Peter and Low say the comfort of the students comes first and are hopeful people will step up to help (All photos: Shahrill Basri/ The Edge Malaysia)
Every convent pupil knows the experience of fundraising, says Puan Sri Low Chu Mooi. She certainly does, having studied in Convent Klang from Standard One to Form Five, taught there for a couple of years, and is now heading the joint board of governors for its primary and secondary schools, after being “pulled out of retirement” in April, she jests.
It is a timely appointment because Convent Klang turns 100 this year. A gala dinner will be held on Sept 29 to celebrate the historic occasion and raise funds for the upgrading and renovation of both schools. Table tickets for the gala have snapped up, for which Low and Datuk A R Peter, immediate past chairman of the secondary school board, thank parents, former pupils and well-wishers. But that is not enough for the many things that need to be done, “so we are just going around asking people for donations”, she says.
They aim to raise RM1 million, to be used to improve the drainage around the school, which gets flooded during heavy rain; repair or replace broken drains surrounding the blocks and hill slopes at the back; rewire the electrical system; raise two gates to ease traffic entering and exiting the premises; resurface internal roads and car park areas; rehabilitate a small field used by the students that gets waterlogged during rain; and give the whole building a new coat of paint.
Classrooms are often inundated with water which cannot be discharged from culverts that are almost at the same level as the monsoon drain outside the school wall. The furniture gets soaked and students have had to use desks and chairs to form a bridge to get out of classrooms.
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Much money has been spent trying to stem the flow of water from the hill, which trickles out of cracks and crevices in the rainy or dry season. Water gushing down the slopes has resulted in erosion and earth movement, which threaten to choke the drain in front.
The list of woes is long because the school, situated at the lowest point of a valley, has suffered the brunt of floods for decades. A constant shortage of funds for maintenance has worsened things.
Convent Klang started as a co-ed setup in 1924 when two Sisters from Convent Bukit Nanas arrived to teach on the first floor of a rented shophouse in then Rembau Street [now Jalan Tengku Kelana]. In 1928, with sufficient monies, it moved to the present location, where it sits on land owned by the Infant Jesus Sisters (IJS).
In 1994, the first lay person took over the chair from the Sisters. Peter led the secondary school board while E A Edward Louis headed that for the primary school. They held their respective positions for three decades.
IJS appoints the board, which administers private mission funds derived from the rentals of the canteen and bookshops and donations from well-wishers. These funds help with maintenance, renovations and the promotion of student welfare. Enrolment for the primary and secondary sections is now 730 and 1,200 respectively.
The government is a tenant of IJS. It does not pay rental for the facilities needed to run the school. Convent Klang is therefore a government-aided school only, Low explains. It receives per capita grants for students and salaries for teachers and staff, managed by the head teacher. “The [money] given for operating costs are insufficient,” she adds.
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“Over the years, people seem to have forgotten that the buildings and land belong to the mission, which has all the rights of the landowner. The education authorities recognise these rights. With little or no money from rent or the government to carry out proper maintenance and improvement over the years, the school has been left to resort to doing very urgent repairs only.”
Unsurprisingly, every past and present pupil is involved in fundraising, be it a funfair, jogathon or “selling” bricks. The money collected was mostly used to build a new extension for the school.
The board’s current target of RM1 million for drainage and flood mitigation and other plans will not be enough, but it is a start, says Peter. “The community plays a very crucial role in the school’s development and its support is very much appreciated. The comfort of the children comes first and there are people out there who are caring and willing to help. We are asking for outright donations because there are no more tables to be sold. This project will carry on until end-2024.”
Low says issues are being tackled one by one with the help of a road drainage contractor, who is doing it pro bono. The Land and Mines Office, Public Works Department and Klang Royal City Council have been approached too. With the recent repair of a broken drain and boundary wall, “things look promising”.
As the old girls and community gather to celebrate the school’s milestone birthday, the board is hopeful of doing more for the students, many of whom are from B40 families.
Convent Klang is accepting donations until the end of this year. If you wish to help, email [email protected].
This article first appeared on Sept 23, 2024 in The Edge Malaysia.
