By Lian Cheng
KUCHING, April 17: Public Works Department (JKR) Malaysia has appointed a contractor to carry out material testing to determine the integrity of abandoned school blocks at SK Long Sukang, Lawas with the task expected to be completed in June this year.
According to Sarawak Education Director Dr Azhar Ahmad, the material testing is to ascertain whether the abandoned school blocks can still be used or need to be demolished to give way to new ones.
He said the federal government has approved the revival of the SK Long Sukang sick project, under the 12th Malaysian Plan (12MP) Second Rolling Plan.
The approved project scope includes inspection of the integrity of the abandoned school blocks, slope reinforcement, completion of the school block building project and provision of a water supply system.
“The time frame for project completion will be determined after the integrity test of the building is completed.
“This has been agreed between the Education Ministry and JKR Malaysia. For now, no physical work has started,” Dr Azhar told DayakDaily when contacted.
The SK Long Sukang project was in the limelight in April 2021 when Ba’kelalan assemblyman Baru Bian highlighted in in a statement that the project was still incomplete after 12 years.
In May 2021, the then Sarawak Education, Science and Technological Research Minister Dato Sri Michael Manyin Jawong hit back saying that Baru should have resolved the issue when he was the co-chairman of Mesyuarat Tindakan Pembangunan Negeri, a committee that was in charge of overall project development by the federal government in Sarawak between 2018 to 2019 and also when he was the Works Minister between 2018 to 2020.
Manyin said the building of SK Long Sukang which is directly under Ministry of Education started in 2009 at a cost of RM19 million and was scheduled for completion in 2012.
However, due to slope failure that occurred in 2010, the construction of classroom and academic blocks which also includes a school canteen stopped upon advice of geo-technical experts, and were subsequently taken out from the project scope in 2014. — DayakDaily
