KERIAN: SJK (C) Bin Sin, a Chinese primary school in Titi Serong, Parit Buntar, is recruiting pupils.

Headmistress Chiah Ai Ning said the school is well-equipped in terms of facilities, but the number of pupils in the school dropped to 13 this year, making it the smallest school in Kerian district.

The school has a total of seven teachers and the headmistress, giving it a teacher-to-pupil ratio of one to two, she said.

The school, which is 5 km from Parit Buntar, used to have about a hundred pupils, but many Chinese families have since moved out of the area.

Currently there are fewer than ten Chinese shops and families in Titi Serong.

The school board is working with the school authorities to recruit more pupils.

Goh Choon Seng, chairman of the school board, said the school used to have about 50 pupils more than ten years ago.

Parents in the vicinity of Parit Buntar would send their children here, but over the years the number of pupils has dropped.

This year, an old driver who used to send pupils to the school for the past 11 years, retired at the age of 68.

Goh said the school board once discussed with residents in Bagan Tiang, a nearby fishing village, to get them to send their children to the school.

Transportation has remained the principal issue, and parents in Bagan Tiang are used to sending their children to SJK (C) Nam Hwa in Tanjung Piandang, the second largest school in the district.

Goh said although the school is small, it is well-equipped in terms of facilities.

The school has received allocations from the government to upgrade the classrooms and basketball court.

Many local Chinese philanthropists have also donated for the purchase of equipment and maintenance expenses.

The school has earlier organized a coloring contest for kindergarten children, creating an opportunity for parents to visit the school as part of its recruitment drive.