REPAIRS TO SCHOOL FIELDS (Delay)

Encik Mansor Haji Sukaimi asked the Minister of Education how many school fields were repaired during the last two financial years; and how many of them were completed and commissioned for re-use within eight months after repair work began.

The Senior Minister of State for Education (Mr Chai Chong Yii) (for the Minister of Education): Mr Speaker, Sir, during the last two fiscal years, that is, FY 79 and FY 80, 84 school fields were repaired. According to records, none of them were completed and commissioned for re-use within eight months after repair work began. According to the Public Works Department, the average length of time required for the repair work is between 12 and 14 months.

Encik Mansor Haji Sukaimi: Mr Speaker, Sir, would the Senior Minister of State inform us which section of the PWD says that it will take between 12 and 14 months for the repair work? I have got information which says that in normal cases it would take about six to eight months to repair a standard-sized school field.

Mr Chai Chong Yii: Sir, our school fields are repaired by the PWD (Schools Division) which looks after school fields. If the Member has that information, may I know from which particular PWD officer he obtained it, so that I can check it up?

Encik Mansor Haji Sukaimi: Sir, I will make my own investigation. But may I ask the Senior Minister of State whether he considers it desirable for such prolonged delay in repairing school fields? I feel that the pupils have been unduly deprived of the use of school fields.

I also wonder whether the Senior Minister of State is aware that certain school authorities have issued stringent instructions to the children not to play in the field during periods of consolidation of the field. In some cases students have been penalized and reprimanded for playing in the school field.

Mr Chai Chong Yii: As regards the second part of the question, the principals have the authority to run the schools. If the hon. Member feels that there are cases of grievance, perhaps he can bring them to my attention and I will look into them.

As for the time taken to repair school fields, whether that is too long I cannot judge it as I am not an engineer. But the information given to me shows that there are four major factors which govern the length of time for repairing and reconditioning school fields. The size of the field is one factor. The other factors are the availability of materials, the efficiency of the contractors and, of course, the supervision of the work involved. I am, therefore, not in a position to say whether the time taken to repair school fields is too long or too short. But from the Ministry of Education's point of view, I definitely agree with him that we would like to have the fields repaired, if we can, within one or two months. But that is obviously not possible because grass takes time to grow and then it will have to be trimmed before the fields can be made suitable for re-use.

Encik Mansor Haji Sukaimi: Sir, I am grateful to the Senior Minister of State for his comments and clarification. But can he give an assurance that he is as concerned as many other parents about the prolonged time taken to repair the school fields? But more important is the fact that some children, and because they are children they need to play in the field, have been unduly reprimanded for using the school field during the period of consolidation.

Mr Chai Chong Yii: As I am in the Ministry of Education and as I am also a parent, my answer is definitely "yes".