SARAWAK Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development Roland Sagah has criticised his federal counterpart, Fadhlina Sidek, for refusing to meet him and his officers to discuss pressing education-related issues in the state.

Sagah also accused Fadhlina of having “no professional courtesy” when she did not invite anyone from his ministry during her visit to Sarawak recently.

That, Sagah, told the state assembly today, was just “rubbing salt into the wound”.

He also didn’t think the visit had served any good to the state.

He told the assembly that the visit was “choreographed and orchestrated” in a way that only good schools were visited while other schools with pressing issues were left unattended.

“I am aggrieved that our request to have a meeting with the minister concerned has not been successful,” he said.

Sagah said among the issues he had planned to raise with the minister were dilapidated schools – a popular subject among assemblymen – and unfilled headmasters’ vacancies.

“My ministry’s main responsibility is only to address the issue of the dilapidated schools, of which, definitely we are not,” he said.

“Let me stress here that the authority to oversee this matter still lies with the federal Education Ministry, with Sarawak Public Works Department the implementing agency.”

On the issue of unfilled vacancies of headmasters in schools in the state, Sagah said the decision to only appoint teachers who have obtained the National Professional Qualification for Executive Leadership (NPQEL) certification was the root cause of the problem.

The NPQEL is only awarded by Institut Aminuddin Baki (IAB).

Sagah said this new requirement, introduced by the Education Ministry, had caused undue delay in the replacement and appointment for new headmasters.

He said previously, the state Education Department had the authority to appoint suitable and qualified teachers as headmasters.

“Now, all these authorities, including appointment to act as headmasters, are centralised at the federal Education Ministry and Public Service Department. Despite the well intention by the federal ministry to improve the quality of the school leaders, this has inadvertently delayed the whole process of appointment and replacement of headmasters,” he said.

Sagah said it was unbecoming of the Education Ministry for allowing these matters to happen at such important institutions of the society.

On Sarawak’s demand for the autonomy on education, Sagah told the assembly that it was only limited to what had been spelled out in the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Report 1962.

He said the report does not grant full autonomy of education to Sarawak.

Instead, Sagah said, “it sets conditions” for the state on use of English and Malay languages, religious education and the special position of the indigenous people.

“It also affirms the need for the director of Education Sarawak to consult and seek advice from the state government,” he said.

Sagah said his ministry was working within the Malaysia Agreement 1963 Committee to persistently pursue the matter. – May 22, 2023.