KENINGAU: Pensiangan Umno division chief Datuk Abdul Ghani Mohd Yassin has urged the Ministry of Education to speed up the construction of the Dalit Secondary school in Sook.
He said the school is needed urgently to discourage primary students in the area from dropping out.
This, he said, is because hostels in other secondary schools are not able to accommodate students from rural areas that are increasing.
“If SMK Dalit which has been proposed for a long time cannot be implemented, it will affect children’s studies in this area,” he said at the Primary School Assessment Test (UPSR) program for Dalit zone.
The program jointly organized by the district education office and the Headmaster Council for the zone, was attended by district education officer Masly Wahip and teachers.
Ghani, who is deputy chairman of the Sabah Land Development Board (SLDB), added children in Sook and Keningau have to travel two to three hours to get to the school.
He said it is time for Dalit to have a secondary school because there are many primary school students in the area.
“Many students are not able to continue and further their studies at secondary school because their parents cannot afford to bear high transport and accommodation costs,” he said.
“This problem can be overcome if SMK Dalit is built on a site that has been proposed in Kampung Kahaba, about 70 kilometers from Keningau town,” he added.
The primary schools that are in Dalit area are SK Kahaba, SK Dalit, SK Malaing, SK Bonor, SK Binanun, SK Nangkawangan, SK Pohon Batu, SK Mamagun and SK Karamatoi.