Razed schools, eye openers for ministry to look into sorry state of Sabah schools

KOTA KINABALU - “Hopefully, the fires that razed two schools in Kiulu and Beaufort, Sabah recently will open the eyes of the Ministry of Education as to the sorry state of affairs of schools in Sabah” said Jalibin Paidi, STAR Sabah Information Chief commenting on the fires at SK Pekan Kiulu and SK Gadong, Beaufort.

It is very sad that, after 51 years of independence, the schools in Sabah still have dilapidated buildings, unsafe and made of wood.

To make matters worse, many schools in Sabah are difficult to reach by road and many students have to walk as far as 8km a day to go to school, sometimes through jungle paths and crossing rivers.

"What is even more sad is that from reliable sources, the Sabah Education Department has instructed the principals, school headmasters and teachers not to reveal the poor and dilapidated conditions of their in the social media.  They seem to not want people to realize the dilapidated condition and the sorry state of affairs of the schools in Sabah compared to that in Malaya" said Jalibin.

"Is it right for the Sabah Education Department to hide the true and sorry state of the dilapidated conditions and problem of schools in Sabah from the outside world?" asked Jalibin.

"By right, the dilapidated conditions and backwardness of schools and facilities in Sabah should be disclosed because it is time that the disparity of school conditions with schools in Malaya be abolished.  It is like totally different worlds, if one were to compare Sabah schools with the primary schools with the latest modern facilities in Putrajaya which are even better than many colleges."

"What is most disappointing is that many schools in Sabah have not seen improvements, some since the British colonial days. For instance, the classrooms in SK Randagong, Ranau that I used as a student in the 1970s are still in use and was now used by my son. The only improvements are a new and pretty coat of paint and attractive landscaping which is the result of the initiative and efforts of the school administration itself" he added.

Jalibin also asked the federal government not to be biased in providing educational facilities to all Malaysians.  According to him, many schools in Sabah that overcrowded enrolment in individual classes and many secondary schools are still using and borrowing primary schools buildings.   On the other hand, in a Peninsular State, the federal government recently built a RM8 million new school just to accommodate only 10 students and this wastage was reprimanded by the HRH Sultan of the State concerned.

"With tax and oil revenues from Sabah, which will reach a record of RM26.6 billion in oil revenue alone in 2014, which continue to be major contributions to the revenue of the federal government, it is only appropriate that Sabahans demand more federal allocations to develop the education sector in Sabah" added Jalibin.

Meanwhile, in social media, there are Sabahans who half-jokingly say it's better the old school buildings be razed so that these schools will be replaced with new modern buildings.  Such is the level of the dilapidation and sorry state and backwardness of school facilities in Sabah.