FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS FAILED TO PRIORITISE SARAWAK'S EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

By Dr Kelvin Yii

I am appalled by the recent statement made by Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri James Masing which attempted to justify Barisan Nasional Federal Government’s continuous neglect and side-lining of our State’s educational interest which has affected the quality of education especially in the rural schools over all these years.

Dr Kelvin Yii

Not only he and Barisan Nasional Sarawak continue to support and empower the very federal government that has been neglecting us all this while, but right now he is also trying to justify their actions and make excuses for them even though their actions are detrimental and contrary to the interest of the State.

The Federal Education Ministry reported that abject facilities, poor living conditions in boarding schools and de-motivated teachers were reasons for the overall poor performance of rural schools in the state.

However, Masing was quoted saying that he can understand the federal government’s lack of assistance towards fixing up and improving rural schools in the state, and tried justifying it with the excuse that the federal government does not feel the need to allocate resources to such schools with low enrolment levels.

In his own admission, the Barisan Nasional government which he is part of is reluctant to provide the necessary resources to improve rural schools in Sarawak.

This clearly shows that BN does not prioritise the educational needs and interest of every child in the State especially in the rural areas.

It is the responsibility of a caring government to provide proper facilities and allocate adequate funds to repair dilapidated school buildings and improving the facilities in the rural schools.

They cannot hide behind the excuse of low-enrolment to neglect their responsibility to the people.

Instead of trying to justify such neglect by the Barisan Nasional government, he should have been upholding the interest of Sarawak and fighting for the rights of every child in Sarawak to obtain quality education no matter the background, demographics or even social status.

You cannot deprive a child of quality education just because he is born in an area where there is low-enrolment in the nearest school. These students are also the future of our State.

He somehow failed to understand the principle that quality education is not a privilege but a right for every student.

You cannot deprive our students of their rights just because of their social status or even demographics. A government that does not understand this principle, does not have the interest of the State at heart.

Although Masing mentioned last Friday that the Sarawak government will take the “bull by the horns” by repairing the dilapidated school buildings, improving the facilities, then sending the bill to Putrajaya, it is just a short term move and does not address the core issue which is a federal government that continues to neglect us and not prioritise the educational rights of every child in Sarawak.

Why are we using our State’s money which belong to the people of Sarawak to cover up for the short-comings of the federal BN government?

BN Sarawak continuous support for the federal BN government even though they have constantly neglected us and took away our resources and rights defy reasonable logic and speaks volume of their intentions and lack of heart for the people of Sarawak.

Note: The writer is a special assistant to DAP Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen