SARAWAK INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS
SIBU: Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg has chided an academician for saying that setting up of the state’s international school was against the Education Act.
“There is a professor who said that establishing this school was against the law. He should read the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Report first, it our right as stated in the IGC Report.
“Using the national language it is mandatory, but we can use English,” he said when officiating at the PBB Sibu Convention at Kingwood Hotel, on Saturday.
He said the reason for establishing the five residential international schools was to provide talented children from the B40 group in Sarawak the opportunity to study in schools that follow international syllabus.
“Only the rich can afford to send their children to international schools. That is why I want to set up these schools. Our fishermen and farmers’ children who are smart too have the right and opportunity to study in international schools,” he said, adding that the international school would also be set up in Sibu.
“We gather all straight As students there, and once they succeed they can further their education at selected international universities, and the scholarship will be borne by Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government,” he said.
He added that the English language was very important to master as it was the lingua franca of technology.
“We have to face the reality… We must learn digital technology (by learning) English,” he said.
It was reported on Sept 26 that Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) professor Teo Kok Seong said that education was under the purview of the federal government and allowing state-owned international schools would go against the Education Act, which requires all government schools to use Bahasa Melayu as the medium of instruction.
