By Jacob Achoi
SERIAN, Jan 19: The Ministry of Education, Innovation, and Talent Development (MEITD) is intensifying its efforts to enhance educational outcomes in 98 secondary schools throughout Sarawak in preparation for students taking the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.
Deputy Minister of Education and Innovation Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee highlighted that this initiative aligns with the Sarawak government’s commitment to providing free tertiary education to all students by 2026.
He emphasised the attention was necessary to address the poor school average grades (GPS) exceeding 5.0 in these identified schools.
“When implementation of free tertiary education begins in 2026, we want to ensure that our rural students will also benefit on par with their urban counterparts.
“Therefore, our focus is on the 98 secondary schools located in rural areas, with the objective of improving their SPM academic results to facilitate admission to higher learning institutions and enable them to avail themselves of government-sponsored tertiary education,” he told reporters after officiating the closing ceremony of Peratus Layak Sijil Serian (PLaSS) 2.0 programme at SMK Ta’ee today.
The PLaSS program, which concentrates on the history subject to obtain the SPM certificate, is a collaborative effort involving six branches of the Dayak Bidayuh National Association (DBNA) from Serian and Padawan, along with the Serian Iban Remun Association (SIRA).
Dr Annuar added that students from the 98 identified secondary schools will receive free tuition, starting from Form Three, with the government has approved the allocation for this purpose from RM10 million last year to RM15 million this year.
“To ensure the success of the programme in achieving our goal of providing free tertiary education to rural students by 2026, a steering committee, chaired by myself, has been formed,” he stated.
Meanwhile, DBNA president Datu Ik Pahon Joyik assured that the association will give full support to educational programmes and activities benefiting students.
He also urged other non-governmental associations (NGOs) from various ethnic backgrounds to come forward and contribute.
Tebedu assemblyman Dr Simon Sindang Bada was also present. — DayakDaily
