PETRA JAYA: Negotiations between the federal government and the Sarawak administration on supplying more aid to schools in the state has produced positive results.
Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem said the federal government has agreed to upgrade and conduct maintenance works on 194 dilapidated rural schools in the state next year.
“The agreement will benefit 48,000 students.
“In addition to this, the state government will allocate RM21 million next year to upgrade 72 dilapidated rural schools,” said Adenan in his address when unveiling the state’s Budget 2017 during the State Legislative Assembly Sitting here today.
It was reported that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, when tabling the 2017 Budget, announced that RM570 million has been allocated to reconstruct 120 run-down schools in the peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak.
Thirty schools in Sarawak, under the budget, will be reconstructed using the Industrialised Building System (IBS).
Adenan went on to say that the state government is extremely concerned with the poor conditions of rural schools in Sarawak.
“Our rural children deserve a better learning environment, which is more comfortable and safe,” he said, adding that the wellbeing of rural schools is one of the nine Key Result Areas identified as primary drivers in the state’s rural transformation programmes.