Latest developments as of 30 Jan 2009

Below are the latest developments from the past 2 weeks.

House hunting

The Al Hidayah teachers have viewed a bungalow house at No. 22, Jalan Tualang, Bangsar, which shows some promise. The house has a reasonable garden in front and a wide car porch which can accommodate two or three teachers’ cars. Inside on the lower level there is a large hall (an indoor play room), a small room (office), another small hall (library) with an adjacent narrow room (computer room). There are two kitchens, so one can be dining/art room, and the other can be teachers’/ibu’s room. Upstairs there are four rooms (classrooms) and a large hall (another classroom). With all the rooms, there is enough space for all the planned activities, and the asking rental is within budget.

The only problem is there are eight neighbours, and Al Hidayah would need to get all of them to agree with having a tadika in their midst.

If anyone has details of other properties available, especially in Damansara Heights, please do share.

Eviction protest

Al Hidayah has contact with a Special Officer to the Chief Secretary to the Government (KSN), so they will be going to visit her for assistance. Insya’Allah the letters of support from parents would come in handy.

On Wednesday, 28 January 2009, Al Hidayah and a few of the parents had a meeting with the KP of DBKL and other officers. DBKL is unwilling to “force” their will upon the neighbours, and leave it to Al Hidayah to convince them to withdraw their objection. Al Hidayah will be approaching the Timbalan Pengerusi of the Damansara mosque to seek their assistance in mediating between us and Dato’ Mustafa.

Lastly, DBKL seems open to a request for an extension to the eviction deadline til the school holidays in June.

Alternative location

As briefed earlier, DBKL had suggested Al Hidayah use facilities at the sekolah agama next to the mosque. However, upon checking the facilities, the building is not suitable for Al Hidayah. That option is closed.

Another long term solution is to apply for the JAWI/MAIWP land at the parking lot adjacent to the SRA and Balai Polis for Al Hidayah, since that land has been gazetted for institutional use. This will require negotiations with the mosque committee, JAWI/MAIWP, and DBKL, but will entail other considerations. However, DBKL says that this would be an ideal solution since there will be no immediate neighbours who can complain and threaten the pre-school’s existence again.


We are still counting on everyone’s support to ensure that Al Hidayah survives this crisis, no matter what.

Action Plans

On 18 January 2009, the teachers and administrators of Al Hidayah Islamic Pre-School called a meeting with the parents of current students. The parents were briefed on the current eviction issue, including given insight into the history of complaints from neighbours.

There was unanimous consensus that the pre-school had to be saved. No one wanted to see Al Hidayah suffer the fate of other educational institutions that had to shutter their doors because of the lack of a place to operate.

Moving forward it was decided to handle the eviction with a multi-pronged approach. First, we would try several methods to fight the eviction. Under this thread we would gather support to maintain Al Hidayah in its current location, negotiate with the neighbours to withdraw their objection, and call on support and assistance from other players to utilize their influence. Our second approach was to assist Al Hidayah in locating alternative sites for the pre-school.

Updates to our efforts will be posted to this website.

Chronology of Events following DBKL’s notice

Thursday, 18 December 2008 – Al Hidayah receives a notice from DBKL. Teacher Siti calls Dato’ Mustafa and attempts to persuade him to withdraw his complaint.

Friday, 19 December 2008 – Teacher Siti and Teacher Salmiah obtain signatures from neighbours to support the pre-school.

Monday, 22 December 2008 – Teacher Fauza submits a letter of appeal to the Ketua Pengarah, DBKL, Datuk Hj. Salleh, and the Pengarah, Bahagian Perancang Bandar, Tuan Hj. Mahdi. Teacher Fauza meets with the PK KP, En. Naquib.

Tuesday, 23 December 2008 – Teacher Fauza meets with Tuan Hj. Mahdi.

Friday, 26 December 2008 – Pn. Norainee meets with the Timbalan Pengarah, Bahagian Perancang Bandar, Tuan Hj. Ismail.

Saturday, 27 December 2008 – Al Hidayah proceeds with its Open Day, allowing parents to complete registration of their children, and collect uniforms and books.

Monday, 29 December 2008 – Pn. Norainee and Teacher Fauza meet with En. Naquib.

Tuesday, 30 December 2008 – Pn. Norainee and Teacher Fauza return to DBKL.

Wednesday, 31 December 2008 – As advised, Tadika Al Hidayah closes. Parents have been informed that the school session will not start on 5 January 2009, as scheduled, and that they will be advised in due time.

Monday, 5 January 2009 – A round-table discussion with the KP DBKL, representatives of the Setiakasih residents, and representatives of Al Hidayah. Al Hidayah is given until 30th April 2009 to move out of No. 34, Jalan Setiakasih 1.

Letter of support from parents

Below is a template for a letter of support from parents of students of the Al Hidayah Islamic Pre-School, addressed to the mayor of KL. Parents are encouraged to copy this template and send a letter to the mayor as a show of support to the pre-school.

