Fadhlina (second left) being briefed on the progress of the project to rebuild SK Sayed Othman Miri by the contractor (right) as Chiew (third right) and others look on.
MIRI (Jan 26): The Ministry of Education (MoE) will review the needs to increase the allocation for dilapidated and/or schools that are in need of rebuilding in Sabah and Sarawak when the new Budget 2023 is tabled next month, said its minister Fadhlina Sidek.
Fadhlina said 455 schools in Sarawak are in dilapidated conditions, while there are 113 schools that will be demolished and rebuilt.
“Yes, yes (to review the allocation) because we have seen that there is need (to repair) dilapidated schools and buildings. So, Sabah and Sarawak are included in the budget for dilapidated schools.
“We will look at the priority projection because our focus is on dilapidated schools,” she said when met by reporters during a working visit to SK Sayed Othman Miri today.
In Budget 2023 which was tabled in Oct last year under former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaacob’s administration, MoE was allocated RM55.6 billion.
Meanwhile, earlier when visiting SK Sg Liam and SK Lepong Ajai in Bakong, Baram, Fadhlina in her speech stressed that the ministry is committed to increasing teachers’ professionalism by giving adequate training.
According to her, one of MoE’s aspirations is the Digital Education Policy, therefore teachers’ training must be given emphasis, including for those teaching in rural areas.
“It is the ministry’s commitment to ensure that digital education must be given emphasis, while at the same time focusing on increasing teachers’ professionalism to elevate the quality of education as well as teachers’ integrity,” she said.
During her visit to the two schools, Fadhlina announced allocation of RM150,000 for each school to carry our maintenance works.
Meanwhile, the upgrading works for SK Sayed Othman Miri is 16.1 per cent behind schedule and is expected to be completed in June this year.
The project costing RM7.94 million kicked off in Sept 2020.
Among those accompanying the minister for her first working visit to Sarawak were Deputy Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government Datuk Dr Penguang Manggil, Sarawak Deputy Minister of Education and Innovation Dr Annuar Rapa’ee, Baram MP Dato Anyi Ngau, Miri MP Chiew Choon Man, MoE director-general Dato Pkharuddin Ghazali and Sarawak Education director Datu Dr Azhar Ahmad.