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Kuala Lumpur: The Ministry of Education (MOE) is exploring the potential of turning Keningau into an education hub, including the possibility of establishing a Form Six college in the district.

Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the move was in line with the Government’s aim to expand post-secondary learning opportunities for students in rural areas.

“We are also looking at the direction of education in Sabah by exploring the potential of Keningau as an education hub and considering the establishment of a Form Six college there. Keningau is well-positioned to serve as an education hub.

“(In Keningau) there is a vocational college and a teacher education institute. We are looking at how a Form Six college can be established under another MOE initiative, specifically to develop Keningau as an education hub with great potential in Sabah,” she said.

She said this in response to a supplementary question from Kesavan Subramaniam (PH-Sungai Siput) during the Minister’s Question Time session on plans to strengthen education access in the interior of Sabah, in the Dewan Rakyat, Thursday.

Responding to Kesavan’s original question on efforts to strengthen access to education in remote areas, Fadhlina said the Ministry was committed to ensuring that every student, including those from the Orang Asli community, receives quality education through innovative approaches tailored to the local context.

“In line with this aspiration, the Sekolah Terapung Tasik Banding programme has been introduced as an innovative initiative under the Pendidikan Manusiawi special programme (ProKhas) for students who face difficulties due to distance, demographics, transport challenges and lack of basic school facilities. 

The programme is guided by the Madani pillars, namely the principles of compassion and innovation,” she said.

The programme, which began on Oct 13, 2025, utilises raft houses as mobile classrooms and serves 48 Orang Asli students aged six to 16 from four villages around Tasik Banding and Tasik Temenggor.

Fadhlina Sidek said the MOE viewed the programme as a creative and innovative education model tailored to local needs, with the potential to be expanded to other remote areas depending on need, community readiness and geographical suitability.