By Victor Seow
Pix by Alissala Thian
THE transfer of SJK(T) Mak Mandin headmistress V. Tamilchelvi to another school by the State Education Department (JPN) after a visit by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has irked the Board of Governors (BoG) of the school.
SJK(T) BoG chairman Datuk Seri R. Arunasalam, at a joint press conference with Deputy Chief Minister II Prof Dr P. Ramasamy on Nov 23, praised Tamilchelvi as a good and efficient headmistress and questioned her transfer which was made after Lim’s visit.
“The chief minister visited the school not only as the head of the Penang state government but also as the MP for Bagan. The school is located in his constituency. Within a period of one year, Tamilselvi has been transferred twice. Earlier, she was transferred from SRJK(T) Bukit Mertajam to SRJK(T) Mak Mandin. This was due to the visit by the Deputy Chief Minister II. He visited the school to ascertain the problems posed by the construction of a multi-storey complex adjacent to the school,” Arunasalam, who’s also a well-known philanthropist and business figure, said at the press conference.
“Just three days after the visit by the chief minister, the headmistress was transferred elsewhere. How can this be? This is wrong! I’m disappointed that the state Education Department did not make an attempt to consult the Board of Governors before making the transfer.
We’re aware that Deputy Education Minister P. Kamalanathan justified her transfer on the grounds of routine administrative reasons but just within three days of the chief minister’s visit? We want her to be reinstated,” he added.
“Why do you need to transfer a headmistress who’s good and a hardworking person within a span of one year? I can only conclude it’s political victimisation. So anybody who brings in the CM or myself (to the school) is marked by JPN,” noted Ramasamy.