In its letter to the ministry, sighted by FMT, Assumption Butterworth Alumni Association chairman Mohanasundaram Krishnan said the grace period would allow a task force that had been formed time to come up with a way to save the school.

“The task force has initiated discussions with the landowner to resolve the school site issue. We are confident that we will be able to save the school with the support of other stakeholders such as the parent-teacher association (PTA) and the local community, which are part of the task force.

“Even the landowner is ready to discuss with all parties on the land purchase matter. Therefore, it is wise for the ministry to grant a year-long grace period so that a solution could be found,” Mohanasundaram said in the letter.

The school administration was told by the ministry on Jan 8 that it would be closed down after the owner of the land, Sri Avenue Sdn Bhd, said it wanted the property back.

The school was founded in 1933 by the La Salle Brothers, an order of the Catholic church, but the church relinquished all rights when the school was relocated in 2008.

It was reported earlier that the school, currently located at Kampung Ujung Batu near the Perai river, faced problems after the original site of the school in Jalan Assumption was sold to property developers in 1995.

The pupils used classrooms at Sekolah Kebangsaan Jalan Sungai Nyiur for 13 years until the current building was constructed on the present site in 2008.

Two days ago, FMT reported that the Penang state government met with the state education authorities to discuss ways to save the school.

The state government also assigned Bagan Dalam assemblyman Satees Muniandy to reach out to Sri Avenue Sdn Bhd to work out an amicable solution since land matters fall under the purview of the state.