SAYS pro tem committee chairman Mohd Hafizal Hamzah (fourth right) hands over the SAYS logo to Dr Annuar, as Rogayah (on Dr Annuar’s left) and others look on.
SIBU: The Sarawak government wants the federal government to fulfil the pledge of allocating RM500 million next year, made by the previous government, for the repairing and rebuilding of dilapidated schools in Sarawak.
Assistant Minister of Education, Science and Technological Research Dr Annuar Rapaee noted that there was no mention of this sum in the recently-tabled federal Budget 2019.
He added that despite the allocation being promised by the previous administration, education remains the federal government’s responsibility.
“We were supposed to be given RM500 million this year and another RM500 million for next year, to repair and rebuild dilapidated schools in Sarawak.
“For this year, the repairing works on 116 dilapidated schools cost RM416.5 million, leaving about RM84 million, which has yet to be used.
“The RM500-million allocated for next year was not mentioned in the national Budget 2019 tabled by Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng recently.
“That is what we (Sarawak government) are asking as this is a pledged amount,” said Dr Annuar, who is also Assistant Minister of Housing and Public Health.
He was met after a symbolic handover of approval of allocation from the Sarawak government for the Sibu Active Youth Space (SAYS) project, to Sibu Municial Council (SMC) represented by its deputy chairperson Rogayah Jamain here on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Padungan assemblyman Wong King Wei had proposed for a joint committee to tackle the issue of dilapidated schools in Sarawak with the participation of both ministries of education from Sarawak and Putrajaya.
When debating in the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly recently, Wong had also noted that only 206 schools in Sarawak are said to be dilapidated by the Sarawak Education Department whereas the august House was informed that Sarawak had a total of 1,020 dilapidated schools.
On Wong’s proposal for a joint committee, Dr Annuar said this stemmed from the slight confusion among Pakatan Harapan (PH) lawmakers with regard to the number of dilapidated schools and the restoration cost involved.
He disclosed that 116 dilapidated schools in Sarawak are in the various stages of restoration, and expected to be completed by this year’s end.
He further stated that the repairing of 50 schools tasked to the Public Works Department (JKR) has been completed.
Adding on, he disclosed there are 1,020 dilapidated schools in Sarawak, but only 415 are categorised as in ‘critical condition’.
“We are focusing on restoring the 415 schools in dire conditions, of which 116 in various stages of being restored, while 50 dilapidated schools had been repaired.”
Dr Annuar, who is Nangka assemblyman, pointed out his ministry did not inflate the number of dilapidated schools, as well as its repairing and rebuilding costs.
“There is no mark-up (of cost) and if possible, we want every (dilapidated) school to be repaired,” he said.