The right to education is a basic right of every citizen under the Constitution of Malaysia. Thus, ensuring there is proper access to achieve that right is the duty of the government of the day.

Thus, the forced relocation of the students of any Chinese school to another Chinese school - further away from their homes - by the authorities is a Malaysian issue, and not a wholly Chinese issue, said an opposition women's wing.

"This act (of forcing the transfer of students) tramples on the right of a Malaysian community to preserve the very school that they built 70 years ago and had upgraded since using their own sweat and money," said a group from Keadilan women's wing led by Fuziah Salleh, who visited SRJK (C) Damansara recently to convey their support to the Damansara New Village community.

"So much love, money and energy have gone into making the school what it is today. There should be proper consultation with the students and parents before they are asked to transfer," said Parti Rakyat Malaysia Dr Syed Husin Ali during his visit.

This is not the first time authorities are forcing the transfer of students from one school to another school, much further away from their homes. One case that still lingers in memory is that of the Tamil school in Sitiawan that was eventually closed down and the land taken over for commercial purposes.

The Tamil school in Sitiawan still had 38 students studying at the school then and this "small number" of students was the reason cited for the transfer, despite protests that the other school was too far away for the children to attend. Some of the 38 students, after the transfer, were forced to stop schooling.

Increased financial burden

The parents and villagers want SRJK (C) Damansara to be preserved, not only for history sake but because the school is near to the children's homes and the school is part of the community.

One villager, retired midwife Wong Siew Kee, whose three children studied in the school, said that there is no reason for the authorities to move the students to another school.

"The entrance does not face the highway and there has been no accidents. Furthermore, many of us here cannot afford the time and bus fare to send the children to Puay Chai (2). They say they will pay the bus fare for one year. After one year, where are the parents going to find money to pay the bus fare for their children? And if they have three school going children, the bus fare alone amounts to RM240 a month," said Wong.

The financial difficulty and the time factor are the main reasons cited by the villagers in wanting the school to be preserved.

"For us, education is the only way up for our children. We are not rich and for many years, we have given our children the best primary education we can give with the school that we built ourselves. Now, they want to take that away from us," says one parent.

Built from scratch

The villagers in the Damansara estate built SRJK (C) Damansara 1930. In 1953, when the villagers were moved from the estates into the Damansara New Village, the school was moved as well, and till today has remained at the present site.

Upgraded from a mere wooden shack, the school now houses two fully concrete double-storey buildings complete with canteen and library. There are also awnings all along the outside of the school leading into the village to shield the children from the rain and sun.

Although the land on which the school sits partly belongs to the government and the village temple, the school itself has been built using donations from parents and villagers.

Before the general elections in November 1999, the villagers were promised that a new SRJK (C) Damansara would be built on a 5.6-acre land in Tropicana to cope with the increasing number of students. The land has yet to be gazetted and the school is to be built under the Eighth Malaysian Plan, which has yet to be passed.

Just before the school closed last year for the holidays, the students were sent home with a letter for the parents asking them to agree to move to the proposed new school in Tropicana. The problem with signing the letter was the fact that the school to which they were asked to move to has yet to exist, even on paper.

Then, just before the school reopened for the new year, the parents were jolted again with a directive from the headmistress and the board of directors that all students of SRJK (C) Damansara are to report at SRJK (C) Puay Chai (2), a 20-minute drive away from the former school.

Open protest

The reasons given by the board of Directors and the headmistress include the fact that the school is too near to the newly built Sprint highway and thus the safety of the students is undermined and the air and noise pollution making the environment not conducive for studies.

Parents and villagers found these reasons unacceptable for such a sudden and forced move of 1,400 students, especially for students who are staying in and around the Damansara New Village. The villagers insisted that the old school be maintained.

On Dec 31, when news spread that they were moving the furniture from SRJK (C) Damansara to SRJK (C) Puay Chai (2) (pic), the parents and villagers came out openly and protested.

The biggest fear was due to the fact that SRJK(C) Damansara might end up in the same situation as the SRJK (T) Ladang Seafield, which was transferred to another school in USJ 4, initially on a temporary basis, until a new school was to be built in USJ 20.

However, 13 years later, the land in USJ 20 is nothing but an abandoned field and the students are still in the "temporary" school.

