SMK St Teresa seeks RM8.2m to rebuild razed building

0
Fatimah (right) presents an estimation of government funding available for the school while (seated from left) Mary, Masnoon,Wong and others look on.

Fatimah (right) presents an estimation of government funding available for the school while (seated from left) Mary, Masnoon,Wong and others look on.

KUCHING: SMK St Teresa is seeking RM8.214 million to construct a new four-storey building replacing the one that was razed by fire on Oct 29.

Minister of Welfare, Women and Community Wellbeing Datuk Fatimah Abdullah said the amount would include the cost of furnishing as well as teaching material estimated to cost around RM1 million.

She added that once the four-storey building was completed, the new building would house a hall, staff room, classrooms and other facility rooms.

According to Fatimah, the school could seek assistance from the Ministry of Education under the Aided School Fund apart from fund-raising activities.

She said these after having a meeting with members of the Old Teresians Association (OTA) to discuss avenues of government funding available to the school, held at her office here yesterday.

“Work on the four-storey building is expected to commerce in August next year and will be completed by 2019.

Fatimah also said an additional RM450,000 was needed to construct an electricity substation for the new building.

However, the urgency was to construct the classrooms which had been lacking all this while and made worst by the recent fire.

The two-session school has 15 physical classrooms and 35 classes in total, which include six floating classrooms for the students in Form 4 and 5.

“The construction of a one-storey building of five classrooms costing RM614,000 is expected to start in March next year. It will be completed within three to four months using the Integrated Building System (IBS),” she added.

Fatimah added that the expenses to construct the staff room would come from the state government grant of RM1 million which was presented by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem to the all-girls school’s board chairman on Nov 2.

Once the four-storey is completed the staff room will be utilised for co-curriculum activities.

The fire on Oct 29 destroyed the 45-year-old school hall causing losses of up to RM1 million.

OTA chairperson Masnoon Bujang, school board of management chairman Wong Mee King, principal Mary John and representatives from the State Education Department were also present at the function.