SELANGAU: Like most headmasters, Bubong Janting is attached to his school, so much so that he cried when flood affected SK Nanga Selangau here.
Bubong, 54, who has been at the school for about 10 years, always appeared calm and composed in front of his staff and pupils, but he could not contain his tears watching the primary school inundated by floods.
He said the flood this year was the worst he had experienced and some blocks of the school had 4m high water.
“The water rose rapidly, Together with teachers and non-academic staff we managed to salvage important documents and stored them at two other school buildings located on higher ground.
“I am aware that the school is located near a river but this is the worst flood in my 10 years here,” he said when met at the school.
Most of the school’s facilities and equipment were damaged by the flood.
The school’s quarters, he said, were also not spared by the flood water.
“It was frustrating to see a hut jointly built by teachers and pupils being destroyed by flood. I just can't contain my sadness seeing the school paralysed by flood,” he said.
Bubong said it was his duty to provide updates to the district education office and flood operation centre.
There are 15 classrooms including one for pre-schoolers at the school. A total of 337 pupils, 24 teachers and 25 non-academic staff were affected by the school closure.
“I instructed everyone in the hostels to return home when the water started to rise on Monday,” he said.
Tamin state assemblyman Christopher Gira Sambang said SK Nanga Selangau was one of the schools in the state that would be relocated to a new site.
“The government has identified the place and is in the process of acquiring the land," he said.