SITIAWAN: When rubber trader Yek Dong Ping bought a piece of agricultural land for RM330,000 in Ayer Tawar 30 years ago, Tamil primary school SJKT Ayer Tawar was already in operation.

The Tamil primary school continued to operate, but Yek did not collect any rent from it.

In addition, he paid the quit rent for the school, which occupies half acre of the land.

Like how he supports Chinese schools, 78-year-old Yek supports a local Tamil primary school so that Indian children can learn their mother tongue.

Last year, several representatives from the school approached Yek to buy the land with plans of refurbishing the dilapidated classrooms and expanding the school.

The school’s board of directors did not actually have the funds ready, but said they would be starting a fund-raising campaign and would apply for government allocation.

The estimated value of the land was about RM200,000 an acre, and Yek agreed to sell at RM400,000 for close to three acres of land to be used for education.

The school agreed to with the price.

“As the school is sourcing for funds, I express my intention to donate RM50,000. So the price is capped at RM350,000.

“A year later, the school representatives approach me again for donation, as the school was unable to raise RM350,000.

“I finally agreed to donate another RM50,000 to sell the land at RM300,000,” said Yek.

The school’s two vice headmistresses praised Yek for not collecting rent for 30 years and for paying the quit rent for the school, which was set up in 1938.

Yek would sponsor school activities and deliver mandarin oranges to the school during Chinese New Year.

“I am not rich, but I still can pay the school’s quit rent,” he said.

The school is the place for the Indian rubber tappers’ children to study.

Yek said while buying the land for investment, he was supporting a Tamil school in return for the support he had received from the Indian rubber tappers.