Kota Kinabalu: A serious imbalance in leadership grading in Sabah’s Health and Education departments is demoralising deputy directors, said State Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Datuk James Ratib.
He said in the Sabah Education Department, the deputy directors are currently holding Grade 54 posts, while the Director holds a Key Position in the Public Sector (Jusa) B grade, with no Jusa C positions in between.
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“So the career path is cut off there. This can affect morale. If I were a deputy director, people would see me as holding a senior post, but my grade is the same as other deputy directors. That is not fair,” he added.
James said he would raise the issue with the Ministry of Education (MOE) and propose that at least two Jusa C posts be created for the Sabah Education Department.
The former State Minister of Community Development and People’s Wellbeing noted that a similar imbalance had previously existed in the Sabah Health Department.
Speaking to reporters after delivering his Ministry’s mandate at the Sabah International Convention Centre Thursday, James also called for stronger cooperation between federal and state officers.
“I do not want federal officers from Peninsular Malaysia who are posted to Sabah to disrespect local officers, and likewise state officers must respect federal officers.
“Only with mutual respect can we strengthen cooperation and resolve development and project implementation issues quickly and properly,” he said.
On dilapidated schools, particularly in rural areas such as SK Lajong in Kudat, James said he would personally inspect the situation and report the actual problems to the MOE.
“Sabah is still far behind in terms of infrastructure, especially rural schools. I will take this seriously and, if there is a National Exco meeting soon, I will raise the issues and what needs to be done by the Ministry, especially for Sabah,” he said.
He said he would adopt the same approach he used when he was in the Health Ministry, where problems faced by the Sabah Health Department were brought to national meetings, resulting in about 100 dilapidated clinics being completed within two years.
“At present, there are more than 300 dilapidated schools in Sabah. God willing, many of them will be upgraded this year, but I will provide exact figures after meeting the Ministry of Education,” he said.
James explained that priority would be given to Scale 6 projects, which involve allocations below RM1 million and can be completed faster.
“Scale 7 projects involve allocations above RM1 million and require longer procedures. What we want to increase now are Scale 6 projects because they are quicker,” he said.
Scale 6 works include maintenance and partial replacement of school facilities that do not require major construction, he added.
Referring to his track record, James said more than half of wooden clinics in Sabah had been replaced with concrete structures.
“That was a success for us. Previously, many clinics were wooden buildings, but more than half have now been upgraded to concrete. I believe we can improve even further in this new ministry and upgrade all dilapidated schools in Sabah in the near future,” he said.
