SIBU: Deputy Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee has dismissed a claim that zinc sheeting covering a project site had been removed because Yayasan Sarawak’s residential international school project has been scrapped.
“I was told it had been vandalised and not removed as alleged by certain quarters but there is no point to put up (the zinc sheet) again as the construction work will start after the project has been tendered out,” he said in a press conference at Nangka Service Centre yesterday (Nov 11).
He noted that as what has been said by Borneo Development Corporation (BDC) CEO Nor-E-Fadzwie Salleh the tender for the construction for the project will be published in a local newspaper on Tuesday (Nov 15).
“We will not ‘tipu’ (lie) on education. Education is for the future of our children and it must not be politicised just to gain political mileage,” said Annuar.
He stressed the international school in Sibu will be the third in the state, after the one at Mile 12 Kuching-Serian Road, which is under construction, is completed by the third quarter of next year which will accommodate up to 500 students.
“Since these schools will be offering the Cambridge syllabus, the students will be sitting for the IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education).
“They will further their studies overseas or state-owned universities such as University of Technology Sarawak (UTS),” he said.
In total there will be five Yayasan Sarawak international schools in Sarawak, two in Kuching, as well as one each in Sibu, Bintulu, and Miri.
Meanwhile, Nor-E-Fadzwie said that [hase one of the project would involve earthworks while construction work would follow in phase two.
“We need to ensure the settlement (of the soil) is there before we continue with the building’s construction. The RM60 million project will involve all the necessary facilities of a fully residential school,” he said.
Also present was Deputy Minister for Public Health, Housing and Local Government Michael Tiang Ming Tee.
