KUCHING, Nov 25: Sarawak will focus on relocating 260 more schools located near rivers which are prone to flooding annually.
Minister of Education, Science and Technological Research, Datuk Amar Micheal Manyin Jawong disclosed this will take time as there are many procedures to follow which may take up to two years, including obtaining approval for the new site from the Land and Survey Department.
He pointed out it was futile to keep providing allocations to upgrade the schools concerned if they are constantly exposed to the risk of flooding.
Meanwhile, Manyin revealed Sarawak still had a balance of RM300 million out of the RM1 billion allocated for efforts to repair or upgrade dilapidated schools in the state.
He said the money will be issued to the Ministry of Education very soon, likely by this month or early next month, and the funds will be used to upgrade or renovate 55 schools throughout Sarawak, including constructing new schools or related buildings.
He noted that so far, the allocation has benefited more than 50 per cent of dilapidated schools in the state.
“So with (funds allocated under) the budget of 2021, I believe that we will be able to really reduce the number of dilapidated schools in Sarawak,” he added. — DayakDaily
