KUCHING: The Sarawak government is committed to addressing the issue of dilapidated schools as a conducive teaching and learning environment is crucial for both teachers and students.
In stating this, Education, Innovation and Talent Development Minister Datuk Seri Roland Sagah pointed out that a school should be a place where students feel safe and inspired, where teachers can deliver lessons effectively without worrying about the state of their classrooms.
“We firmly believe that a better learning environment will lead to improved educational performance.
“Rest assured, the Sarawak government, through the ministry, will continue to prioritise and tackle the issue of dilapidated school buildings in the state.
“We are investing in repairs and rebuilding efforts to ensure all our schools are safe, comfortable, and conducive to learning,” he said when he attended the 2024 Sarawak Education Award ceremony at CIDB, Petra Jaya here Saturday.
While stating that the ministry’s goal has always been to enhance the quality and standard of education across the state, he said it has undertaken numerous initiatives particularly in Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for teachers.
Although he acknowledged that the Education Department has done its best to ensure its teachers are getting the best in their professional development, he stressed that the effort must not stop there.
“We must always try to bring something new to the table by ‘thinking outside the box’. This is to give more options and provide alternative views and approaches to our educators. For this, our collaborative efforts with various agencies have yielded innovative approaches to teaching and learning.
“One notable example is our collaboration with the Singapore International Foundation (SIF) on the four-year long Maths PLUS project.
“This initiative has brought valuable resources and expertise to our schools, enhancing the way Mathematics is taught and learned. I am confident that our teachers and students will benefit from this project,” he said.
Sagah mentioned that his ministry has also partnered with Chumbaka and Yayasan Hasanah which have been instrumental in addressing the learning loss experienced by rural schools during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The pandemic disrupted education globally, and our rural schools were particularly hard hit. Through these partnerships, we have been able to provide support and resources to ensure even our most remote schools have not been left behind.
“These initiatives have not only helped to bridge the gap but have also introduced new, innovative methods of teaching and learning that can benefit all our schools. I can assure you that more strategic collaboration will take place in the future,” he said.
