IPOH: The Education Ministry will speed up the process to approve the allocation for SK Darau, Sabah to address the dire conditions of the school.
Its deputy minister Wong Kah Woh said he was informed that the Sabah Education Department has taken swift action to solve the matter.
"The school was built in the 1940s and the school has always been under the attention of the ministry.
"In 2023, a total of RM140,000 in allocations were channelled to the school for upgrading and repair work and this year, the Sabah Education Department has requested another allocation.
"Once approved, we will channel the allocation to the school immediately," Wong told reporters after opening pre-school classes at SJK(C) Sam Chai here, today.
It was reported that the students of 1 Bestari at the school continue to attend classes amidst safety hazards in the classroom. Pupils were observed sitting under a dangling wire connected to a poorly installed ceiling fan.
The classroom, also shared with 4 Bestari pupils during the morning session, is part of the wooden blocks that have been in use for over two decades.
The school, accommodating 1,377 pupils, employed these ageing structures for two sessions daily, pointing to the urgent need for infrastructure upgrades.
Sabah Education Exco Datuk Mohd Arifin Arif, during his visit to the school, had said the Education Department applied for RM500,000 for maintenance at the school, which includes wiring work.
Wong added that for the short-term solution, the affected students are temporarily moved to another class so that they would have a comfortable environment during the teaching and learning process
