RM1 billion special funding for dilapidated schools still intact, says minister

KUCHING: The RM1 billion special funding for the rebuilding and upgrading of dilapidated schools approved during the 2018 Budget is supposed to be over and above the approved 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP) budget as agreed in the National Economic Council meeting held on Oct 9, 2017.

Highlighting this, Minister of Education, Science and Technological Research Dato Sri Michael Manyin pointed out that the contract amounting to RM419.05 million awarded by the federal Ministry of Education for the repair of 116 schools, which were not in the state’s priority list of critically dilapidated schools, should not utilise the RM1 billion special allocation.

“As far as we are concerned, the RM1 billion is still intact. The 116 schools were supposed to be part of the 11MP approved budget – 66 are direct from the federal Ministry of Education and 50 through JKR Sarawak,” he told a press conference after delivering his winding-up speech at the State Legislative Assembly sitting yesterday.

“So we hope the RM1 billion is still there for us to rebuild and upgrade dilapidated schools for a period of two years,” he added.

Manyin had earlier informed the august house that there are 1,020 out of 1,454 schools in Sarawak in dilapidated condition. He said 415 of the 1,020 schools have been categorised as ‘critically dilapidated’, out of which 205 have been approved for rebuilding or upgrading under the 11MP.

The remaining 210 critically dilapidated schools, he added, were to be rebuilt using the special funding of RM1 billion over a period of two years – RM500 million for 2018 and RM500 million for 2019.

“Following the decision made during the presentation to the National Economic Council Oct 9, 2017, that amount should not be part of the RM1 billion approved. The implementation of the 116 schools is not following the state’s priority list of critically dilapidated schools.

“In short, the utilisation of the RM500-million allocation is not in accordance with what was agreed during the National Economic Council meeting. It was pointed out during a meeting chaired by the chief minister on April 17, 2018, that the amount of RM419.05 million should not utilise the special allocation,” he said.

While the state has yet to receive the RM1 billion pledged, Manyin hopes the Pakatan Harapan government will honour the decision made then in the interest of education of Sarawakian children, reminding that education should not be politicised at the expense of their future.

He said the Sarawak government has already allocated more than RM100 million in funds including through the Rural Transformation Initiatives (RTI) to address various issues faced by schools and to help facilitate the development of schools in the state.

Assistant Minister of Education and Technological Research Dr Annuar Rapaee and the ministry’s permanent secretary Datu Sudarsono Osman were also present during the news conference.