Rural areas priority for centralised schools
KUCHING: Rural constituencies will be the first to get centralised schools built to address the problem of under- enrolled schools as long as parents and the assembly persons have no issue with it.
Minister of Education, Science and Technological Research Dato Sri Michael Manyin said he has already spoken to Public Works Department ( JKR) to provide the design and cost based on the scope supplied by his ministry.
With the RM1 billion- fund allocated by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg, Sarawak will have full control of the process.
“My ministry and the Education Department will be in- charge. We will be very transparent because we want to fully utilise the amount,” he told reporters after closing the first Sarawak English Language Education
My ministry and the Education Department will be incharge. We will be very transparent because we want to fully utilise the amount.
Symposium ( SELES) here yesterday.
The ministry’s permanent secretary Datu Sudarsono Osman and the State Education director Rakayah Madon were also present.
On the inaugural symposium, Manyin said they would hold something similar next year in either Miri or Sibu.
“The purpose it to make Sarawakians aware that the CM’s office is very serious about our proficiency in English and is also very serious about improving it so that Sarawakians can compete in this digital and globalised world.”
He said they would form a committee, gather recommendations and find strategies to move forward.
English, spoken by about two billion people across the world, is the language for commerce, science, engineering, diplomacy, publications, and more, so that we won’t be left behind, Manyin said.
He expressed hope there would be more people speaking English without worrying of making mistakes.
“Don’t focus on the mistakes. We just encourage people to speak the language. This is not a first language, so we won’t focus on the mistakes. The purpose is to encourage Sarawakians to speak it.”
Dato Sri Michael Manyin, Minister of Education, Science and Technological Research