School segregation issue settled amicably
Published on: Tuesday, March 19, 2019
By: Larry Ralon
KOTA KINABALU: The issue of religion-based segregation of Form One students at SM All Saints in Likas here since January was settled amicably, Monday.
State Education and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr Yusof Yacob said there would be no segregation and all things would go back to as it was previously.
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He said the State Government is concerned over what happened, as its stand is that there should be no segregation in any school in Sabah, considering unity among multiracial and multi-religious Sabahans is one of the State greatest strengths which needs to continuously be preserved.
“The school principal had a good intention but there was misjudgement on the matter.
“The case is already settled. The Principal admitted her mistake and made the rectification,” he told a press conference after meeting Principal Dr Mary Gambidau.
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Deputy State Education Director Datuk Dr Haji Mohd Kassim Haji Mohd Ibrahim, Likas Assemblyman Tan Lee Fatt, as well as other department and school officials and school’s Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) members were also present.
The issue came to public attention via an online petition, initiated by a group of parents against the said segregation. As of Monday afternoon, the online protest received over 15,000 signatures.
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“Unity is one of our greatest strengths in Sabah. We don’t have a dividing line between us, despite our respective religious beliefs.
“This is our brand in Sabah, our respect for one another despite our beliefs. This is an example to other states. We will continue to be like we are and we must strengthen it,” he said.
Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS) President Datuk Seri Wilfred Bumburing, a former student of the school, described the Principal’s action as an attack on the long cherished harmonious relationship enjoyed by Sabahans and called for her immediate removal, saying it could cause religious and racial polarisation in Sabah.
“This is unheard of in the history of the school system in Sabah except in Islamic schools which is accepted and respected by the populace,” he said in a statement.
He said as a former chairman of the All Saint’s Board of Management who had served the school for over 28 years, he was deeply saddened by the episode.
He pointed out that even though SM All Saints was founded by the Anglican church, the school has from the beginning accepted students from all backgrounds.
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