Over half of 1,069 dilapidated schools nationwide repaired, says Fadhlina

LABUAN: Significant progress has been made in the nationwide effort to address the issue of dilapidated schools, with 693 out of the 1,069 affected schools having been repaired, said Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek.

She said the ministry remained committed to resolving the issue of dilapidated schools in the country.

“The occurrence of deteriorating school infrastructure is not limited to specific states, and settling this issue aligns with the Ministry of Education’s (MoE) mission to provide a conducive study environment for students.

“The MoE has made substantial progress in resolving the dilapidation issue, particularly in Sabah and Sarawak, where more than half of the total affected schools have undergone the necessary repairs,” she said at the presentation of the ministry’s ‘Wakalah’ Zakat Peranti at SMK Labuan here yesterday.

Fadhlina underscored the importance of continuous infrastructure upgrades in schools, with the MoE having implemented a star rating system with a three-month evaluation period to complete the upgrades within this timeframe.

In a Facebook post on July 28, 2023, the MoE said the government had allocated RM6.5 billion to implement 1,002 dilapidated school redevelopment projects nationwide from 2016 to 2023.

The ministry said the move was the government’s commitment to addressing the issue of dilapidated schools through the 2023 Rolling Plan.

Through the 2023 Rolling Plan, RM923.97 million was allocated for the implementation of 417 new and extension projects nationwide.

In addition, the ministry said that educational facilities in Sabah and Sarawak have also been improved through the implementation of 327 dilapidated school building development projects.