PUTRAJAYA, MALAYSIA - A school with only one pupil is no reason for the government to shut it down.

This was the undertaking given by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin when asked on the case of SRJK (T) Ladang Sungai Timah in Teluk Intan, which has only one student.

However, Muhyiddin, who is also education minister, said the government had advised schools with low enrolments to register students in larger schools nearby.

This, he said, would provide students with a better learning environment and better interaction with their peers.

"These cases are prevalent, especially among Tamil schools. Whatever it is, we leave it to the discretion of the school's management.

"This is a considerate government and we will not shut schools like this. The student wants to study, so let her."

K. Humah, 12, is a Year Six student and had been the sole student at the school, which has three academic staff and a gardener, since her first year.

Muhyiddin agreed that any attempt to close the school would be politicised.

"If that happens, some within the community would accuse the government of not caring for their education."