THE federal government is urged to merge two primary schools in Katibas, namely SK Musah and SK Nyimoh, to ensure that children in rural areas do not miss out on education.
Katibas assemblyman Lidam Assan, stated that he was informed by the Ministry of Education (MoE) that the construction of SK Musah is now cancelled by the Ministry of Education Malaysia (KKM).
“Therefore, I request that KKM merge SK Musah and SK Nyimoh as SK Nyimoh Musah while installing the necessary facilities to make the school a cluster school in rural areas,” he said.
He made these remarks during the debate supporting the Supply Bill (2024), 2023, and the Motion to Refer the Sarawak Development Budget Estimate Resolution for 2024 at the 19th State Legislative Assembly (DUN) session on Thursday (Nov 23).
Meanwhile, according to Lidam, education in the field of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) is crucial for driving digital innovation and technological progress in Sarawak.
He said to ensure accessible and quality education in English; it will undoubtedly involve the establishment of comprehensive education programmes, inclusive policies, and sufficient resources to empower individuals, especially rural children.
“However, children from Katibas may not be able to participate fully and may fall behind. This is because there are 17 primary schools without any Science Labs to facilitate learning. Therefore, I call for immediate action to find ways to build these labs,” he said.
Lidam stated that fundamentally, investing in road infrastructure is an investment to help people out of poverty as it can create job opportunities and community development as a whole.
In March 2022, he requested the Sarawak government to build a road along 188 kilometres for Katibas, and on Sept 30, 2023, the same request was submitted for the phased implementation of the road construction.
“It is hoped that at least phase 1 covering 43km with an estimated construction cost of RM471mil can be implemented soon because we need to connect rural residents as soon as possible to revitalise socioeconomic activities,” he said.
Additionally, Lidam urged the Sarawak government to expedite the construction of Rh Jabat Road, which has long been delayed to Ng Engkuah, Katibas, and the bridge intersection at Rh Jamba, Sg Iran.
“I request appropriate action to be taken to rectify the problems and solutions for the new alternative bridge involving Musah Bridge, as well as expediting the construction of the Integrated Bus Terminal/Long Boat Terminal in Katibas,” he explained.
