Dilapidated Sabah schools receive attention in 2019
Published on: Saturday, December 28, 2019
By: Anthea Peter
A dilapidated school in the Interior.
DILAPIDATED schools in Sabah received the Education Ministry’s attention in 2019 with the Finance Ministry allocating RM78 million to restore them a substantial increase from the RM 10 million previously.The funding aims to resolve problems at 30 to 35 dilapidated schools in the State.
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Overall, an allocation of RM 738 million from the Federal Government was announced in Budget 2020 to rehabilitate dilapidated schools especially in Sabah and Sarawak.
State Education and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr Yusof Yacob said that the State still needed RM3 billion to restore 1,300 schools in Sabah, 587 of which were dilapidated and 91 declared unsafe.
In October, Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik also announced an extra RM15 million from the Federal Education Ministry would be channelled to the State Education Department for maintenance and minor repairs of all government schools in Sabah for 2019.
Maszlee also stated that special schools will be set up in the future for undocumented Malaysians in Sabah, where it was said the government would also help them to get identification documents.
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The year also saw the State Education and Innovation Ministry receiving RM52 million in special provision rates by the State Government channelled towards State scholarships, bursaries and financial assistance for students.
The scholarships and financial aid will target 400 undergraduate diploma holders, 1,000 undergraduates, 20 undergraduate students at overseas universities and 400 B40 recipients.
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Chief Minister Datuk Shafie apdal said it was an increase of 67.5 per cent from RM40.6 million in 2018 under the previous government’s budget as at October 2019.
The year also saw RM58.8 million being channelled towards a new administrative building at the Gaya Teachers Training Institute (IPG Gaya Campus), as the current IPG campus, which was built in 1963, was in unfavourable condition.
The project is expected to be completed by March 15, 2021 which will benefit more than 700 students. It will include a six-storey administrative block and another block which will have an auditorium and a multipurpose hall that can accommodate 1,500 people.
The year also saw a change of leadership at UMS with the appointment of a new vice chancellor Prof. Dr Taufiq Yap Yun Hin, who expressed commitment in raising the university’s status and visibility in the global arena.
However, the appointment initially saw some unhappiness on the part of the State Government with Shafie saying the Education Ministry at Federal level did not consult the State Government on the appointment.
In November, a UMS student caused a stir by doing the Nazi salute after receiving his scroll in support of the Palestinians and protest over “Jewish world domination.”
The German Embassy condemned the student’s action as did netizens.
The year also saw the education scene emphasising on Industrial Revolution 4.0 and a need for the education system to have a teaching and learning approach that is industry-relevant in the 21st Century.
In August, the Education Ministry and Sabah Shell Petroleum Company Ltd (SSPC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to reintroduce Shell Malaysia’s welding industry training course (Projek Link).
The course aims to equip local youths with the necessary certifications to pursue job opportunities in the oil and gas industry.
The year also saw Project-Based Learning (PBL) introduced in some schools as an alternative teaching approach that would enhance a student’s learning experience aimed at producing competent individuals that are relevant in the age of IR4.0
The Sabah Education Department also stated that it is aiming to elevate the quality of education through an immersive 21st Century Learning (PAK 21) experience relating to Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (Steam) via the PBL.
The year saw Sabah pioneering the latest multi-targeted human capital programme by the Malaysia Automotive, Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii) called the “Youth Forward” programme, a skill-based education programme that provides secondary school students an alternative career pathway.
Participants will undergo 30 learning modules which will educate them on IR4.0, Public Speaking, Time Management, Safety in the Home and Vehicle, Communication Skills Enhancement, Financial Management and other life skills and effective habits.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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