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By Karen Bong and Wilfred Pilo
KUCHING, Sept 1: “Do not politicise education as the moment this happens, nothing will work”, emphasised Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
Abang Johari highlighted that when politics becomes intertwined with education, a cycle of actions and reactions emerges, hindering the nation’s growth and advancement.
“If we regard education as the cornerstone for uplifting and improving our standard of living, then education becomes a tool for us (Malaysia and Sarawak) to move forward.
“We want the country to advance. We want Sarawak to rise. And in Sarawak, the situation is so far so good under GPS (Gabungan Parti Sarawak),” he said when addressing the closing ceremony of the 10th Malaysia Independent Chinese Secondary Schools (MICSS) Ball Games Championships at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) last night (Aug 31).
With Sarawak moving towards a new and green economy, Abang Johari emphasised the necessity of nurturing talented students who can contribute effectively across various sectors and industries, ultimately elevating household incomes.
To achieve this, he underscored the significance of providing high-quality education to Sarawakians. He also stressed the importance of proficiency in all three languages: English, Mandarin, and Bahasa Malaysia.
“Sarawak government places great emphasis and provides support for education. We help the Chinese schools with an annual allocation of RM10 million, apart from land, to generate income.
“We have established international schools using the Cambridge syllabus and public schools. On top of that, Sarawak has its own universities, namely University of Technology Sarawak, Curtin, Swinburne and Centex, alongside UiTM and Unimas,” he added.
Meanwhile, the event brought together about 1,700 students representing 43 schools nationwide. Over five days, these young talents competed passionately across four sports: basketball, volleyball, badminton and table tennis.
Deputy Premier Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian, organising chairman Temenggong Dato Vincent Lau, Federation of Chinese Associations of Sarawak president Dato Richard Wee were among those present. — DayakDaily
