RURAL SCHOOLS
SERIAN: Lack of facilities in small rural schools is impairing students from performing well both in academic and co-curriculum, said Education, Science and Technological Research Minister Datuk Seri Michael Manyin Jawong.
He noted that in developed countries, such schools were well-equipped with facilities and good teachers while parents there were highly educated.
“In Sarawak’s case, a lot of our rural parents are not highly educated, so they need good teachers,” he said when met at a gotong-royong mega event in Serian Community Park here yesterday.
Manyin explained there was a total of 651 Sekolah Kurang Murid (SKM) or low enrolment schools in Sarawak – schools with less than 150 students.
According to him, there were eight schools with ten and less pupils, 43 schools with 11 to 20 pupils, 54 schools with 21 to 30 pupils, 196 schools with between 31 to 50 pupils, 296 schools with 50 to 100 pupils, and 54 schools with between 110 to 150 pupils.
Manyin explained that the cost of running these schools was very high, and thus centralisation was encouraged.
“Secondly, when schools are too small, academic results are very difficult to improve as the facilities are lacking,” he said, adding that in small schools, teachers were often forced to teach other subjects outside of their expertise – which could also cause poor results.
He added that having centralised schools would also reduce truancy as these schools would have boarding facilities.
“It is unfortunate that a Minister of Finance, who has nothing to do with education, is disagreeing with the centralisation of schools,” said Manyin, in alluding to Lim Guan Eng.
