BOOST FOR KL SCHOOL
RM30m project will see construction of hostel, new building
PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday launched a new school building project in Chow Kit here for street children and those from poor families.
The RM30 million project will provide better facilities for Sekolah Bimbingan Jalinan Kasih (SBJK).
This involves the construction of a hostel and a seven-storey academic building, which is slated to be completed by 2020.
SBJK is in Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz and has been operating since August 2013.
Najib said the school’s goal was to provide children, regardless of their socio-economic background, with better access to education.
“The education sector plays an important role to achieve the vision of becoming a developed nation with high-income citizens. With that in mind, the government has a responsibility in ensuring and providing access to education to all segments of society.”
Najib said SBJK would be opened to children and youths here aged between 4 and 19.
“SBJK accepts children without identification documents, those who are marginalised and living in the streets.”
Najib said the establishment of SBJK was based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
“As set out in Part I of the convention, which contains the rights to be given to a child, recognising the right of the child to education, and with the aim of achieving that right in stages and on the basis of same opportunity, in particular making primary education compulsory and free.”
Najib said education was the impetus of social mobility, which Khazanah Research Institute had found to be the most important factor in improving the standard of living.
He said the project was in line with government’s target to achieve a 100 per cent enrolment in school by 2020.
“School enrolment was 67 per cent in 2009 and 85.6 per cent last year. Insyaallah, through such initiatives (similar to SBJK), I’m confident we can reach 100 per cent by 2020.”
He said SBJK’s success and concept in providing formal education received international recognition.
“We are also proud of SBJK’s success in providing formal education in a conducive environment for street and marginalised children in the city. SBJK has received international visitors, including Ha Books Vietnam, Ratchathani Ubon Thailand University, Lembaga Akreditasi Negara Indonesia, Korea-Malaysia Teacher Programme Chungdatum Korea and British Council South Africa.”
He made a special mention to SBJK headmaster Zulkernai Fauzi, who presented the “SBJK concept paper” at the Strategic Partner Meeting on Flexible Learning Strategies for Out-of-School Children in Bangkok, Thailand, which was organised by Unesco Bangkok (Asia-Pacific) in 2013.
Present were Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid and his deputies, Datuk P. Kamalanathan and Senator Datuk Chong Sin Woon.