Application of Location/Allocation Models and GIS to the Location of National Primary Schools in Rawang, Malaysia
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As education is compulsory in Malaysia, all children aged 7 to 12 are expected to attend primary schools. It is therefore a challenge for the government to provide schools which are well located to serve the children conveniently. Various criteria for siting schools may be assessed by using location/ allocation models (LAMs), a widely used tool for finding good locations for public facilities. The key factor in siting schools is the location of demand or number of children that will attend the schools involved, here the national primary schools of Malaysia. Based on census data and statistics reported in the Malaysia Education Blueprint, the estimated number of pupils from 23 neighbourhood areas likely to attend national primary schools was estimated using information on the age and ethnic breakdown of population in these units. Then, to increase accuracy in estimating the distribution of demand, estimated numbers of pupils from the 23 neighbourhoods were assigned at a finer scale to 10,718 cadastral plot units which gave quite precise locations for where pupils live. This distribution of demand to a fine scale then helped in assessing how well schools were located to serve the study area concerned using LAMs. First, the current distribution of schools and their catchment areas were examined. Then, various possibilities for improving accessibility to schools were explored by using 2 scenarios involving adding 1 or 2 new schools and using three different types of LAM with and without capacity constraints, including also one scenario involving closing 1 of the 5 existing schools which seemed less well located. Finally, the more realistic solutions found were selected for further consideration and evaluation as a basis for enhancing the accessibility of pupils to national primary schools in Rawang.