Need for full Sabah Education Minister
Published on: Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: A Sabah Education Minister should be created as a new portfolio in the State Cabinet to be responsible for the development and needs of the education sector in the State.Bongawan Assemblyman Datuk Mohamad bin Alamin said there is a need to establish this to fully address any issues and shortcomings pertaining to education matters concerning student performance, teacher welfare and infrastructure, among others.He said it would also be in line with the Federal's move to give empowerment on education matters to Sabah as well as decentralising by giving certain autonomy for Sabah and Sarawak to make decisions on education needs in Sabah.
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He said this when debating the State Budget 2016 at the State Legislative Assembly here.Mohamad said a full-fledged recognised foreign university should be set up in the State so that there would be no students left without a choice after excelling in national exams."There are a number of top students in national exams who have the qualifications and interest to pursue their studies at recognised universities overseas."However, these students especially those from rural areas could not afford to continue their tertiary education as it is costly to study at those universities.
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"Therefore, I see there is a need for the State to allow one reputable and recognised foreign university to set its foot in Sabah and provide the same academic syllabus and learning environment the same way they render at their respective countries," he said.Mohamad cited the Curtin University and Swinburne University in Sarawak, Nottingham University from United Kingdom and Monash University from Australia in Kuala Lumpur, saying these can be emulated by the State.
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In addition, he said having an international university here would save costs for students' families as foreign currencies have gone up against ringgit.He added that such a university could also attract foreign students to take up their studies which would contribute to the State's tourism as well.On accommodating rural parents who registered their children late especially the newborns, Mohamad, who is also Sabah Native Affairs Council (Mheans) Chairman, proposed that those awarded with Justice of the Peace (JP) with legal background could endorse applications by local parents to register their children.This is because, he said, a number of these applicants are from the interior who have no knowledge that they should register their newborns for birth certificates and they have no access to the mobile court due to their poor living standard and cannot afford to cover their transportation costs.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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