SARAWAK will spend more than Putrajaya on schools in the state this year despite education falling under federal purview, the state assembly heard today.

State Education, Science and Technological Research Assistant Minister Annuar Rapaee said the Sarawak government has allocated RM120 million to rebuild and repair rundown schools, compared with the RM100 million allocation by the federal government.

“That’s RM20 million more, and that does not include the RM50 million for electricity,” he said in reply to Batu Danau assemblyman Paulus Palu Gumbang during question time.

Annuar said Sarawak is intervening to speed up repairs at the schools because “education is important to the people”.

He said this year, the state is embarking on the “major work” of relocating and rebuilding two primary schools, namely SK Ulu Segan in Bintulu and SK Meludam in Betong, at a cost of RM65 million.

Under the three-year rural transformation initiative, which began last year, 63 schools will be repaired at a cost of RM20 million, and a further 90 schools will undergo repairs costing RM37 million from the chief minister’s special development allocation fund, said Annuar.

“This is how serious the state government is about the issue of dilapidated schools.”

On Pakatan Harapan politicians’ claims that Sarawak schools are now in a deplorable state due to decades of neglect under the Barisan Nasional government, he told them to “look at your history”.

“Don’t forget your history… who were the education ministers in the past 55 years? Three of them are now in the PH government,” he said, referring to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was education minister from 1974 to 1978, PKR president Anwar Ibrahim (1986-1991) and Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin (2009-2015).

“Fifty-five years were monopolised by these three. Only once was a Sarawakian made education minister,” he said in reference to Dr Sulaiman Daud, who held the portfolio from 1991 to 1995.

When Sulaiman was education minister, he had Universiti Malaysia Sarawak built in Samarahan, said Annuar.

“Learn your history properly. Otherwise, you are just accusing your bosses of not having done their work in the past 55 years.” – May 3, 2019.