Realising the need of the constituents, the Member of Parliament for Petaling Jaya Utara Chew Mei Fun of MCA promised that education department officials will register those who insist on staying on and that she as an MP of the area will get teachers to be sent to the school.

On the first day of school this year, parents and villagers gathered along with DAP party members and registered 150-odd students of all classes at the old school. Also present at the school on that day was Chew with MCA members. Members of PRM were present as well to give support.

After two days schooling without teachers, eight volunteers then came forward to teach the children and are still doing free service at the school.

Chew said that she has sent in an application to the state education department requesting that teachers be sent to the old school.

"Now, the ball is in their (education department) court," said Chew.

Speculation rife

One of the volunteers, William Thye, said that they will teach the children as long as they are needed but they too have to get back to earning a living. "We (volunteers) are doing this, as we believe the children's education is important and they cannot be let to run loose," he said.

The villagers are paying the volunteers in kind by providing free meals for them at the moment.

The fact that there has been no dialogue whatsoever with the parents and the villagers of the move to Puay Chai heightens the speculation of what will happen to the school building or the land and the real agenda of the move.

Ronnie Liew, chairman of the Action Committee to Preserve the School and a former Parents Teachers Association (PTA) member of the school, said that as there has been no information on what will happen to the school when pupils and furniture have been moved, the parents and villagers can only speculate.

"They do not tell us, so the people are left to speculate on the need for the move," said Liew.

On old boy of the school, preferring to be known only as Chin, said that it is easy to speculate on what will happen.

"Anybody can suspect (what will happen to the land). The school sits on prime land and is surrounded by apartments and commercial buildings. If they tear down the school and build another building of the same height, profit can be made easily," said Chin, voicing a view which many other parents concurred.

Parents say they believe that there is vested interest in the land and this is why there is such an urgency for the students to be moved to Puay Chai.

Friendly police

Villagers and parents of students of SRJK (C) Damansara mostly come from the lower income and middle-income groups. Many are self-employed.

They have been gathering outside the school everyday, from day one, for two reasons - one, to protest against the takeover and second, for fear the children will be forcefully moved to Puay Chai.

Last Friday, the Deputy Minister of Education Hon Choon Kim said that students who stay put in old school and refused to move to a new school will be considered as having played truant.

The police presence at the school from the first day itself has increased the fear that the authorities are determined to move the school at all costs.

"I have not gone to work since school started. I am a contractor. Chinese New Year is coming up.

"Apamacam mau keleja kalau hati talak senang? Anak kita pigi sekolah tapi ada polis jaga, takut kalau jadi apa-apa. (How are we to work when our minds are not at peace? Our children go to school and there are police, I am afraid something will happen)," said a parent by the name of Lim.

The police, however, have been very gentlemanly. The officers seem to sympathise with the parents and villagers. The policemen even wondered aloud why they are holding keys to a school, and what their role in the affair was.

Despite friendly police presence, the parents and villagers are not taking any chances. They send their children and grandchildren to school in the morning and wait until school is over to take their little ones home again safe and sound.

This is because in recent days, the parents have also been threatened with phone calls telling them to stop trying to maintain the old school.

Refusing to be identified, one parent said that he had received calls telling him that it is futile to go against what has been decided and that they should just listen to what the government is saying.

Another said that he suspects his phone calls are being monitored as he seems to have problems with his line plus the fact he has been receiving calls from strangers over the past few days.

Legal recourse

Realising that their fight to maintain the school is getting even more difficult with the dwindling number of students that are attending school due to fear, the villagers have appointed nine people who have vowed to struggle to preserve the school come what may.

"We have sought divine help. We also have been getting much support from other races and many have come to visit the school to express support. They tell us that we are doing the right thing," said one grandfather.

The villagers have also set up a fund to pay for legal fees as they are prepared to take the case to preserve the school to court.

"Before we decide to take legal action, we will try to have dialogues with ministers and politicians and see if we can work it out. We know there is something fishy. In fact, some of the land leases of the villagers have not been renewed and they have been given TOLs (temporary occupation licences) only," said Liew.

The case to maintain the school seems to be weak. However, one thing is for sure, the community will not give up the school without exhausting all avenues.

"Between development for profit and education of children, the latter should be priority no matter what the costs," said Syed Husin.