KOTA KINABALU: After a delay of almost three years, Wisma Jabatan Pendidikan Negeri Sabah was finally completed and handed over to the Education Ministry yesterday.
State education director Datuk Jame Alip said the project costing RM45,500,000 was a Ninth Malaysia Plan project and construction work began on June 29, 2009.
He cited technical issues as the reasons for the delay of the project which was supposed to have been completed on June 29, 2011. The project was fully completed on March 6, this year.
“This is such a beautiful building. There is that element of modernity in it. It is a testimony that the Education Ministry has not forgotten Sabah in terms of the state’s education development,” he said and expressed his thanks to the federal government and to the state government.
The building can accommodate 249 of the department’s staff.
“It has ample parking spaces, equipped with a surau and a cafeteria,” he said.
He hoped that Sandakan, Tawau and Keningau would also have their own Wisma Pendidikan in the future.
Jame also mentioned the two years delay in completing the project and cited the need for direct engagement with all the relevant agencies involved, such as Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd and Kota Kinabalu City Hall.
“For the good of many, we need to be brave … we have to learn from this experience and let it be the last time. We cannot have any more cases of unfinished school projects,” he said.
Jame stressed that Sabah was lagging behind in terms of education facilities when compared with other states in the country and further emphasised that Sabah needed more allocation than other states in Peninsular Malaysia due to her size.
Additionally, the State Education Department also needed two deputy education directors instead of one who is Maimunah Suhaibul, he said.
“The size of Sabah is the equivalent of nine states in Peninsular Malaysia … the federal government has to accept and understand this fact … hence if Peninsular Malaysia is given RM10 million then Sabah needs to be given RM50 million,” he said.
Jame also raised the challenges faced by the department since he took over as the state director.
“There have been schools collapsing due to landslides, schools affected by fire,” he said.
He added that the department had received RM5 million from the Education Ministry for the five schools that were damaged by fire and another RM10.4 million for the maintenance work on schools in Sabah.
There are altogether 1,071 primary schools and 219 secondary schools in Sabah.
Additionally, Jame has also applied for RM500 million from the Education Ministry and he urged for the funding to be approved soon.
“I am confident that the Education Ministry will consider it,” he said.