GEORGE TOWN, Aug 7 ― Children are attending schools that were built and opened without the Certificate of Completion and Compliance (CCC), the state legislative assembly heard today.
Local government and housing development committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo said there are 14 primary and 17 secondary schools in Penang that do not have CCC.
“These schools were built under the Penang Management Consultant (PMC),” he said to a question from Khaliq Mehtab Mohd Ishaq (PH - Bertam) during the sitting today.
He added that the state education department had revealed that schools without CCC is a national issue.
“All states have the same issue where schools do not have CCC,” he said.
He said the Education Ministry, as the owner of these school projects, will need to take appropriate action on this.
Earlier, Khaliq Mehtab had asked Jagdeep which agencies are involved in repairing the schools if there were any structural damage.
He said the Public Works Department, Fire and Rescue Department and the local council were not involved in conducting any safety checks on school buildings before they were opened for students.
“I am worried because my daughter goes to one of these schools,” he said.
Jagdeep replied that this issue is outside the state government’s jurisdiction.
Later, outside the august House, Khaliq said it is worrying that schools did not obtain any CCC before they were opened.
“They were given green light to operate without CCC which means the schools did not get approval and safety checks by the Bomba, the local council and JKR,” he said.
He said one of the first complaints he received after winning the Bertam seat was from SK Kepala Batas on the school’s poor conditions.
“The school has structural defects and the floors were cracked, there were no safety measures for the school,” he said.
He said this issue needs to be highlighted so that the Education Ministry takes note and does something about it.
He added that seven schools in Kepala Batas were built under PMC which did not have CCC.
