Page 8 - Surveyor 50.2 2015

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The Malaysian Surveyor

general buildings, because non-technical personnel are usually appointed to carry out
maintenance management. There were a few methods being used to study the issues
and challenges faced by the school authorities. First and foremost, the interviewees from
school authorities who were appointed as dedicated maintenance personnel have been
involved in the interview regarding the existing maintenance management and practices.
Correspondingly, there are also officers from National Heritage Department who had
participated in the research to justify the issues and challenges highlighted by the school
authorities, and their responsibilities to heritage education institutes after its declaration
of National Heritage. Besides, condition surveys were conducted in selected building in
case studies in order to evaluate the existing building condition and cross-analysed with
feedbacks given by interviewee during the survey. In essence, building occupants such
as school principal, senior assistants, senior clerks, class teachers, and other advanced
building occupants, or those who affiliated with implementation of school maintenance
in heritage school were queried in the form of questionnaire paper with regards to their
perception on maintenance works in heritage school. The findings are presented in the
context of issues and challenges from various aspects, which include financial problem,
material replacement problem, unconcerned human behaviour, lack of institutional and
training facilities, technical problem, poor management and administration, and effect
on declaratory as national heritage. Surprisingly, one of the indicative findings from this
paper is on National Heritage status that has raised the awareness of respondents to
provide better care of buildings, and it does not lead to improvement in maintenance
performance and physical condition of the schools compared to non-gazette heritage
buildings.

Keywords: Gazetted Heritage, School Buildings, Maintenance Management, Educational Institution,

National Heritage Act.

1.0 Introduction According to the statistic adapted from et al. (2011), most of the maintenance
the list of secondary school by Ministry of practitioner agreed that maintaining
Malaysia has many Education (2011), about 24 of 94 schools historical buildings are more complex
historical buildings has aged more than 50 years in Kuala compared to new building.[1] Therefore,
and cultural Lumpur. Maintaining such architectures a good maintenance practice can
significance that in good condition definitely will create a lengthen the building’s lifespan as to avoid
are worthy to be better image for Malaysia, and showing the degree of degradation and decay.
preserved for our respect to our history. According to one of the newspaper that
sustainable development; educational discussed on the issues on demolition of
institutions are one of the most common The general significance of this study is old school buildings, it can last for 100
historical buildings found is the heart of to improve the maintenance practices years or more, and proposed demolition
the Kuala Lumpur city. These historical of heritage school building, which for old school buildings was unnecessary,
schools have been operating over a requires special maintenance approach and building maintenance was a more
few decades, or even one century, and to conserve the building as authentic as viable and economical solution. An
gazetted as National Heritage status. possible. Based on the findings by Rashid example of Kuen Cheng girl’s block, the

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