Merger of under-enrolled schools requires parents’ approval — Mahdzir

The decision to merge under-enrolled schools has to be made with the consent of the parents of the students involved, said Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid.

He said the Education Department in Sarawak and the State Education, Science and Technology Research Ministry had conducted a clinic to identify such schools in the state.

“Holding the clinic is the first step, the second step, as informed by Datuk Seri Michael Manyin Jawong (Minister of Education, Science and Technology Research Sarawak) is to have roadshows, meetings with the Parents and Teachers Associations (PTAs), non-governmental organisations (NGOs), Community leaders and so on, to get their views.

“The option for the students is to remain at their old school or for their school to be merged, but the regulations requires approval from the parents,” he told a press conference after closing the Second International Conference on Special Education 2017 at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching, here, yesterday.

Also present were Manyin, Education director-general Tan Sri Khair Mohamad Yusof and Sarawak Education Department director Rakayah Madon.

Earlier, Manyin said the results of the recent two-day clinic conducted by the Sarawak Education Department and the State Education, Science and Technology Research Ministry revealed that there were 651 schools with less than 150 students, and 1,004 schools with less than 300 students in Sarawak.