I was getting ready to go when the fun started. I got a frantic call from the District (County) Education Officer that's in charge of private schools. He said I couldn't be the Principal or a teacher of the school - ie the school can't happen. Even Angela couldn't be. He suggested calling his boss at the State Education Office to find out why as he didn't know.
After several attempts, I got his boss - who was in the hospital for something, but was referred to another lady. I called the number and the lady gave me yet another rabbit to chase (another number). That number was busy for an hour. Finally I got through (this whole time I was talking in Malay - practice does make improvement!). I explained everything that had happened and asked if anything could be done (in Malaysia, something can always be done if people want it to be done, regardless of black and white rules).
At this point the lady got a call on another line and I could hear her conversation - she could speak English quite well actually. We talked for a good half hour about ideas. It ended with her telling me to submit the center's application with other people's name on it, they'd approve it, and later she'd do her best to find a way to get me a teaching permit at the school.
So I set up a meeting with the District Officer to look over my paperwork and see the empty school - which happened at 3PM. About an hour after talking to the State Officer, she called back, saying she remembered me. I did a training she attended and I was the one who made rice bags (instead of bean bags, because rice is cheap here and beans are not, which on a side note, rice doesn't work - it attracts bugs and turns into dust).
Anyway, it's amazing how paths seem to cross. She called to give me about 5 other ways I could open an education centre, including taking over a nearby center that isn't doing too well (I've contacted the owner and he is meeting me on Friday, though I don't think I need much from him at this point, but it never hurts to get information and make a possible friendship). The State Officer basically told me she didn't want this state, which is not as populated as many other states and so it doesn't have many native English speakers working in it, to waste the opportunity of me helping out the state.
So I think I have the Education Offices in my favor, which is awesome. After more than 2 hours on the phone (which I don't usually talk on the phone for 2 hours in a month!), things were almost at a green light. At about 2:30, my local business partner called to say the name for our center was registered. It's called Pusat Tuisyen Pasti Mahir (which means Sure Skills Tutoring Center. It doesn't actually translate to English well, but in Malay it sounds good.)
I met with the District Officer at 3, and the place was fine for him. I had drawn out the classrooms. My paperwork was in order - just needed to add an emergency exit plan (which, for the record, wasn't in the previous example application that he gave me, but it's a simple thing to add). He was impressed with the 3D drawings of everything. He was very flexible with a lot of rules - saying basically if I have half of the walls put up and promise to finish the rest, he'd pretend it was all ready so that the application could be submitted earlier. He also said once it is submitted, I don't have to wait for the approval to start advertising (usually you have to wait 1-2 weeks, which would be after I'm back in the US.)
We've definitely been given favor. I am hoping to submit everything to him next Tuesday, so I'll have a week to start spreading the word. After meeting him, I started buying wall supplies - I asked around about it being contracted out and found they charge three times the cost of materials to make the walls, and I'd probably have to wait for them to start - so I plan to do it myself with some help of friends. Tonight I had the supplies and tools I needed and started at 8:30PM, finished for the night at 12:30. So in four hours of work, you can see the progress - I have finished the walls for my Phase 1 - I have two Phases. The first phase must be done for the Education Officer to approve the place, but the second phase doesn't have to be completed until later.
Phase 1 - Classroom #1 and Teacher's Room
Phase 2 - Classroom #2 and Classroom #3
I've only done metal stud walls for about a week in my life back when I was in college and I worked for a ceiling tile company during the summer. One week business was slow so we were loaned to a wall building company. I probably didn't even do any of the work since I didn't know how to do it. Here things are much different - the studs are half the size (and I found out today some people use studs that are 1/4 the size of US studs), they do studs every 2 feet, they don't use track - just studs for studs and track, and the list goes on. I am still doing 16" studs, by the way. I can still be a little American.
Tomorrow we're off to the city where I'm hoping to pick up some used windows for about $10 each - they would normally cost 4 times that much. I don't think the size will fit perfectly, but I'm going to make it work. Windows between rooms and offices will allow light to pass through. I also changed my plan because nailing cement nails into concrete pillars on the ceiling is next to impossible. That's gonna cost a bit extra to change as the panel ceiling is higher than the beams, but the time and frustration saved will be worth it.
Here are some pictures:
Making sure the wall are straight:
