DAP supports call for more govt funding for Mission schools
KUCHING: Democratic Action Party ( DAP) Serian branch chairman Edward Andrew Luwak supports the call for both the Sarawak and Federal Governments to give more funds to mission schools. In a press statement issued to the media yesterday, Edward said mission schools played a very important role in human capital investment and development and fully supported the call by Bishop of the Anglican Church in Sarawak and Brunei, the Right Reverend Danald Jute.
“Many federal leaders from Sarawak and many of the Sarawak State Ministers were products of Mission Schools. On top of that, many heads of government departments in Sarawak were educated in Mission Schools,” said Edward
“It is a fact that Christian missions of various denominations pioneered education in Sarawak.
History shows that the Anglican Mission established the St Thomas’ and St Mary’s schools before the Roman Catholic established its own, St Joseph’s and St Theresa’s schools in Kuching,” he added.
“These Christian Missions then spread its education programme to other parts of Sarawak. The Anglican to Simanggang ( Sri Aman today) and Betong while the Catholic and Methodist Missions established schools in Sibu,” he said.
Mission schools, according to Edward had become the most renowned schools in Sarawak, clinching the best public education examination results.
In pre-Malaysia years, most of the rural schools in Bau, Serian, Sri Aman, Betong, Sibu, Kanowit, Miri and Baram were started by the Christian Missions. Even in the Borneo highlands, Bario in Miri division and Ba’Kelalan, Long Semado and Long Sukang in Lawas district, the Borneo Evangelical Mission introduced school education, long before the Local Councils took over the running of schools in Sarawak.