RM401,700 in assistance for 22 flood-hit schools

0

Manyin (fourth right) and Annuar (fifth right) with representatives of schools that received the assistance from the Sarawak government.

SIBU: The Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Research yesterday presented a total of RM401,700 in assistance to 22 schools here which were hit by floods this year.

The money would enable the schools to buy non-ICT equipment such as refrigerators, copier machines and other office equipment. Its minister Dato Sri Michael Manyin said these items are to replace those destroyed in the floods.

“The schools are located in Julau, Kanowit, Mukah, Dalat and Selangau,” he said when handing out mock cheques to the representatives of these schools.

According to him, schools in Sebauh, Miri and Limbang will be given similar assistance in the region of RM498,894 later this month.

“The Sarawak government has also set aside RM2 million for flood-affected schools in the central region and RM1.07 million for those in the northern region to replace damaged furniture and ICT equipment,” he added.

“The overall value of assistance to 53 schools affected by floods in 2018 is about RM4 million,” Manyin disclosed. He added the amount was in addition to the expenditures to repair school buildings damaged by the floods. He said most of the schools affected by floods were situated in the rural areas.

“The government has ensured that interruption to school activities was kept to a minimum during flooding,” he said.

Also present at the mock cheque handover ceremony were Assistant Minister of Education, Science and Technological Research Dr Annuar Rapaee, the ministry’s permanent secretary Datu Sudarsono Osman, Education Department’s school management sector head Omar Mahli and district education officers from Selangau, Julau, Kanowit, Mukah, Dalat and Selangau.