Dr Annuar Rapaee
SARAWAK government is looking forward to work together with the new federal government to implement the plan of merging low enrolment schools.
Assistant Minister of Education and Technology Research Dr Annuar Rapaee raised his concerns in the august House today on whether the plan to merge low enrolment schools in Sarawak will proceed now that Pakatan Harapan (PH) is the ruling government.
“But it is interesting to take note that in the press conferences, the new Minister of Works (Baru Bian) has put emphasis on three things – the hospitals, roads and schools.”
Dr Annuar was responding to a question from Paulus Palu Gumbang (PBB-Batu Danau) on the development of the plan to merge four schools in Batu Danau area.
He revealed that the number of schools in plan to be merged in Sarawak is 357 primary schools with low enrolment of less than 300 students.
“The number of schools in Sarawak at present is 1,404 and out of the figures, 1,264 are primary schools while 849 are low enrolment schools.”
“This has been our aspirations since the commissioned of Ministry of Education, Science and Technology Research.”
Merging of the schools, he emphasised, was the most cost effective approach that will allow resources to be pulled together, specialised teachers can be centralised and infrastructure can be rebuilt and shared among students.