SJK(T) Kangkar Pulai.

The school is situated on a 0.6 acre land and has two double storey blocks of eight classrooms which is in a dilapidated state.

Infact the Public Works Department as early as 2002 after inspection stated “ bangunan ini tidak sesuai dijadikan bilik darjah kerana tidak mengikut keadaan semasa dan merbahaya untuk di gunakan.”. In its report it further advised the Education Department that “pihak kami mengesyorkan bangunan tersebut dirobohkan dan digantikan dengan bangunan baru”. Even Jabatan Bomba and Penyelamat after conducting an inspection of the school in 2002 found that among others “ Tangga keselamatan tidak mengikut ciri-ciri keselamatan yang diperakui JBDPM”, “Tiada pintu keluar keselamatan di belakang bangunan sekolah” and “ tiada alat keselamatan kebakaran”. In short the school is a death trap !.
The school has no field or vacant space and is prone to floods and is situated smack in the middle of a housing estate. The noise and din from the passing traffic does not provide a conducive studying atmosphere for the students. Students also have to make do without basic facilities like a school hall, computer lab or even a meeting room.

Despite all this shortcomings, SJK(T) Kangkar Pulai which has presently has 768 students has been for sometime among the country’s top scoring schools. In 2005, 17 students scored Seven-A’s in the UPSR examination.

On September 29, 2006 some 250 parents demonstrated in front of the school highlighting the dilapidated condition of the school.

In the immediate aftermath, Datuk Seri Samy Vellu said “I have directed the PWD to speed up work on the Tamil schools and have asked the department to furnish all the necessary requirements including the layout plans within week.”

The then Education Ministry’s parliamentary secretary Komala Krishnamoorthy confirmed that the Johor government had allotted land for the school and that construction works would begin in 2007.

The State M.I.C Chairman Datuk K.S Balakrishnan confirmed that a 2.69 ha land had been alloted by the Johor state government and further the Education Ministry has allocated RM5.4 million for the new school.

Now, in 2008 the new SJK(T) Kangkar Tebrau has yet to be constructed and even worst the land allotted for the construction of the school has been quietly taken away and instead the state government has given approval for the construction of a commercial project.