Ministry to meet parents on merger of low-enrolment schools – Manyin

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Manyin (second left) speaks during the press conference. With him are (from left) Fatimah and Dr Annuar. – Photo by Muhammad Rais Sanusi

 

KUCHING: The Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Research, together with the District Education Offices (PPDs), are expected to meet parents in rural areas this month to discuss the issue concerning the merging of low-enrolment schools in their respective areas.

Its minister Dato Sri Michael Manyin Jawong said although his ministry and the State Education Department had identified the low-enrolment schools to be merged, the main concern now is to assure parents that the merger would be for the benefit of the students to receive better education.

“During a two-day lab held about four weeks ago, the State Education Department has come up with some recommendations on what schools to be merged and centralised.

“But we don’t want to bulldoze this matter to parents first as our main concern now is to meet with parents and get feedback from them on the merger,” he told a press conference after chairing today’s meeting with state elected representatives on the proposal for merging low-enrolment schools.

Manyin pointed out that the purpose of the meeting was to inform the elected representatives on the matter and to obtain their feedback on the merger proposal.

“Today the State Education Department is putting up the recommendation (of identified schools for merger) to the elected representatives and we want to gather their reaction on this.”

Though he did not divulge the number of identified low-enrolment schools to be merged, he noted that the schools are scattered throughout the state and located mostly outside the cities such as in Serian, Baram, Lawas, Kapit and so on.

“Yes, we have identified the low-enrolment schools but at the moment, we cannot visualise when these schools will be merged.

“We hope from our discussion with the elected representatives today, if they are acceptable, then our ministry together with the PPDs will go on the ground to meet the parents in rural areas and we want to do it within this month.”

Manyin admitted that the idea of merging Sarawak’s low-enrolment schools was a tall order but nevertheless the ministry was willing to try and accomplish this goal.

“It is not that easy to merge schools and we have been trying since I was a teacher before. There will be a lot of resistance from the parents because they have their reasons such as sentimental value, transportation issues and so on.

“It will be a very difficult task but at least we try because our main purpose is to improve the overall performance of schools in the state which currently ranks 13 in the country,” he remarked.

Also present at the press conference were Welfare, Community Well Being, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Datuk Fatimah Abdullah, Assistant Minister of Education and Technological Research Dr Annuar Rapa’ee and Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Research permanent secretary Datu Sudarsono Osman.