Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun wants the Education Ministry to give special consideration to three primary schools in Tawau that have been reported as unsafe.
Masidi, who is also the state exco member in charge of the education portfolio, said: “Education officials should come and visit for themselves, in other words ‘turun padang’, and take appropriate action [for] the safety of our children.
“I know there are probably funding problems … But I feel the (severity of the cases) should really entitle them priority,” he told reporters after launching the Canadian Education Fair here today.
He said state education director Datuk Dr Muhiddin Yusin had given the Education Ministry all the necessary information so action can be taken fast. On Saturday, Dr Muhiddin said his department had received a report from the Public Works Department that several buildings in three primary schools in Tawau were not safe.
The schools are Sekolah Kebangsaan Kukusan, Sekolah Kebangsaan Bahagia and Sekolah Kebangsaan Jambatan Putih. Masidi said he had not been to the schools, but have visited another school in Kundasang, namely SMK Kundasang, which was also facing the same problem.
“Sabah is a big state, this is what I have been emphasising to the federal government.
“So the more reason why we are asking a special consideration, because in peninsula states, (they can respond) very fast because locations are nearer to Kuala Lumpur and secondly, all the resources of the government can be mobilised fast.
“But in Sabah you are talking about bad roads in rural areas, so I hope the officials, whoever they are, will take action as soon as they can,” he added.
–Bernama
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