NO reason was given by the Federal Territories Land and Mines Office for rejecting the land lease extension of the iconic Convent Bukit Nanas (CBN) school, said a former alumni president.

Tengku Nurul Azian told The Malaysian Insight she only found out when reading a news article yesterday.

Federal Territories Land and Mines Office director Muhammad Yasir Yahya told The Star Online yesterday that the land would revert to the government, which in turn would allow the school to be gazetted as an educational institution that is fully government-aided.

However, Tengku Azian said the school will continue with its judicial review even after receiving word that the school will not be demolished.

“There is no need to change a tried and tested formula,” she said.

“It has produced many luminaries and offers holistic education, strong in both academics and extra-curricular activities where character is key to its ethos.

“The school also offers an opportunity to students from lower socio-economic groups to enjoy quality education, within a public school system.”

Tengku Azian said the government should instead provide more funding to mission schools of calibre like CBN, so that more children would have access to an excellent education, which is much needed for the human capital needs of our country.

The high court granted CBN’s application for leave for judicial review to challenge the government’s decision.

The application was filed on April 7 on behalf of the Lady Superior of the Society of Saint Maur, the corporate entity operating the Convent Bukit Nanas school.

Yasir was named as the sole respondent in the application. According to the document, the school had written to the lands and mines office on October 4, 2017, to seek an extension to its lease.

The school received a reply on December 18, 2020, that the lease would not be renewed, but no reason was given.

The lease is due to expire on September 6, and the school is seeking a stay of the authority’s decision.

In the filing, CBN wants the high court to quash the refusal to extend the lease, compel Yasir to revoke the refusal letter, and to stay proceedings.

The all-girls school, established in 1899 by nuns of the Sisters of the Holy Infant Jesus – an institute dedicated to the education and training of underprivileged children and the betterment of their lives – is on Jalan Bukit Nanas, Kuala Lumpur. – April 21, 2021.