Chen says all six lifts at SMK Seri Sentosa often break down, inconveniencing students and staff.
FOR the past six years, students and staff members of SMK Seri Sentosa in Jalan Kuchai Lama, Kuala Lumpur, have been forced to frequently climb up and down 10 floors to get to class.
This is because the six lifts in the building constantly break down and sometimes all are out of commission.
Parents who spoke to StarMetro said their children’s education is being disrupted due to this problem.
“We have complained to the school and I was told they had lodged a report with the Kuala Lumpur Education Department,’’ said Ray Chen, a parent.
SMK Seri Sentosa is facing several problems.
“The school has six lifts and two are reserved for teachers.
“Since the lifts keep breaking down, some students, especially those whose classrooms are on the 8th, 9th and 10th floors, do not want to come down during recess.
“I heard some teachers even fainted because they were forced to climb up and down several times every day,” Chen said.
Another parent, who did not want to be named, said the broken lifts were taking a toll on her child as she had to climb up and down 10 floors to get to her classroom every day.
SMK Seri Sentosa is facing several problems including (inset) a leak at the ceiling of school canteen. – Photos: MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star
Chen said he had written to the Education Ministry in Putrajaya on the matter too.
“In January, officers from the ministry and the Public Works Department visited the school.
“However, despite their visit to the school, no action has been taken so far,’’ he said.
The school’s Parent-Teacher Association spokesperson Kent Chu confirmed that the school’s lifts were constantly breaking down.
Apart from the lifts, many areas in the school were in a state of disrepair and the ceiling was leaking too, he said.
When contacted, Seputeh MP Teresa Kok said RM200,000 from her allocation had been given to the school’s upgrading fund a few years ago.
“I will contact the school and try to push for funds (to carry out repairs),” she said.
The school has some 2,400 students and over 100 teachers.
Both the school and education department did not respond to StarMetro’s queries at press time.