Tarikh

Yang Berbahagia Dato' Ahmad Fuad bin Ismail
Datuk Bandar Kuala Lumpur,
Tingkat 27, Bangunan DBKL,
Jalan Raja Laut,
50350 Kuala Lumpur

Assalamu’alaikum

Yang Berbahagia Dato’,

Per: Sokongan kepada Tadika Al-Hidayah Terus Beroperasi di Premis yang Beralamat No. 34, Jalan Setiakasih Satu, Bukit Damansara, 50490 Kuala Lumpur

Perkara di atas adalah dirujuk.

Saya, .................................. No. K/P :............................ menyokong supaya Tadika Al-Hidayah terus beroperasi di premis beralamat No. 34, Jalan Setiakasih Satu, Bukit Damansara, 50490 Kuala Lumpur.

Ini adalah untuk kebaikan dan kemajuan anak-anak saya khususnya dan kanak-kanak yang lain amnya.

Segala kerjasama, pertolongan dan keprihatinan Dato’ saya dahului dengan ucapan ribuan terima kasih.

Sekian. Wassalam.


Yang benar,

The very first Perintah Pembangunan

Below is the first approved D.O. that Al Hidayah received at the end of 1996. It's valid for a year until the end of 1997, and has been renewed on an annual basis since then. The pre-school usually applies for an extension of the D.O. in December of the year it expires.

Testimonials from parents

A great way to highlight the value of Al Hidayah is through the exemplary work they do with our children. We welcome testimonials from parents of both current and former students of this excellent pre-school. Leave us your thoughts and impressions about the pre-school, and how your children have benefited from attending Al Hidayah Islamic Pre-School.

Post your comments at any entry in this blog, and we’ll collate them all.

A History of Compliance

The Al Hidayah Islamic Pre-School has been in the Setiakasih neighbourhood of Damansara Heights for many years, and they have always strived to be a good member of the community.

In 1994, Al Hidayah applied for a permit from DBKL. However, the application was rejected in 1995. Subsequent to receiving notice of the failed application, Al Hidayah appealed the decision to DBKL. It was during this time that Al Hidayah discovered that some of their neighbours on Jalan Setiakasih 1 had objected to the presence of the pre-school.

Following Al Hidayah’s appeal, a round-table discussion with the concerned parties was arranged by the good graces of DBKL. The discussion was chaired by the Pengarah, Bahagian Perancangan Bandar, Tuan Hj. Mokhtar Long Idris. Al Hidayah was represented by YM Tengku Mariam and Pn. Norainee, while on the neighbours’ side, Dr. George, Hj. Idrus, and Dato’ Mustafa Mohd. Ali attended.

Al Hidayah explained its case that they were the only English-medium Islamic pre-school in the Bukit Damansara area and that the pre-school intentionally maintained a low student count, a situation that prevails to this day. Tuan Hj. Mokhtar was persuaded by Al Hidayah’s arguments that it served an unmet need in the community, and agreed to issue the permit to Al Hidayah, with the stipulation that the institution maintain as a single session pre-school.

In 1996, the first D.O. (Perintah Pembangunan) was issued by DBKL with validity from 1 January to 31 December 1996. Since then, Al Hidayah has renewed its permit on an annual basis without fail and without issue.

However, Al Hidayah has continued to receive complaints from its neighbours, and done its level best to comply with legitimate concerns. In an early case, Al Hidayah replaced and upgraded its fencing upon Dato’ Mustafa’s complaint that it was an eyesore in the otherwise upmarket neighbourhood of Setiakasih. Al Hidayah also trims the branches of two large trees within the pre-school’s grounds under the direct supervision of their next door neighbour at No. 32 Jalan Setiakasih 1, Dato’ Mustafa, every two years to ensure that no leaves fall over into the his property.

In December 2006, Al Hidayah received a complaint from Dr. George and his wife of No. 36 Jalan Setiakasih 1, that their pre-school session was extending into the afternoons. Al Hidayah explained that their pre-school session had always been only a morning session, although they held Quran recital lessons in the afternoons for some children. These Quran recital lessons were held with batches of children, where a maximum of five children at a time were given instruction.

In January 2007, so as to avoid antagonizing the neighbours, Al Hidayah decided to stop the Quran recital lessons on its premises, and instructed the Teachers that they would have to hold those lessons in the students’ homes if they wanted to continue.

In September 2007, Al Hidayah had a meeting with Dato’ Mustafa, Dr. George, and his wife at their request. The neighbours asked Al Hidayah to move out of their neighbourhood. Al Hidayah refused.

On 18th December 2008, Al Hidayah received a notice from DBKL that the pre-school had until the end of the year to vacate the premises. And that brings us to today’s mission to save Tadika Al Hidayah from closing.

The Mission

On Sunday, 18th January 2009, the administrators and teachers of Al Hidayah Islamic Pre-School held a meeting with the parents of current students. The purpose of the meeting was to brief the parents on an eviction order received from DBKL, the history behind the notice, and action plans to overcome the situation.

This website has been set up to serve as a repository of information on the eviction issue, to chronicle the actions taken to prevent a closing of the pre-school, and to advocate the cause to as wide an audience as people.