KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor hopes there will be no more cases of teachers skipping school.
Referring to the recent unprecedented court case where three students from Kota Belud won a suit against their English teacher who had been absent for seven months, Hajiji said the incident was a disappointment.
"We see that as something very disappointing as it is the responsibility of a teacher to teach their students.
"Therefore, I hope this matter will not happen again. It is important for us to impart knowledge to students at schools.
"Education is important and we don't want the students to be left behind," he told the media after the 34th Sabah State Excellent Scholarship Award (ABCNS) Presentation Ceremony at the Tun Ahmad Raffae Auditorium, Tun Mustapha Tower here.
Earlier, during his speech, Hajiji also asked the State Education Department to identify the reasons why many candidates did not attend the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination in Sabah last year.
He said based on the reports, only 34,461 students out of 40,147 who registered in Sabah took the SPM 2022 examination.
"I am taking this issue seriously because SPM is an important examination for our children's future and before they pursue higher education at any institution. Education is a right for all.
"Therefore, regardless of the number of students who did not take the SPM 2022 examinations in this state,I want the State Education Department to identify why they were absent.
"This matter is concerning because SPM is crucial for students to shape their future.
"I want the students from Sabah who missed the SPM examinations last year to seize the opportunity to do so this year," he added.
Hajiji also urged the unity government to finalise the devolution of power on education and health to state government.
During the event, 40 students received the ABCNS during the event.
Present at the ceremony were the Sabah State Legislative Assembly speaker Datuk Seri Kadzim M. Yahya, State Secretary Datuk Seri Safar Untong and Yayasan Sabah director Datuk Haji Gulamhaidar Khan Bahadar.