RM358.4 million spent on state’s education development since 2017 — Dr Annuar

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SINCE the inception of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Research in 2017, the state government to date has spent RM358.4 million for the state’s education development.

Out of that, RM342 million has been spent for the development of infrastructure and facilities of schools throughout the state, including the rebuilding of SK Maludam in Betong and SK Ulu Segan, Bintulu, said Assistant Minister of Education, Science and Technological Research Dr Annuar Rapaee.

“Other than that, under the rural transformation initiative, 60 schools have been repaired and RM50 million have been used to supply electricity to all these rural schools.

“Another 33 schools will benefit from treated water supply and under the Northern Region Development Agency (NRDA) RM160 million to repair the schools in Lawas as well as Limbang,” he said.

Dr Annuar was answering supplementary questions from Abdul Yakub Arbi (GPS-Balingian) during the Question and Answer Session at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) yesterday.

He revealed that the state government, through the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Research, has also spent RM15.7 million for leadership programmes and training teachers to teach Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects. The ministry also spent another RM11 million for programmes and training of teachers to teach all the STEM subjects in the English language, which would start next year, he added.

On that note, Dr Annuar lashed out at the federal government for cancelling the RM1-billion fund which was promised by the previous federal administration to fix 1,020 dilapidated schools in the state for 2018-2019.

So far the state only managed to spend RM419 million out of the promised RM1 billion to fix 116 schools, where 50 under the Public Works Department have been completed.

He pointed out that 13 out of the remaining 66 under the Ministry of Education were categorised as sick projects, and called upon Pakatan Harapan Sarawak members of Parliament to bring this issue up to the Education Minister.

On another issue, Dr Annuar urged rural assemblymen to encourage rural students to get good results for UPSR so that they can enrol into one of the five proposed residential international schools to be set up throughout the state.

“This is part of our democratisation of our education where everybody has the right to quality education. We like to produce Sarawakian world-class technocrats.

“When they finish their schooling here, they can proceed to go to one of the top universities in the world,” he said.