Sandakan: Tawau has gained a new educational landmark following the closure of the Sandakan Teachers Training College, which will re-emerge as Tawau Teachers Training College.According to Teacher Education Division's Deputy Director Dr Sharifah Nor Puteh, shortage of facilities and infrastructure at the Sandakan College had forced the Education Ministry to shift the college to Tawau which now has the capability to increase demand for more teachers.
She said this during the shifting of some 622 teacher-trainees and supporting staff to Tawau, Monday, from the Sandakan College.
The shift, in four buses, also involved Tawau Teachers Training College Principal, Mary Yap Kain Ching, and Dr Sharifah.
According to Dr Sharifah, the Sandakan College no longer had the capability to meet the increasing demand in teacher education to cope with the rapid pace of education development in the country due to limited facilities and infrastructure.
The Sandakan College, incepted in 1974 over a five-acre hill area at Mile 1.5, Jalan Labuk, was officially declared open on May 13, 1977 by former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was then Deputy Prime Minister cum Education Minister.
Dr Sharifah commended the Sandakan College for having played a pivotal role in the development of education through the training of competent teachers over the last 30 years, before taking up more challenging tasks ahead, as Tawau Teachers Training College, beginning Tuesday.
Construction of the Sandakan College was carried out under the Second Malaysia Plan (1971-1975) through the support of the World Bank, in collaboration with the Sabah Education Department and the Ministry of Education.
The Sandakan staff and students will be officially received by Education Director-General Tan Sri Abdul Rafie Mahat upon arrival at the Tawau Teachers College this (Tuesday) morning.
Meanwhile, Yap, who was the Sandakan College's last principal, expressed confidence that the new Tawau College would make further groundbreaking progress with better infrastructure and up-to-date facilities, dubbed as the biggest teachers training college in Malaysia.
Sandakan College was the third teachers training college in Sabah, after Kent Teachers' College (1962) and Gaya Teachers' College (1963).
Between 1974 and 1980, the management and administration of the college was under the Sabah Education Department, before it was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Teacher Training Division, of the Education Ministry, in 1981.
The inaugural courses started in 1974 with an intake of 80 trainee teachers, nine academic staff and 12 supporting staff.
After nearly 30 years in existence, the Sandakan Teachers College received a directive from the Ministry on Dec 1, 2004, to shift to its new premises in Tawau.
A total of 193 teachers involved in in-service holiday courses will be the last group at the Tawau Teachers College.
Meanwhile, the Sandakan Teachers' College premises will be taken over by the Sabah Education Department for administrative purposes.
