New Straits Times, September 9, 2004
Alumni must chip in to save Parit Buntar school

IT has been a while since I last set foot in Parit Buntar. Although I have made several trips to Penang, the thought of making a detour to this town of my birthplace never crossed my mind because there is little to see.

Thirty-eight years ago, I left this sleepy hollow to serve King and country. Parit Buntar was then a tiny provincial town whose only claim to prominence was its proximity to the borders of Perak, Kedah and Penang.

My alma mater, the Methodist Secondary School, Parit Buntar (MSS PB), was one of the only two English-language schools in the Krian district in the 1960s. The other was in Bagan Serai. The school was established in 1907 as the Anglo-Chinese School. On Independence Day in 1957, it was renamed Methodist School.

Being a mission establishment it is categorised as a government-aided school. As such, public funding is contingent upon handouts from charities and well-wishers. The Education Ministry, being able only to complement the amount collected, could not come to its aid when it mattered most.

When the Christian missionaries were flush with funds, the school had no problem expanding and maintaining its properties. But when the coffers dried up and when financial assistance from the state fell, MSS Parit Buntar degenerated into what it is today - cracked walls, termite-infested classrooms, a dilapidated laboratory and a library that has lost its glory. A fund-raising drive was deemed proper to arrest the decline.

When the heartrending scenes were played over and over at the reunion dinner at the town hall on the evening of Sept 4, many were moved to tears.

The 400-odd guests, consisting of ex-students and their families, donated almost RM145,000.

The sum is far short of the RM500,000 needed, but with more pledges coming in, this target will be achieved in due time.

Although there is reason to rejoice, the absence of many former students is cause for concern. I spoke to a few absentees and the answer they gave is disconcerting. One insisted that only "the top guns were invited, as they have the means to donate while he, a lowly clerk, was overlooked".

I am sure this was not done on purpose. The organisers had reached out to everyone, including the "minions". There was no harm coming, like the "little guy" from Taiping who turned up without a formal invitation, but was there, nonetheless, to lend his support. Kudos to him.

LT-KOL (RTD) FATHOL ZAMAN BUKHARI
Ipoh

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