KUCHING: SMK Bario will be introducing Form 4 classes this academic year following the approval by the Ministry of Education to upgrade the school to include upper secondary levels.
Mulu assemblyman Datuk Gerawat Gala confirmed this after the ministry agreed in principle to allow the school to expand its offerings to Form 4 and Form 5.
“Yes, we have received approval to upgrade the school and introduce Form 4 classes this year.
“I have already spoken with the principal and teachers in SMK Barrio, as well as the district education officer in Marudi on preparations and arrangements for starting the classes this year,” he said when met at his office in Baitulmakmur Building 1 today (Feb 13).
The Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Labour, Immigration and Project Monitoring) added that new classrooms and boarding house would need to be built next year to accommodate future intakes.
“As the current Form 4 students progress to Form 5 next year, and a new batch enters Form 4, the school will require additional facilities. Construction of new classrooms and a boarding house will have to begin then,” he said.
Gerawat, who is an alumnus of SMK Bario, reflected on the challenges faced by rural students who previously had to move to urban areas after Form 3 to continue their education.
“In those days, we were sent to Marudi to finish our secondary schooling and could only return home during year-end holidays as air travel was too expensive.
“Looking back, we felt that it was better for rural students to complete their secondary education in a familiar environment before they came out to study in the towns. So hopefully, this will be of help to the students,” he said.
With this upgrade, SMK Bario students will now have the opportunity to complete their secondary education closer to home, easing financial and logistical burdens on families in the area.
