MUKAH: Sarawak is enhancing the federal education curriculum to prepare its students for a future economy driven by clean energy, science and advanced technology.
Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said the state could not depend solely on the existing national framework as its development increasingly required highly skilled and knowledgeable talent.
He said that although Sarawak continues to follow the National Education Policy, the state government had introduced complementary programmes tailored to its needs.
“Although we have the National Education Policy, whether we like it or not, Sarawak must improve upon it.
“We want to strengthen the capabilities of both teachers and students in acquiring knowledge, and this requires significant funding.
“The Sarawak Government has allocated RM25 million to enhance the programmes provided to our students in schools,” he said when officiating at the ‘Ziarah Mahabbah Majlis Islam Sarawak 1448H/2026M’ event at Dataran Pehin Setia Raja here today.
Abang Johari said one programme focused on enhancing teaching and learning in schools, while the other sought to improve students’ language proficiency, including English.
He said Bahasa Malaysia remained the national language, but Sarawakian students also needed English to access the latest scientific and technical knowledge.
He rejected claims that speaking English reflected a lack of patriotism, saying the mastery of knowledge was essential for Sarawak to attain a higher level of development.
“Thankfully, we do not make an issue of it here in Sarawak. Elsewhere, speaking even a little English is enough for one to be labelled unpatriotic.
“But being patriotic without attaining a high level of development is not true patriotism, because others will not respect us. When we possess and master knowledge, people will respect us,” he said.
The Premier cited Marco Alverà’s ‘The Hydrogen Revolution: A Blueprint for the Future of Clean Energy’ as an example of important reading material available in English.
“If we cannot read English, how are we going to understand a book that explains clean energy for the future of human civilisation?” he said.
Abang Johari said access to such knowledge was particularly important as Sarawak moves towards cleaner energy sources, including hydrogen, to balance economic development with environmental sustainability.
He said producing hydrogen from water and natural gas requires scientists and specialists that are equipped with the relevant technical knowledge.
“This requires scientists. That is why we encourage our children to pursue science and STEM.
“These fields are crucial to developing Sarawak and enabling us to contribute towards addressing the challenges facing the world today,” he said.
