Study on maintenance practices for school buildings in Terengganu and Kedah, Malaysia

Abstract

Malaysia initiated talks on building maintenance in 1971 during the Second Malaysia Plan of 1971-1975. Later, the government introduced the Building and Common Property (Maintenance and Management) Act, 2007 to provide proper maintenance and management of buildings. School buildings are one of the important facilities for basic knowledge in everyday life. Accordingly, the maintenance of school buildings, which serve staff and students, needs considerable attention as effective maintenance protects capital investment, ensures the health and safety of the children, and supports educational performance. Based on a combination of literature survey and questionnaire appraisal, this study evaluates the maintenance practices in designated schools in Malaysia. Overall, the study showed that most of the school buildings do not possess their own maintenance management practices. Moreover, no preventive or planned maintenance was observed, and only emergency maintenance was applied when necessary. The study recommends the implementation of planned maintenance practices, which will be more effective than unplanned maintenance, mostly because of the reduction in repair costs. © Owned by the authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2014.