NOH CONCERNED OVER SELANGOR FOUNDATION'S INTENTION TO DEMOLISH KG PANDAN HOSTELS

TANJONG KARANG, Feb 11 (Bernama) -- Selangor BN deputy chairman Datuk Seri

Noh Omar today expressed concern over the reported intention of the Selangor

Foundation to demolish two hostels in Kampung Pandan, Kuala Lumpur, for a

commercial project.

He claimed that the Pakatan Rakyat government in Selangor does not give due

concern to the education of children in the state, particularly those from the

rural areas.

The previous Selangor government led by the Barisan Nasional (BN) had taken

the initiative to enable children from the state obtain better education to

pluck them out of poverty, he said.

The then BN state government established the Selangor Foundation to help

rural children further their education at schools with hostels, such as SMK St

John and Victoria Institution, he told a news conference after opening the

general meeting of the Parent-Teacher Association of SMK Datuk Harun, here.

Noh, who is MP for Tanjong Karang and Agriculture and Agro-based Industry

Minister, said the BN state government had taken the initiative to give Selangor

children a better education although education is the responsibility of the

federal government.

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NOH-EDUCATION 2 TANJONG KARANG

Selangor children sponsored by the Selangor Foundation were emplaced at the

two Kampung Pandan hostels -- namely the Toh Puan Norashikin and Tun Dr Ismail

hotels, he said.

"The PKR-led state government wants to demolish the structures we (the BN)

built," he said.

He also said that as of this year, the state government is not selecting

Year One students to be sponsored by the Selangor Foundation for emplacement in

Kuala Lumpur schools but at district hostels and to study at nearby schools.

Noh said that emplacing the students in the district hostels would not

expose them to the competition prevalent in schools such as SMK St John and

Victoria Institution, and went against the objective of setting up the

foundation.

He said the foundation claimed that it was short of funds to sponsor the

students'' schooling and lodging but he has come to understand that in 2009 the

foundation had RM80 million in funds.

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NOH-EDUCATION 3 (LAST) TANJONG KARANG

He also said that Universiti Selangor (Unisel), set up by the BN state

government, is said to be facing losses running into millions of ringgit

following a decline in enrolment.

Feedback he received indicated that parents were less comfortable wanting to

send their children to Unisel because the campus and administration are

allegedly influenced by political ideology, he said.

Furthermore, the state government prohibited the federal government from

building a campus of Universiti Teknologi Mara in Serendah, resulting in the

project having to be relocated to Jasin, Melaka, he said.

Noh also said that the state government''s promised contribution of RM1,000

for every Selangor child which enters university is not enjoyed by all as

promised by the party prior to the general election in 2008.

-- BERNAMA

MK RV MGN