YAN: Three years ago, on this date, the teachers of SK Nyak Gam were left speechless by the extent of damage left by a debris flood triggered by the water column phenomenon that lashed Yan and its neighbouring district, Kuala Muda.
Every inch of the school compound was covered by up to half a metre-deep mud washed down from Gunung Jerai.
"We couldn't believe our eyes upon seeing the whole school compound and classroom covered by knee-deep thick mud after the floods subsided.
"I dread to think about what could have happened if the school was open that day," said Ahmad Izham Ismail, the school's senior assistant (Special Education Pupils).
Fortunately, the incident occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic's lockdown and schools were shut down.
SK Nyak Gam, located near the riverbank that flows past Yan town, was the hardest hit amongst four schools affected by the worst water column disaster in Yan's modern history.
The other affected schools were SMK Yan; SK Langkasuka and SJKC York Khoon.
It was reported that the Education Ministry had approved a RM2.4 million allocation to repair damaged properties in the affected schools.
It was a double blow to the teachers at the affected schools, as some of them also had their own homes damaged by the floods.
"It was a daunting task to clear the mud. Luckily, we had all the support from the Education Ministry, the state Education Department, government agencies, GLCs (government-linked companies), NGOs (non-governmental organisations) in Kedah and from outside the state," said Izham.
He added that it took three months to completely clean up the school, which has a population of 360 pupils with 41 teachers and eight administrative staff.
However, the disaster did not deter SK Nyak Gam teachers and pupils from bouncing back with greater strength.
The school has since bagged several awards in various competitions at the state and national levels.
Amongst the highlights is its success in grabbing third place at the national-level farming innovation competition through its hydroponic project.
"It was a sweet achievement for the school after being hit hard by the disaster three years ago.
"More importantly, the project was driven by pupils from special needs classes. It is a huge moral boost for them and everyone at the school as well," Izham said.
The success was made possible by support from Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB), which sponsored solar panels and inverters to inject renewable energy elements in the school's farming project.
Kedah/Perlis TNB general manager Wan Ishak Soed said the national utility company was honoured to be part of the initiative.
"It is aligned with TNB's effort to inculcate and promote awareness of renewable energy amongst the younger generation, as part of our vision for Sustainable Development Goals.
"It is also part of TNB's commitment in supporting our education system, particularly schools located in rural areas.
"TNB's contribution to the school's farming innovation project is a continuity of our earlier contribution of two smart television units to SK Nyak Gam," he said during a recent visit to the school.
Present was the school's Parents-Teacher Association (PTA) chairman Muhamad Jamhuri Muhamad Raziff.