Eight stateless kids are attending classes: Minister
Published on: Monday, April 22, 2024
By: Jonathan Nicholas
Fadhlina talking to the pupils under the Sekolah Bimbingan Jalinan Kasih programme.
Kota Kinabalu: The Education Ministry (MoE) plans to expand the Sekolah Bimbingan Jalinan Kasih (SBJK) programme to benefit stateless children in Sabah.
The pilot project was introduced to SK Sembulan in October 2023.
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Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the outreach programme is a branch of the SBJK School in Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur.
“In Sabah there are currently eight students enrolled in the programme.
“Based on further demands, SK Sembulan may soon take in a few more with the addition of a new learning cabin.
“The selection criteria are undocumented children with either parent or guardian being a Malaysian citizen.
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“These eight students are doing module learning because they have never been to school.
“If they can adapt to learn on a higher level and with proper documentation, they might even get to join the mainstream education.
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“That is the goal of SBJK, to give every child the right to an education,” she said when visiting SK Sembulan, recently.
She said Sabah has called for more SBJKs but “must first meet the terms and conditions”.
“The MoE is now focusing on improving the number of teachers,” she added in response.
In KOTA BELUD, Fadhlina said the Ministry of Education has allocated RM30 million for the redevelopment of Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Tamu Darat, which is among the weakest schools in the state.
The redevelopment project is expected to commence in August and is slated for completion by mid-2026, equipped with facilities including eight new classrooms, a resource centre, as well as science and computer labs.
“The building design has been completed and is in the tender process. It is hoped that this will provide a more conducive learning environment for our children here,“ she said.
She visited several primary and secondary schools in the Kadamaian area, including SK Tamu Darat, SK Rangalau, Sekolah Rendah Advent Rangalau, and SMK Narinang.
Also present were Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Datuk Ewon Benedick, who is also the Kadamaian state assemblyman; Kota Belud Member of Parliament, Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis; and Sabah Education Department Director, Datuk Raisin Saidin.
Fadhlina highlighted that a comprehensive focus has been placed on addressing the needs of 38 weak schools in the Kota Belud district, with efforts directed towards their redevelopment or maintenance, with an allocation of RM495.5 million.
She said out of that total, 20 projects have been fully completed, 10 are under construction, while eight are in the pre-construction stage.
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