Media statement by M.Kula Segaran in Ipoh on Friday, 23^rd September 2011:

Unless Harvard 2 Tamil school is prevented from closure, we risks a position of loosing 58 Tamil schools nation wide and in the process lose over 500 Tamil teaching and related jobs

Harvard initially a rubber estate located in Kedah had hundreds of manual workers all most all of whom were Indians. As this was a large estate, 3 Tamil schools were build in the 3 divisions. Today more then 70% of the workers have moved to urban areas thus resulting in the reeducation of student population in the Tamil schools.

In the month of April 2011 Human Resources Minister visited Sungai Petani, Kedah when he was asked if there moves to close down Harvard 2. He categorically denied this allegation and said under no circumstance will Tamil schools will be allowed to be closed down. He further reiterated that MIC is the sole guardian of Tamil schools and the present 523 Tamil schools will remain without any possibility of it being closed.

Many felt the assurance of the minister cannot be relied on. Thus we made a lightning visit to the school to see for our selves the ground situation. So on31stMay concerned citizens on Tamil schools and I visited the Harvard Tamil School in early June2011 located at division 2 of the Harvard estate. We heard reliable reports that there were moves to close this school and move its students numbering 25 to a school know as Kampung Panjang, Gurun merging with SJKT Harvard 3. Students at Hazard 2 have then have to commute by bus as compared to the present scenario where the school is only a walking distance from their houses.

We spoke and interviewed the parents of the students of the school. All of them felt they want their children to study at the present Harvard division school. Some of the parents mentioned if their children have to go to another school they cannot support them financially and this children have to stop schooling.

Some parents even held demonstration expressing their displeasure in the possibility of the closure. Our visit was widely reported in the Tamil press.

Pressure was building up on this issue. Thus as a direct consequence Dato Siva Subramaniam the Ex-Human right Commissioner visited the same school in question on 16June 2011. Upon visiting the school he issued a statement that the rumors about the closure is not true and don't believe statements of the opposition on this issue. He further reiterated there is no history in Malaysia where the BN Government has closed any Tamil school in Malaysia. He further added Tamil schools will be here until the last students is studying in a school.

It has now come to our knowledge that there are moves to close this school and move the pupils elsewhere. But the local MIC leaders are in constant discussion with the Education Ministry authorities. The latest we heard was that MIC Kedah may be forced to agree to the closure not now, but after the General Election.

What has Minister Subramaniam and Dato Siva Subramaniam to say o the impeding closure of the Harvard 2 school? On what authority and basis they spoke earlier that the Harvard 2 would not be face closure?

We want to put in record that if Pakatan takes over PutraJaya under no circumstance we will allow the closure of any Tamil schools and that includes Harvard 2.

We do realize that the student enrollment in some Tamil school is worrying as it is dropping year to year. Why is this so? The main cause is the movement of estate workers and Indians to urban areas. It is roughly estimated over 70% Indians reside in urban areas where only 30% of Tamil schools are located. 70% of the schools are located in rural and estate areas where the Indian workers have moved.

This is a clear mismatch which has to be addressed by any Government. The present BN Government although aware of this predicament is recalcitrant and has failed to address this matter.

If Harvard 2 is closed down, then this is a bad precedent. Lets look at the situation of 58 Tamil schools which have less than 25 students in the country ( Kedah -9/Perak-26/Selangor-7/NS-2/Johor-16/Pahang-8). All these schools need to be relocated to urban areas where there is a serious shortage of schools.

We feel time has come for land should be allocated for new Tamil schools where there is a demand on a case to case basis. This is urgently so in urban areas.

Thus in the long run we need a clear blue print for the growth and prosperity of Tamil schools.

Unless Harvard 2 is prevented from closure, we risks a position of loosing 58 Tamil schools in the very near future. Close to over 500 teaching and related positions are at risk to be lost in the process.

Pakatan Rakyat is ready to work with any party to achieve a long lasting fair and justifiable policy for the Tamil schools in Malaysia.

* M. Kula Segaran, DAP National Vice Chairman & MP for Ipoh Barat