New edu hub in Papar planned
Published on: Tuesday, July 10, 2018
Kota Kinabalu: A new education hub in the State is in the pipeline, said Education and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr Yusof Yacob.Yusof said the hub has been proposed to be set up in Papar."The State Government plans to set up an education hub in Papar and towards the south," he said at the Kota Kinabalu Education Office' Teachers' Day, Excellent Service Awards and Hari Raya celebration, here, Monday.
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"We have identified the location – there are many open space available in that area, and we will set up a working committee to further study the plan."Such hub, he said, is needed to provide a readily available sit for the campus construction of any new colleges or higher learning institutions."Previously, we do not have such site. If interested parties wanted to set up a local branch for their higher learning institutions, they have to discuss with relevant quarters and they have to scout for suitable sites while some even have to rent sites…these processes take time."And investors cannot wait for a long period of time and we will try to materialise this as soon as possible in line with the 'Ubah' (change) concept of the new government," he said.
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Currently, the State has an existing education hub built on a 1,356-acre land in Sandakan. Among the higher learning institutions sited there are Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) Sandakan Campus, Sandakan Polytechnic and Mara Junior Science College (MRSM).
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The Sandakan Education Hub was developed with the aim of making higher education accessible and affordable to those who not only live in town but also in the rural areas.Yusof said the government will continue to give attention to the Sandakan Education Hub albeit the hub "faced various problems previously.""The logistics cost is high to set up a higher learning institution there due to its distance from Kota Kinabalu."To progress fast, you need a new location which is closer to the State Capital."However, I am not saying that we will not build schools or higher learning institutions in other districts."We just need a strategically-located available sites for them to open a branch in the State."Meanwhile, he hoped the 'handicap' system in the country's examinations baseline marks will no longer be practised."We cannot depend on the 'handicap' system forever as in the long run, we will be at the losing end."Instead, we have to find ways to improve the quality of students in the primary and secondary school-levels so that only those who obtain excellent results can enter universities."Overseas universities practise meritocracy – if we want to compete globally, we have to follow the international standard," he said.He also reminded educators not to be complacent, but instead, they need to be motivated to reach a higher level in their careers. During the ceremony, Yusof presented Excellent Service Awards to some 400 teachers from schools in and around Kota Kinabalu.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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