THE Ministry of Education, Innovation and Talent Development (MEITD) has clarified that Sarawak is actually demanding for devolution and decentralisation of education in the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
Its minister Datuk Seri Roland Sagah Wee Inn said for now, they are not demanding full autonomy as education is a federal matter.
“In relation to education autonomy, again, let me reiterate that the proper terminologies are devolution and decentralisation as they have legal effect,” he said in his ministerial winding-up speech today.
On another development, he said the Ministry of Education (MoE) has agreed on several matters related to education in Sarawak.
“Among them is the agreement on the delegation of authority to the director of Education Sarawak, to permit school development projects and educational programmes funded by the Sarawak government or other parties,” he said.
He said the decentralisation of authority for Sarawak funded projects is far reaching.
“Now, all projects, especially the Rural Transformation Project (RTP) and Minor Rural Project (MRP), are no longer need permission from Putrajaya, thereby speeding up the implementation process,” he said, adding that in respect of funding for educational programmes and activities, the Sarawak government through his ministry and other agencies consistently provide the necessary assistance.
“With the approval or permission by the director of Education Sarawak, programmes and activities could be promptly implemented for the benefits of the school students,” he said.
Sagah said the MoE has agreed that English is the medium of instruction for Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Additional Mathematics at the secondary school level in the state.
“For Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematic (STEM) subjects at the secondary school level, the medium of instruction in English shall only begin when the first cohort reaches secondary school in 2026 and will proceed to pure science subjects in 2029 for those who qualify,” he said.
He added that in matters extending beyond the jurisdiction of the MoE such as the recruitment of teachers, waiver for requirement of land alienated to Federal Land Commissioner (FLC) for project bidding and approval, and Sarawak to fully implement projects with funding from MoE, the next step is to escalate them to the MA63 Technical Committee for further direction.
“Meanwhile, other matters agreed by the MoE is that through the Sarawak Education Department (JPNS), it will seek advice from my ministry on matters of importance to Sarawak.
“Besides that, the MoE through JPNS will actively involve my ministry in educational project initiation, planning and management to ensure local circumstances are given due consideration,” he said.
He added that it has also been agreed in principle for Sarawak to establish a standardised assessment system for Dual Language Programme (DLP) Sarawak, and lastly on matters related to sharing of information and data.
“Guided by our Attorney-General (AG) Chambers, my ministry and the MoE are currently in the process of formalising these agreed-upon points into circulars and regulations to ensure their adherence and continuity in the future,” he said.
