Schools in flood prone area to be relocated

SK Ulu Kabo and SK Gerenjang in Saratok will be relocated once the State Education Department has identified suitable sites for the two schools.

Assistant Minister of Education and Technological Research Dr Annuar Rapa’ee said both schools have been classified as dilapidated schools and due to its current location which is at risk of flooding the department is therefore in the process of identifying suitable sites for the two schools.

He was responding to Ali Biju’s ( PKR-Krian) question at the DUN Sitting yesterday on whether the government planned to relocate SK Ulu Kabo and SK Gerenjang following the severe flood earlier this year.

Ali also asked if the government planned to merge ‘Sekolah Kurang Murid’ ( low enrolment schools) Dr Annuar said the government would have to look from various angles on the necessity as well as the benefit for students.

“Merging low enrolment schools is one of the methods to combine resources. However, due to scattered population, if we were to merge schools in one area, then the demand from the community for a school in their area would put the government in a difficult situation.

To Chong Chieng Jen’s ( DAPKota Sentosa) question on whether the relocation of the two schools will be funded by the state or federal government, Dr Annuar said this would be under the federal funding.

“Any new school to be built in Sarawak is still under the federal government,” he said and noted that prior to relocating these two schools, the state government under the rural transformation initiative has allocated around RM20 million this year to renovate the schools.

He also added that with the establishment of the new Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Research, the state government will have new ways of implementing things concerning education in the state.

“My minister ( Dato Sri Michael Manyin Jawong) will be revealing this in his winding up speech later this DUN Sitting.”