RM30 million to replace old SK Tamu Darat school building
KOTA BELUD: The Education Ministry has approved a RM30 million funding to replace the old SK Tamu Darat school building.
Its minister, Fadhlina Sidek, said the building design had been completed and construction would start this August.
She said the Sabah Public Works Department, the State Education Department (JPNS) and the school conducted a site visit on July 3, 2023.
“Now it is in the process of tender and the SK Tamu Darat school building replacement is expected to start in August this year,” she said after visiting several primary and secondary schools at Kadamaian.
Fadhlina was in Sabah to see the issues and needs of dilapidated schools often raised by the people’s representatives at the constituency.
She was accompanied by Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister and Kadamaian assemblyman Datuk Ewon Benedick, Kota Belud member of parliament Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis and Sabah Education Department director Raisin Saidin to visit four schools in Kadamaian which need immediate attention. They are SK Rangalau, SRA Rangalau, SK Tamu Darat and SMK Narinang.
Fadhlina said in total, as many as 38 schools in the Kadamaian area were categorized as poor schools.
“In this Kota Belud district alone, as many as 38 poor schools are being given full attention either in reconstruction or for maintenance.
“This visit is very positive and I would like to thank the two representatives of this area, namely Datuk Ewon as the Kadamaian assemblyman and Munirah as the Member of Parliament for being together on this visit and sharing a lot about the needs of the schools here,” she said.
She said that in total, his ministry has allocated RM59 million to maintain educational institutions of the Sabah State Education Department, involving 1,200 projects.
“This maintenance is always ongoing, any school that needs it, we shall provide that provision.
“There is a special allocation, for example last year for the construction of school toilets and this year we will start SBK (Government Aid Schools) toilets. We are doing this maintenance all over the country.
“Sabah has always received the largest allocation from the government, this year alone as much as RM59 million has been allocated for the maintenance of educational institutions,” she said.
Meanwhile, Ewon is grateful to the Education Ministry for its prompt assistance in addressing school development issues in the constituency.
He stated that as the representative of the area, his responsibility is to seek solutions to school needs while focusing on entrepreneurship and cooperatives.
“I would like to thank Fadhlina for accepting the invitation to conduct a field visit to the Kadamaian constituency to inspect four schools, three primary schools and one secondary school.
“The field visit aimed to personally observe the issues that I have consistently raised with her, both in discussions and in the Dewan Rakyat.
“In many of our discussions before the Cabinet meeting, she agreed to the invitation, and today she herself has seen and allocated immediate allocations as well as significant allocations, including at SK Tamu Darat,” he said.
“On behalf of the Kadamaian people, especially the ParentTeacher Association (PIBG) and teachers, I would like to express my gratitude to Fadhlina and the Education Ministry for the action taken to assist representatives in addressing educational development issues here.
“I hope that other schools, not only in the Kadamaian and Penampang constituencies but throughout Sabah and the country, will receive similar attention.
“This government is always concerned about the needs of the people and places great emphasis on school development,” he said.