Radzi: Ministry doing its best to solve Sabah's 'sekolah tumpang' issue

SANDAKAN: The Education Ministry is doing all it can to solve the problem of 'sekolah tumpang', where a secondary and primary school share the same space, in Sabah.

Senior Education Minister Datuk Dr Mohd Radzi Md Jidin said there were 23 such schools in the state.

He said 20 schools had received a total allocation of RM706 million to erect more buildings and efforts were under way to find funds for the three other schools.

"Sabah has more 'sekolah tumpang' than any other place. It is an infrastructure challenge for the ministry.

"The ministry will focus on schools that are not completed on schedule. The most important thing is that our children get a first-rate learning facility," he told reporters after officiating the new SMK Libaran building today.

He said SMK Libaran, which has 597 students and is one of the 23 'sekolah tumpang' in the state, had shared spaces with SK Sungai Padas, which is 3km away, for more than 22 years.

Located 25km from Sandakan, SMK Libaran will start welcoming Form One to Form Five students to its new home from July 1.

On another matter, Radzi said the ministry was in talks with several parties for an initiative to instil a love of nature in students.

He said he did not want more animals to go the way of the extinct Sumatran rhino.

"Our children must understand that we need to take care of our natural treasures for future generations."

During his visit to Sandakan, Radzi toured the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre, Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre and Rainforest Discovery Centre to better understand the work they do. - Bernama