TELUPID: A teacher's eight-year wait for comfortable accomodation at Sekolah Kebangsaan Ulu Ansuan, near here, finally became a reality on Monday thanks to the caring unity government.
Muhd Fareed Fuzi Awang, 35, a teacher from Peninsular Malaysia, who teaches pre-school students in the school located in the interiors of Sabah, said with the new teachers' quarters, he does not have to face any more situations of water overflowing and dripping from the ceiling that has happened over the past eight years each time it pours heavily.
"I am grateful for the quarters provided by the Ministry of Education (MoE). This will give us (teachers) a little motivation to serve well and longer here (SK Ulu Ansuan)," he told Bernama when met at the school.
"I am so thankful for what I have received. I have been waiting for eight years for this. Prior to this, there have been many teachers who have struggled, having to live in houses built with bamboo. No more bamboo homes..."
Muhd Fareed believes that there are schools, especially in the interiors, going through worse hardships and he hopes that the issues highlighted in SK Ulu Ansuan will be an eye-opener to all parties concerning problems faced by other schools.
Recently, the media reported that SK Ulu Ansuan principal George Odol, who will go on mandatory retirement on Nov 27, had been living in the school storeroom for over three years just to continue his struggle to educate students in the school.
SK Ulu Ansuan, which began operating in 2000, initially did not have facilities such as living quarters for teachers, but the school's Parents-Teachers Association (PIBG) as well teachers undertook an initiative to build a seven-door longhouse, but it was in a poor condition before the improvements were implemented at a cost of RM200,000 through the Five-Year Infrastructure Development Plan (Perapi) under the MoE Planning Sector.
The seven units of teachers' quarters have a studio-type concept, equipped with a kitchen, toilet and bathroom.
Teacher Vivien Lodin, 36, from Ranau, was involved in the initiative too to build the longhouse in 2015. She also has stayed in the preschool's storeroom before George started working at the school in 2020.
"I lived in the storeroom with the female school clerk and female pre-school student management assistant. In 2015, as the storeroom was too cramped, we forked out our own money of RM7,000 each to build a longhouse which has now been upgraded ," she said.
Prior to moving into the upgraded longhouse, measuring 3.6 metres (m) x 4.8 m, Vivien and her two housemates were forced to stay temporarily in the classroom, while classes were held under a canopy in the school field.
Although facing such challenges, Vivien sincerely wants to teach children in this school in the interiors.
Unlike Muhd Fareed and Vivien, who do not have their own families, Keneddy Gurongot, 43, who comes from Tuaran, works and stays in SK Ulu Ansuan with his two children, aged 12 and eight, who are studying at the same school.
Keneddy, a father of three, said he stayed back in the dilapidated quarters whereas his wife lives with their eldest son, who is a diabled person and attends Sekolah Pendidikan Khas in Tuaran.
"I am from the village so am accustomed to living in these conditions. For me, this is 'normal'. But I feel lucky to be working here as I have taught many students who have gone on to study at universities," he added. -- BERNAMA