by DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Dec 11: Despite logistical challenges, Sarawak’s RM1 billion dilapidated school rebuilding scheme continues to record encouraging progress, with only two schools under the first phase yet to be completed, while phase two and three have already begun.
According to a report by TVS, Sarawak Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation and Talent Development Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee said that out of the 140 schools approved under the scheme, 39 schools in the first phase have been fully completed and handed over.
“This scheme was inspired by the Sarawak Premier to accelerate efforts to repair dilapidated schools, through the method of early loan payments which are then used to repair school facilities throughout the State,” he was quoted as saying to reporters after visiting Sekolah Kebangsaan Nanga Tada on Wednesday. The school is among those included in the first phase of the initiative.
Dr Annuar said overall progress has been very commendable, despite minor delays due to logistical hurdles particularly in remote areas.
“There are undeniable delays because most of the dilapidated schools are located in rural areas. In terms of construction logistics, that is a challenge. But so far, the progress is very commendable,” he said.
Elaborating further, he informed that the second and third phases of the project have also begun.
“For the second phase, 35 schools have also been completed and started operating while in the third phase, several schools have begun construction work while some others are still going through the planning process,” he said.
During his visit, Dr Annuar inspected newly completed facilities at SK Nanga Tada, which received RM12.3 million under Phase One. The school now features a new academic block with 12 classrooms and a dormitory capable of housing up to 100 students, offering a more conducive learning environment for its more than 200 pupils.
The school is also expected to receive additional upgrades under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), further strengthening efforts to improve education infrastructure in rural Sarawak. – DayakDaily
