By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Sept 28: The Sarawak government has launched a new initiative, the ‘Free Water Transportation Programme for School Students’, to address the unique geographical challenges faced by the State, where rivers remain a primary mode of transportation.
According to a Sarawak Public Communication Unit (Ukas) news report, Sarawak Deputy Minister for Transport (MOTS), Dato Henry Harry Jinep, stated that the initiative aims to alleviate the burden on rural families and prioritise the safety of children commuting to school.
Henry said that the boat operators involved in the programme have undergone rigorous competency training and have been awarded certificates of competency (CoC) to ensure they are well-prepared to provide safe and reliable services.
“This programme targets students who still rely on boats to reach school. Recently, there was an incident involving a boat carrying two school students (in Lundu), as accidents like these are sometimes unavoidable.
“Therefore, the Sarawak government and the Ministry of Transport are committed to enhancing the safety of our children,” he was quoted as saying.
Henry made the remarks during a press conference following the ‘Briefing Session on the Free Water Transportation Programme for School Students’ and the ‘Certificate of Competency (CoC) Presentation Ceremony’ held at Wisma Adenan here today.
The minister further emphasised that the ‘Free Water Transportation Programme’ is available to all rural residents, while in urban areas, the focus will be on B40 (low-income) students.
Currently, the programme will be piloted in the Kuching area before being expanded to other parts of Sarawak.
At the event, a total of 26 boat operators received their CoC, with the certificates presented by Henry on behalf of MOTS minister Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin. — DayakDaily
