Under-enrolment schools may be merged – Manyin

KUCHING: Under- enrolment schools in the state may soon be merged as part of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Research’s efforts to improve the level of education amongst students particularly those in rural areas.

According to Education, Science and Technological Research Minister Dato Sri Michael Manyin Jawong, the state currently has 651 schools which are considered as ‘sekolah kurang murid’ (under- enrolment schools).

“When you have these schools, you cannot improve the results because these schools will never get specialist teachers teaching specific subjects as the Education Department cannot afford to send them to under- enrolment schools. That is why a lot of rural students are poor in subjects because their interest in education has been killed at primary level. By the time they go to secondary school, they

When you have these schools, you cannot improve the results because these schools will never get specialist teachers teaching specific subjects as the Education Department cannot afford to send them to under-enrolment schools. That is why a lot of rural students are poor in subjects because their interest in education has been killed at primary level. By the time they go to secondary school, they do not like the subjects already.

do not like the subjects already,” he told reporters after receiving a courtesy call from Universiti Teknologi Mara ( UiTM) Sarawak delegation led by its rector Prof Datuk Dr Jamil Hamali at his office in Baitulmakmur Building here yesterday.

In view of this, Manyin said he has directed his officers to organise a two- day lab on July 19 and 20 to look at under- enrolment schools and find the best approach in merging and centralising them.

“This means that a lot of the schools need to be recommended for closure,” he revealed, while acknowledging that it will be a tall order to accomplish.

“We have to talk to the elected representatives and particularly the parents because for them, they have pride and sentimental value for the school in their kampung and a lot do not want their children to be away from them either.

“It will not be easy but I’m going to do it. We want to convince them on what is the bigger issue and that is the future of their children because once the school is centralised, results can be improved; specialist teachers can be transferred there and the students will gain interest in studying because they will be taught by teachers who have the right pedagogy,” he remarked.

On a related matter concerning education, Manyin said he was also planning to organise more lab sessions on English and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics ( STEM) in the future.

“The national target for STEM is 60 per cent (students taking up STEM education) but we have only achieved 26 per cent. If we maintain this, the state and country will never be able to catch up with other countries that are already good in technologies.

“So we are looking to accelerate our programme and see how we can achieve the target of 60 per cent,” he said.

Dato Sri Michael Manyin Jawong, Education, Science and Technological Research Minister