S’wak schools in the most need for repairs – Fatimah

KUCHING: Schools in Sarawak are in greater need of repairs than those in Peninsular Malaysia.

Minister of Welfare, Women and Community Wellbeing Datuk Fatimah Abdullah said the state has 183 dilapidated schools in desperate need of attention.

“When compared to schools in Peninsular Malaysia, we are the ones who need it the most. If you need to find some more schools to be repaired come to Sarawak. This is the place that needs attention, that needs help the most,” Fatimah pointed out during the ‘Jiwa Murni’ Pacific Partnership 2017 Engineering Civic Action Programme (Encap) project handing over ceremony at SK Sungai Pinang, Bau, near here yesterday.

She said the state has placed top priority on dilapidated schools that are no longer conducive to learning and teaching, as the facilities are not safe.

“There are 1,453 primary and secondary schools in Sarawak, with 70 per cent of them in dilapidated condition. Because the numbers are high, we need to categorise them for pragmatic purposes. The three categories of schools namely the first category are satisfactory, the second one are average and the third category are those in dilapidated condition.

“We have to prioritise, I think only in Sarawak do we have such categories and we are aware that these schools cannot be repaired at one time because the cost is monumental,” she explained.

She added most primary schools in Sarawak are situated in rural areas and they are in need of assistance.

Fatimah praised the collaborative effort between Malaysia and the United States, especially the US Navy as the lead agency assisted by Japan, South Korea and Australia in providing assistance to reduce the number of dilapidated schools.

“This is the situation in Sarawak and we indeed are very grateful. On behalf of the state government, we would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts. This is a great move and collaboration between two,” she said.

“I hope that such collaboration will be continued in the coming future involving more schools that are in need of assistance.”

SK Sungai Pinang is one of the three schools selected for the community relations programme Encap ‘Jiwa Murni’ undertaken by members of Eksesais Pacific Partnership 2017 (PP17).

The project involved the construction of two new classrooms, four toilets, and converting a changing room into three toilets.

Construction work began on March 11 and was completed on Friday.

Among those present at the handing over were US Ambassador to Malaysia Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir, Eastern Field Command (EFC) commander Lt Gen Datuk Mohd Zaki Mokhtar, First Malaysian Infantry Division commander Major Gen Datuk Stephen Mundaw, and Serembu assemblyman Miro Simuh.