KUCHING, June 8: The Indonesian government is proposing that a vocational school be set up at the Malaysia-Indonesia border town of Entikong to complement its Community Learning Centres (CLCs) in Sarawak.
The Indonesian ambassador to Malaysia His Excellency (HE) Rusdi Kirana said at the moment, a similar school was in the process of being set up in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah and he hoped that one would also be set up in Sarawak.
Speaking to reporters after launching 19 new CLCs all over the state this morning, HE Rusdi said although the Indonesian government had no intention to carry out such a project, he hoped that with his own efforts and allocations from his government, he would be able to provide education to the children of Indonesian plantation workers in Sarawak.
He said the children of Indonesian plantation workers in Sarawak do not possess documents needed to enroll in Malaysian schools, and definitely could not afford sending their children to private schools.
“Education is very important no matter where you are. The CLCs cater for children of primary school age. As such, I’m proposing that a vocational or skills training school be set up in Entikong (Indonesia) for those who have finished their CLC education.
“On top of being trained with the necessary technical skills at the vocational school, they would also be able to provide the much needed workforce for Sarawak,” said HE Rusdi.
When asked about the number of Indonesian children in Sarawak, he said that the numbers would reveal themselves after the CLC programme bears fruit within 10 to 20 years.
He said at the moment, Indonesian children who have no access to education would mean a disaster not only for Indonesia but also for Sarawak due to the influx of non-skilled workers.
“As such, I think the CLCs and the proposed vocational school would be able to provide education as well as the needed job skills for them to be able to contribute to the development of Sarawak,” said Rusdi.
After the launching of the 19 new CLCs, as of date, there are now a total of 54 CLC schools all over the state, providing primary school education to an estimated 2,000 children of Indonesian plantation workers here. — DayakDaily
