The third branch of the Foon Yew High School in Bandar Seri Alam here will open its doors to students in 2021.

Construction for the much-anticipated branch is expected to be completed in three years. It will start operating for the 2021 school year.

School management committee chairman Tong Sing Chuan said they were studying the enrolment to find out the number of pupils who would be finishing Primary Six and starting their secondary classes at the new campus.

“By then, we estimate over 5,000 students staying in Johor Baru and the eastern area will be looking for placement in our new campus,” he said after receiving the campus land title from UMLand Bhd here yesterday.

The title was officially handed over to the committee by UM­­Land chairman Bhd Tun Musa Hitam, witnessed by Johor Tourism, Domestic Trade and Consumerism committee chairman Datuk Tee Siew Kiong.

Tong said four architects had come forward to design the school and address issues of terrain on the 9.4ha land.

The committee, he said, was also going all out to ensure that the campus could compete against other private and international schools in providing quality education.

“Although our schools have a strong support base among the community, there is no denying that parents now have more choices of schools to send their children to,” he pointed out.

Tong said that principals from Foon Yew’s two branches were also involved in the planning stage to ensure problems were addressed in the building stage.

“To rise above the tough challenges facing the education sector, we have to do better and work harder.

“But there is no doubt Foon Yew’s teaching and values are different, and those who have studied there will attest to it,” he said.

Tee, who represented Johor Men­tri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Kha­led Nordin at the event, said UMLand had lent a generous hand to support Chinese education by sponsoring the plot of land worth some RM80mil.

Foon Yew High School, set up in 1913, is one of the oldest and biggest schools in Malaysia. It has a main campus in Stulang and another branch in Kulai with over 10,000 students in total.

MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai handed over the letter of approval to the school management on behalf of the Federal Government in October.

- The Star -