SIBU: The state’s priority now is to rebuild over 1,000 run-down schools all over rural Sarawak.
Out of these, 415 are in quite critical state and as such there is an urgent need to repair or rebuild them, said Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Datuk Abang Openg when officiating at the opening of the Catholic High School (CHS) main block at the school hall here yesterday.
His text of speech was read by his Minister of Education, Science and Technological Research Dato Sri Michael Manyin Jawong who represented him at the event.
“We cannot wait for the federal government to give us the money to repair or rebuild these schools and I have decided that we use our own money which will later be reimbursed by the Federal Government.
“I have told Prime Minister this is what we want to do and he agreed. We are setting up the Development Bank of Sarawak or DBOS and we are going to use the service of DBOS as our source of funds for this purpose,” he said.
Johari therefore said that there are a lot things that they want to do to upgrade education in the state which cannot wait for federal decision and financial assistance.
In his speech, the Chief Minister made assurance to continue the legacy of the late Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem.
Taking cognisance of the importance of independent schools to Sarawak’s development, Johari said the state government had been helping independent schools to ensure that they could continue to provide education for the people.
“For the record, I have given RM6 million to independent Chinese schools this year and mission schools have also received financial assistance from the state government,” he said.
According to him, Sarawak Government has not only provided financial support to independent schools but went further to recognise the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), in which he said UEC can now be used to apply for state government jobs and education loan from Sarawak Foundation.
“We recognise UEC as we do not want to lose our young talents to other countries. For example, Catholic High School graduates can be found amongst the experts in United Nation and NASA while others are top scientists and global entrepreneurs.
“Recognition of UEC and extension of financial assistance to independent schools are policies introduced by the late Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem and these policies are to stay during my time,” he said.
Apart from that, Johari also said that the state government had also made English as second official language in Sarawak as part of the efforts to ensure that emphasis is to both English and Bahasa Malaysia.
Now, he said the official correspondence can also be written in English and the public can also write official letters in English.
This policy is not downgrade Bahasa Malaysia but to ensure that Sarawakians can be proficient both in Bahasa Malaysia and English, he added.
“We have to emphasise the importance of English as a global language, the standard of which has been declining in the country over the past decades.
“The State went even further to ensure the education in Sarawak is given the right emphasis and right treatment. Unprecedented in the history of Sarawak’s administration, the education ministry was created in the last cabinet reshuffle.
“All these while, education in the state was only under the watching brief of a minister but this time we are giving a minister the political mandate to look after the affairs of education in the state and to deal with the federal Ministry of Education,” he said.
Meanwhile, Johari said that the State Education Ministry is also entrusted with the task of looking after the private institutions of higher learning in the state.
“In Kuching we have Swinburne University, Curtin University in Miri and here in Sibu, University College of Technology Sarawak and a few other state-owned centres of technical education that need proper coordination and governance,” explained him.
Assistant Minister of Education and Technological Research Dr Annuar Rapaee, Dudong Assemblyman Datuk Tiong Thai King, Sibu Resident Hii Chang Kee, Bishop Joseph Hii, CHS principal Brother Anthony Tay were among those present.
