By Jaythaleela K
MIRI, April 11: With its long history in the oil and gas industry, it is about time Miri city has its own polytechnic to provide technical skills in related fields to further propel the industry, says Assistant Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Lee Kim Shin.
“Miri city has been well known for its petroleum industry for over 100 years when the first oil well was drilled, back in 1910. The discovery has led the city into rapid development since then.
“Technical skills in oil and gas industry are crucial , hence I believe it will benefits students in the northern area of Sarawak,” he said.
Lee suggested the location for the polytechnic to be build within SMK Baru Miri.
“Why SMK Baru? The school has a vast space, with the size of the area at about 50 acres and it can be upgraded into polytechnic.
“Most of the towns in Sarawak have their own polytechnic, but Miri has none…. hence I urge the Education Ministry of Malaysia to put this suggestion as their main concern,” he said.
Lee told reporters this after inspecting the progress of construction of a bus shelter or waiting area for students at SMK Baru Miri on Thursday morning.
The shelter is expected to be completed some time in May and is currently 85 per cent completed.
The project is fully funded by the Sarawak government at a cost of RM500,000 and is under the Rural Transformation Programme (RTP).
Consturction work began in December last year. — DayakDaily
