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KUCHING, July 13: Sarawak hopes Putrajaya through the Ministry of Education (MOE) will take meaningful action rather than simply giving lip service as the State government will be asserting its demand for decentralisation and devolution of certain autonomy in education, as stipulated in Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), soon.
Raising this, Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development Datuk Roland Sagah Wee Inn emphasised that Putrajaya has sometimes misplaced some of their priorities towards Sarawak, resulting in the poor conditions in rural schools, unfilled teaching positions, a one-size-fits-all policy regarding school funding and programmes, and strict centralised decision-making.
“Since 2017, the Sarawak government has pumped in almost RM2 billion for various educational programmes and this includes funds for addressing the issue of dilapidated school buildings.
“The dilapidated buildings in schools are not only the classrooms, but also include teachers’ quarters. We are quite upset with the federal government as the issues had been raised for quite some time yet little is done to address the matter,” he said when delivering his special keynote address at the National Education and Learning Summit (NELS) 2023 held at Kuala Lumpur today.
Sagah pointed out that the Sarawak government has continued to put pressure on the federal government to address this matter as the safety and well-being of students and teachers should never be compromised.
He highlighted that Sarawak had long demanded authority over certain education matters, as outlined in the Inter-Governmental Committee Report that led to MA63.
While some of these demands were incorporated into the Malaysian Constitution, Sagah however said that their execution has been lacking.
“In this matter, Sarawakians are making their demand very loudly. We welcome the stand by both Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in that the Federal Government is willing to offer concession to decentralise and devolve certain authority to Sarawak.
“We will be making our case heard very soon. We hope that the federal government, especially the MOE is not playing lip service only as Sarawak wants to be fully involved in making decision in the shaping of the future generation,” he said.
Despite education being a federal responsibility, Sagah added that his ministry, which was established in 2017 and tasked with formulating policies, regulating and monitoring all educational, technical and research establishments in Sarawak, also plays a supportive, complementary and at time, a watchdog role.
He quoted a Chinese proverb “Shí nián shù mù, bǎi nián shù rén” (meaning it takes 10 years to grow a tree, but 100 years to cultivate people), in emphasising Sarawak’s policy and approach towards education.
“The Sarawak government has invested billions of ringgit in education be it financial assistance, scholarship, institutions, facilities, programmes and activities.
“We hope that it will not take 100 years to build our generation to achieve economic prosperity, social inclusivity and a sustainable environment. Sarawak aspires to be a developed State by 2030, not 2063,” he added.
NELS 2023, with the theme “Future-Ready Education for a Future-Capable Society”, brought together some 200 delegates including renowned educators, policymakers, and experts from various disciplines to discuss and shape the future of education in Malaysia.
Organised by KSI Strategic Institute for Asia Pacific and in collaboration with the Malaysian Association of Private Colleges and Universities (MAPCU) and the National Association of Private Educational Institutions (NAPEI), the summit featured parallel sessions, providing a platform for in-depth discussions and insights into two streams of education: early childhood education, and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). — DayakDaily
