KUANTAN: The two-decade delay in the construction of a new school building at SJKT Ladang Jeram near the Jalan Kuantan bypass here is due to the land acquisition process.
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the ministry was trying to solve the land problem so that construction could begin as planned.
"Discussions have been held with the school management board (LPS) and the state Education Department is in the midst of solving the land matter. Once the land matter has been settled, then we can decide on the next process.
"It is not an easy task as the land matter involves other agencies, but the ministry is committed to getting it done. The LPS and Education Department are sorting it out, and the ministry is facilitating the efforts to ensure that the land issue does not prolong.
"We hope the land acquisition process can be expedited and all necessary documentations can be completed before moving to the next aspect, which is the construction of the school building," she said after an awards ceremony to celebrate the 53rd Teachers Day here today.
Asked when she expected the process to be completed and if the budget had increased, Fadhlina replied that the focus was on solving the long-standing land matter.
Last week, Pahang MIC chairman V. Arumugam told the state assembly that pupils of SJKT Ladang Jeram had been studying in containers as the construction of the new school building had not taken off.
The pupils were forced to attend school in makeshift classrooms for more than two decades.
The RM14.8 million school project, which was supposed to be completed in August 2016, was extended to November 2018. However, once the clearing work had been completed, the project was suddenly halted by the contractor.