The school is a death trap

UPDATE April 30, 2012: - A week late but finally it gets published. Not so green on the other side in page 8 of The Malay Mail today.

Imagine sending your child to school only to worry that one day you could receive a phone call saying that he was knocked down by a speeding car or even worse - dead.

That is what parents and teachers in SMK Maxwell have been worrying about for almost two decades.

I was invited to the school for the 1Murid 1Sukan programme but the deplorable conditions of the "sports complex" and lack of playing space certainly turned the campaign into a farce.

There are only two badminton courts in the school. Most of the time students will need to play on the tarmac in between the teacher's cars. I'm sure most of the cars have received scratches and knocks from time to time.

There is a sports complex across the school - with the "loop" connecting Lebuhraya Mahameru to PWTC and Umno building.

The complex consists of;

1. A usually water-logged volleyball court that cannot be used.
2. A badminton court with branches of a nearby tree growing so low that it will disrupt play. Also the place is infested with mosquitoes.
3. A tennis court which has not been converted into a futsal court. A hard kick will see the ball fly into the Batu River.
4. A basketball court - the only proper playing space.

The main gate leading into the complex is locked. Instead, teachers and students go into the complex through a hole in the fence. Several other holes were seen around the complex as it is a perfect hide out for drug addicts at night.

Students run across the road, most of the time without any supervision, as vehicles come at high speed. Requests to build speed breakers and a bridge has been shot down as authorities claim the road is used for VIPs - so they don't want the speed breakers to slow the VIPs down and that the bridges could be good spots for sharp shooters.

So I presume the lives of several VIPs are more important that the 900-odd students (from Form 1 to Form 6) of SMK Maxwell?

1Student 1Sport seems pretty on paper (and yes, teachers are now bogged down with more paper work to make the campaign look good), but is it in reality?

Tak caya, pi turun kat SMK Maxwell. After all, it's so near the Umno building. If walking ain't your thing, just turn your head to your left when your VIP car passes the complex. I'm sure turning one's head can't hurt that bad no?

HD says: Sigh!