Compiled by ELISHA MARY EASTER, C.ARUNO and R. ARAVINTHAN

THE Malaysian-Indian community was shocked by reports that SJK (T) Ladang Kerling’s “gurukulam” (traditional hostel) has been ordered to shut down, Malaysia Nanban reported.

The daily reported that a letter was issued by the Education Ministry instructing the hostel to be shuttered a week after the Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election.

The daily did not name sources but reported the information was from “people who knew about the matter”.

School board chairman Kumaran Marimuthu said the facility was built to better serve students from poor backgrounds.

The 104-year-old school near Kuala Kubu Baru was the first school in the country to have the traditional gurukulam-style hostel through the efforts of the management, school board, parent-teacher association (PTA) and former students association.

The order to shutter the hostel has been a shock, said a PTA member and a former students association member.

While the gurukulam is now located on the school grounds after initially being outside, efforts are under way to shift the hostel to a suitable private location, the daily reported.

The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a, it denotes a separate news item.