Oil palm plan proposed - Star

Sept 18, 2008 By CHRISTINA KOH

NINE Perak Chinese independent schools have identified a piece of land in Taiping where they plan to grow oil palm to earn income for their expenses.

Revealing this, Perak Education, Local Government, Housing and Public Transport Committee chairman Nga Kor Ming said the state would look into the application by the school boards of governors for the proposed site in Taiping.

He said the school boards had also agreed to set up a non- profit company to manage the land.

“All the nine schools will have equal share and the school boards will not draw any salary or directors’ fees,” he told reporters after a meeting with the school boards in Ipoh on Tuesday.

The nine schools are SM Shen Jai, SM Yuk Choy and SM Poi Lam all three in Ipoh, SM Nam Hwa in Sitiawan, SM Yik Ching in Pantai Remis, SM Pei Yuan in Kampar, SM Hua Lian in Taiping, SM Sam Min in Teluk Intan, and SM Tsung Wah in Kuala Kangsar.

Last month, Mentri Besar Da-tuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin had announced that the state had approved a 1,000ha piece of land for the independent schools.

Nga stressed that the nine schools previously did not receive any government aid and were heavily reliant on public donations.

“With the land, the schools would be able to earn a steady income for their use,” he said.

He noted that besides the in-dependent schools, the Pakatan Rakyat government had also allocated a 2,600ha plot of land in Kuala Kangsar for Kolej Islam Darul Ridzuan.

The state, he said, had also given RM1.3mil to 18 religious schools and land to several Tamil schools.

“This proves that Pakatan emphasises on fair and just treatment for all schools because we believe education is the key factor in nation building,” he said.