KUALA LANGAT, Oct 23 — Repair works at four schools in Sijangkang are expected to be completed within three months at a total cost exceeding RM10 million, said Menteri Besar Dato' Seri Amirudin Shari.
The four affected schools, involving more than 6,000 students, are SK Sijangkang Jaya, SK Kampung Medan, SK Jalan Tanjung, and SMK Sijangkang Jaya.
“It was reported that most of the damage involves the roofs, including the trusses of the buildings. We expect the repair works to take about three months, with RM10.1 million in funding from the Education Ministry (MOE).
“This allocation does not include the cleaning works, which cost nearly RM1.9 million, nor the rewiring and replacement of equipment damaged by water ingress.
“However, students sitting for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations are allowed to return to the school premises as the building has been declared safe. It is estimated that over 400 students at SMK Sijangkang Jaya will be taking the SPM on November 2,” he said.
Amirudin was speaking to the press after visiting SMK Sijangkang Jaya and receiving a briefing from the Selangor Public Works Department (JKR) regarding the storm disaster in Sijangkang.
Earlier, he said that cleaning work at the four affected schools had been completed, while repair work is ongoing, particularly at SMK Sijangkang Jaya, which has now reached 90 per cent completion.
Amirudin added that the state government would consider allocating additional funds for school repairs if necessary.
“We will review the support provided by Menteri Besar Selangor (Incorporated) or MBI and other parties. For now, JKR is managing the structural repairs while awaiting the list of rewiring works.
“In addition, we hope that the schools will reassess any halls with weak structures to prevent a recurrence of such incidents. However, in the case of the Sijangkang disaster, it was caused by a tornado path,” he said.
Last week, several areas around Meru, Klang, and Sijangkang were hit by a severe storm accompanied by a tornado, which caused extensive damage to homes, schools, and vehicles.
Following the incident, the MBI Foundation provided a RM400,000 initial aid allocation to help repair damaged schools and residents’ homes affected by the strong winds in Sijangkang and Meru.
The immediate assistance aimed to enable repair work, including roof replacements and the restoration of basic facilities at the affected schools.
Meanwhile, the Selangor JKR has announced that repair works at four schools in Sijangkang are expected to be fully completed by the third week of January next year.
Its director Shukri Ishak said they are currently prioritising repair works at SMK Sijangkang Jaya before proceeding with the remaining three primary schools.
“Based on construction norms, the three-month timeframe is reasonable after receiving confirmation for repair works from the MOE, taking into account weather factors as well.
“Repair works at SMK Sijangkang Jaya are in progress; the academic block has been completed, while restoration and roof reconstruction works for the MPV workshop will begin next week.
“For the other three schools, we will be meeting with qualified contractors and suppliers tomorrow to obtain their proposals for the roof repair works,” he told the press.
During the Menteri Besar's site visit, Shukri reported that SK Sijangkang Jaya and SK Kampung Medan suffered critical damage, while SK Jalan Tanjung and SMK Sijangkang Jaya were assessed to have moderate damage.
He noted that SK Sijangkang Jaya requires RM4.5 million for repairs, SK Kampung Medan RM3.9 million, SMK Sijangkang Jaya RM1.2 million, and SK Jalan Tanjung RM550,000, bringing the total cost to RM10.15 million.
