By Natasha Jee & Voon Yih Boon
KUCHING: Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg has hit back at certain quarters who said the setting up of the state-owned international schools was against the law.
He said the reason for the establishment of the five residential international schools was to provide quality education to talented children from underprivileged families in Sarawak.
“I tell you; I have faith in our education system, yes. But sometimes it keeps on changing, a new minister comes in then there is different policy. This is the problem that we are facing.
“So, what I do is I set up a company under Yayasan Sarawak to build the international schools which are going to be based on international syllabus that is recognised by renowned universities in the world.
“This is because the fees at private schools can be very expensive, and it will be a waste if those children who achieved straight As in their examination but their parents cannot afford to send them there. Sayang bah (it is a pity). And that is the reason why I set up these international schools,” he said.
Abang Johari was speaking at ‘A Sunday Morning with CM: Dialogue Session with Young Entrepreneurs in Sarawak’ on Sunday.
He pointed out that the international school was based on residential concept where the students would stay in the school where character building would also take place.
“Talented people must compete with talented people, I mean, if you put your talented child together with the untalented, the child cannot grow and your standard just stay there.
“I am not saying that kampung (rural) standard is not good for a child development, there are certain rural areas which are good.
“But, when you are able to enter Stanford University, they have their own standard and many experts are produced there,” he stressed.
It was reported on Sept 26 that University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) professor Teo Kok Seong said that education was 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.
