Hulu Rajang schools in dire need of upgrading

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CAN YOU SMELL?: Ugak (second right) and an unidentified man pose in front of the toilets at SK Lubok Mawang.

KUCHING: More than 30 schools in Hulu Rajang constituency are in dire need of urgent repair.

Many of these schools are in dilapidated state and the local MP, Wilson Ugak Kumbong, has vowed to make it his priority to get them fixed and upgraded.

He said that in Hulu Rajang, which is made up of Baleh and Belaga state constituencies, at least 30 schools with old and worn out buildings were in need of urgent upgrading.

He cited SK Lubok Mawang whose toilet doors were in need of replacing and the walls another coat of paint as an example.

“The roofs of some classrooms are leaking and look like they could collapse at any time. The staff room is worse. It is so small it looks like a makeshift hut under a classroom,” Ugak said when contacted yesterday.

SK Lubok Mawang is situated at Sg Majau, in the interior of Kapit accessible only by timber road and river.

“It is the only primary school serving people from seven longhouses in the area. It has 44 pupils and 13 teachers,” said Ugak adding that this was just one of the desperate cases with several photographs to prove his claims.

“On my part, I will try my best to get funds for all these schools – to get them repaired or rebuilt. This is my priority as the people have elected me to represent them in parliament.”

He said providing a good and conducive environment for the students was crucial because the country’s future and the next generation depended on them having good education.

“As far as I know, only SK Punan Ba has been allocated some fund for the rebuilding of dormitories which collapsed sometime in January last year after years of wear and tear, injuring 18 boarders.

“I am upset by the dilapidated state of some schools in the rural areas. Many people, especially those from urban centres, would not want to see the state of some of the toilets such as the ones in SK Lubok Mayang,” Ugak said.