Petronas funded hostel to be ready in 2019

KOTA KINABALU:

Construction has started on a hostel funded by Petronas to improve pupils’ access to education in the remote area of Pulau Balambangan in Sabah’s northern Kudat district.

The 120-bed hostel, is being built within SK Balambangan, is expected to improve pupils’ attendance.

The hostel, to be known as Asrama Harian Luar Bandar, which will be completed in 2019, will provide pupils with a place to stay throughout the week during school days.

The school’s senior administration assistant, Abdul Basith Iman Goy, said it was difficult for the pupils, numbering about 90, to come to school especially during bad weather.

He said they had to walk for hours or get on boats to reach school.

“Imagine children as young as six having to go through such obstacles daily. We hope to place the pupils at the hostel during school days and they only return to their homes during the weekend,” he said.

This way, they would not have to miss any classes and we would be able to monitor their academic performance more closely, he said. “The island has three villages. “Kampung Selamat is the nearest to the school while Kg Batu Sirih is only accessible by boats.

“Pupils from Kampung Kok Simpul, which is the furthest, have to trek through the jungle as early as 5am to arrive before school starts at 7am,” Abdul Basith said.

Members of the project team, including officials from Petronas, visited SK Balambangan recently to inspect the hostel’s construction progress.