By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, July 30: Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg says Sarawak will continue supporting education development whenever it has the financial capacity to do so, despite education being under federal responsibility.
He said Sarawak’s approach was not to replace the role of the federal government, but to complement existing efforts through initiatives and investments that benefit students, teachers and schools.
“Education is the responsibility of the federal government. Tapi kalau kita ada rezeki, apa salahnya kita buat? (But if we have the resources, why not we do it?)
“This is the synergy that we have, this is our approach. Therefore, I do not promise, but I implement when we have the ability,” he said when speaking at the 61st Sarawak Secondary School Principals Management Conference in Sibu today. His speech recording was later shared with DayakDaily.
Abang Johari further said Sarawak had used its own resources to complement education efforts through infrastructure development, including roads, electricity and water supply for rural schools.
He said the State’s move to take over logging roads would also improve accessibility and ease operational challenges faced by principals and teachers in remote areas.
“Then principals will feel more at ease. Otherwise, principals also face difficulties. How do they communicate with the District Education Office? How do they collect salaries?” he said.
The Premier also said Sarawak’s ability to contribute towards education was made possible through stronger financial management and increased revenue.
He also highlighted Sarawak’s free tertiary education initiative, saying the State had allocated RM260 million this year to support Sarawakian students pursuing studies at Sarawak-owned universities.
He said the initiative had benefited about 10,000 students through its first two intakes, covering 64 fields of study including science-based disciplines, finance, banking, law and psychology. — DayakDaily
