SERIAN: A recent meeting between the Ministry of Education, Innovation, and Talent Development (MEITD) and the federal Ministry of Education (MoE) has led to the identification of strategies to tackle the issue of dilapidated schools in the state.
Minister Datuk Seri Roland Sagah revealed that the meeting, held on March 22, involved officials from the MoE and the Ministry of Finance (MoF), resulting in positive outcomes.
“We have devised a strategy to seek allocations from the MoF to address approved matters,” he said during a ceremony to witness the handing over of a new hall project at SMK Tarat on Saturday (March 23).
Previously, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) had given the MoE a two-month period to respond to and implement four recommendations regarding the issue of underperforming schools.
This was because some buildings had been recommended for repairs for 12 years without action due to financial constraints, prompting the MoE to prioritise schools based on critical damage.
While Education Minister Fadlina Sidek has been informed of these issues, Sagah said the approval of allocations falls outside her jurisdiction, understanding that she needs to request allocations from the MoF.
“The key person responsible for financial approvals is Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who also serves as the Finance Minister,” he noted, expressing optimism about receiving feedback from the MoF within the two-month period.
Although MEITD has assisted many schools through community projects, he asserted that building new school infrastructure remains challenging due to jurisdictional issues, as education matters fall under the purview of the federal government. On its part Sagah said Sarawak has approved many applications for underperforming school projects, including a mission school, which fall outside the programmes covered by MoE, with Sarawak utilising funds from the Unit for Other Religions Affairs (UNIFOR) to support such initiatives.
