KUALA LUMPUR: A group of the school's ex-students and individuals opposes the demolition of the Kuen Cheng Girls School's blocks and believes the historic structures can be salvaged, claiming it could last for 100 years more.
GIVING DETAILS: Tan holding up pictures of the school as Zulhkiple explains his findings in Kuala Lumpur recently.
Tan said the alliance members, concerned about the school's safety after hearing the claim that the buildings were unsafe, had hired the engineer.
The three-storey front building of the school is more than 50 years old and the age of other buildings are between 15 and 35 years.
“We invited Zulhkiple A. Bakar, an engineer with more than 20 years experience, to give us his report on the condition of the school,” she said.
She said building maintenance was a more viable and economical solution, which could only cost about RM5mil.
Earlier the school and its board of directors unveiled their plan to demolish and rebuild the school, citing safety as a reason.
It was also reported that the school, one of only two independent Chinese girls’ schools in the country, was to go co-ed.
Tan said the alliance questioned the feasibility of the demolition and redevelopment plan, which was estimated to cost RM35mil.
“If we cannot lead by example, how can we educate our next generation to optimise resources on earth, to appreciate the rich heritage and tradition of the school and to be a wise consumer?” she asked.
Tan held a press conference together with Zulhkiple yesterday to brief the media on his initial findings after the latter conducted a visual inspection at the school recently.
According to the engineer, a graduate of University of Liverpool in Britain and whose company had won the Prime Minister’s Award 11 years ago, the buildings could still be maintained and could last for another 100 years.
Citing the oldest building as an example, he said it was made of brick walls and reinforced concrete.
“The brick walls similar to what was used to build the Great Wall of China which is about 3,000 years old,” he said.
“I am quite confident of the strength of the buildings. Salvaging the structure will help them save 40% of their project cost,” he said.
He said the school should do a cost-and-benefit analysis as to whether it would cost more to maintain old buildings or to build new ones.
“The structure (of the buildings) is solid, especially with the old workmanship and I did not see any structural cracks beyond normal wear and tear,” he said, adding that he needed to do further testing to back his findings.
Tan urged the school and its board of directors to reconsider the demolition plan.
The alliance has 90 members comprising independent people and ex-students who have interest in Chinese education.
To contact the alliance, e-mail kclianmeng@gmail.com
