A total of 433 dilapidated schools in the state have been repaired to date.
Dr Annuar Rapaee (PBB-Nangka) said 587 dilapidated schools remained to be repaired in the next two to three years out of 1,020 dilapidated schools identified in the state in 2017.
“I believe with the good relationship between the state and federal government, this issue will be addressed as soon as possible,” he said.
Dr Annuar said a total of RM1.855 billion had been allocated thus far to repair dilapidated schools in Sarawak.
“Of the total, RM517 million was allocated by the federal government and RM338 million by the state government even though we know that the responsibility of education is under the purview of the federal government.
“On top of that, the state government was willing to pay an advance loan of RM1 billion for this purpose,” he added.
Dr Annuar recalled that in 2017, the federal government agreed to assist in the repairs of dilapidated schools and had approved RM1 billion — RM500 million was allocated for 2018 and another RM500 million for 2019.
“RM417 million was spent in 2018. Unfortunately, we only received RM100 million out of the RM500 million promised for 2019.
“If it was not for the RM1 billion contra loan payment, we may not receive any allocation for dilapidated school repairs,” he said.
Dr Annuar added that in the 2021 Budget, the federal government allocated RM725 million for dilapidated school repairs in Sabah and Sarawak.
“It’s very good news because this allocation is over and above the annual allocation.
“(Through this), I hope we will obtain a comprehensive solution for the issue of dilapidated schools in the state,” he added.
