IF Sarawak were to just sit, wait and stick to the normal way financial allocations are channelled by Putrajaya, thousands of dilapidated schools in the state will never get fixed even in 50 years, said a state minister.

That was why the state created its own Education Ministry, State Education, Science and Technological Research Minister Michael Manyin said today.

Education falls under is the purview of the federal government.

“It is high time for us to intervene and work together with the federal authorities to resolve these dilapidated schools.”

Manyin said the repairs need to be speeded up as the schools are not conducive or safe for learning.

“It’s a high priority of this new ministry.”

He told the state legislative assembly that the state Education Department’s database showed that out of the 1,454 schools in the state, 70% or 1,020 schools fell under the “dilapidated schools” category.

“Of that figure, 415 schools are categorised as in ‘critically dilapidated condition’.”

He said the condition of these critically dilapidated schools is so bad that there “is no point to repair them”.

“Better to demolish them and rebuild the schools.”

Manyin, who was only given the portfolio in a cabinet reshuffle more than a week ago, said the financial allocation was so slow in being disbursed or were inadequate that there were some 60 schools in urban areas that were categorised as dilapidated.

He said because of this, a great number of young boys and girls were deprived of a good education. – May 19, 2017.