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Kota Marudu: Partnership with an NGO has given another primary school in Kota Marudu a better learning environment and education opportunity after travelling conditions and distance from home have hindered pupils from attending school.Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Maximus Ongkili launched the 60-bed "Walai Rotary Sunrise" rural hostel at SK Tumunda Salimandut here, Monday.

The establishment of the hostel was made possible through the efforts of the District Education Department and Rotary Club of Bukit Kiara Sunrise which collaborated to fulfil the need of the school to have a hostel.

Dr Maximus, who is also Kota Marudu MP, said he was encouraged by the work done by NGOs like the Rotary Club of which the community project to build a rural hostel was its first.

"The cooperation of NGOs like the Rotary Club which is well known for its charity work, is invaluable in helping to uplift the living standards of the village people. We need more such bodies in view of the Education Ministry's policy of having a certain number of pupils in a school before it can qualify for hostel.

Hence, we have been working with the private sectors, NGOs and bodies to build rural school hostel in Kota Marudu. Today we make another proud achievement, he said.

"The establishment of a hostel at the school premises has made a huge difference in the education performance of the rural pupils as they can now live within the school compound and attend classes promptly as well as do extra revision.

"This has been proven for SK Magandai, a far-flung school in Kota Marudu, which before having a hostel had very bad UPSR performance but emerged as the best school after the setting up of a hostel with special revision classes designed for them by Astro," he said.

Earlier, Rotary Club of Bukit Kiara Sunrise president Cecelia Matuya said the 60-bed hostel was funded and built by a few Rotary Clubs led by her chapter with a cost of RM500,000 through funds they collected.

On a personal note, Cecelia who works in Kuala Lumpur, said she was happy to see through the project as it was her way of giving back to the community.

Later at the Kaamatan festival celebration at Kg Batition in Kota Marudu, Dr Maximus said the Kadazandusun Cultural Association wants to increase activities that promote the native language among the people such as through story-telling and singing contests.

"These activities should always be encouraged and not only be held during the Kaamatan Festival. We also need to encourage our young people to learn our mother tongue from young so that the language does not die.

"Today we see a lot of our children are speaking in the Malay language only and do not know how to speak their mother tongue," he added.

Dr Maximus also called for the teaching of the Kadazandusun language in school to be made as part of the school timetable and not taught outside the class hours.

"We also wish to see the language being taught to students from the ages of 14 and below in school as this is the age when they easily grasp and learn languages," he said.