Mile 12 Yayasan Sarawak int’l school at 50.67 pct completion, says Sagah

CONSTRUCTION work of the Yayasan Sarawak International Secondary School (YSISS) located at Mile 12 along KuchingSerian Road is at 50.67 per cent completion, said Datuk Roland Sagah Wee Inn.

The Minister of Education, Innovation and Talent Development said the project is on track to be completed in the third quarter of 2023.

“As for YSISS Sibu, construction is targeted to commence in the first quarter of 2023, with the target completion date in July 2024. Both YSISS Bintulu and Miri are currently at planning stage,” he said in his winding up speech at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting yesterday.

The YSISS school in Petra Jaya began operations in April this year, with the initial intake exercise attracting 1,261 applicants and 115 students from throughout Sarawak accepted for the first cohort. Once the campus has been fully developed, Sagah said the school will have a capacity of 500 students from Year 7 to Year 11, which is equivalent to Form 1 to Form 5.

Touching on Yayasan Sarawak’s 30:30 loan repayment incentive for tertiary education, Sagah said the state government undertook to subsidise 30 per cent of the balance of student’s National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loans.

“To be eligible for the incentive, graduates must have already paid up or settled at least 30 per cent of their PTPTN loans. Other terms and conditions must also be fulfilled,” he said, adding that 11,095 graduates in the state had benefited from the incentive since 2019.

Sagah pointed out there are three public universities in the state – Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), as well as three state-owned universities – Curtin University, Swinburne University of Technology, and University of Technology Sarawak (UTS).

New training centres and institutions in the pipeline are Advanced Automotive Training College (AATC) in Kuching, Sarawak Skills Sri Aman Training Centre, and Sibu Automotive Training Academy, he said.

On other projects, the minister said the state government had allocated RM20 million for the construction of the Sarawak Science Centre with works beginning in 2023, while operations are expected to start in 2025.

A total of RM20 million has also been allocated to start construction on the Sarawak Infectious Disease Centre (SIDC) with works beginning in the first half of 2023 and expected to be completed within 24 months.

Through the Sarawak Research and Development Council, the centre has already engaged with global research institutions such as the United States National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, Swiss Tropical and Public Institute, and Oxford University.

Sagah said the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC) has documented 6,568 traditionally used plants across the state to protect local traditional knowledge on the usage of native flora and fauna.

The 100-acre Sarawak BioIndustrial Park will be purpose built for SBC to undertake research and RM2 million has been allocated next year for the development of the park’s first phase project, with completion over four phases expected in 2035.

The state government has also established state-owned entity SMD Semiconductor Sdn Bhd, also known as Sarawak Microelectronics Design, to embark on semiconductor microchip design through a service agreement with Belgium-based company Melexis NV.

Sagah also congratulated a Sibu-based company which has been selected as a finalist for the Lexus Design Award 2022 with the invention of its Wondaleaf Hammock Wheelchair.

“The design will revolutionise the use of wheelchairs and help caregivers move patients without manually carrying them,” he explained.