TAWAU: Sekolah Agama Negeri (SAN) Apas Balung in Tawau’s Taman Sawit Balung, which has been in the planning stages for the last 29 years, has become the first religious school to incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into its learning system.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor expressed his interest in the school’s initiative to use AI technology, noting that it is in line with current developments in education.
“I’m intrigued, this is the first religious school to use AI, and it’s very interesting. This is the era we are facing, where technology is advanced. Not only in regular schools but also in religious schools,” he said after officiating the new SAN in Tawau on Sunday.
He also praised the school’s rapid construction, which was completed in just three months. This was made possible through the contributions of various parties, with the government’s support to expand the school further.
Additionally, the state government is backing the school management’s proposal to establish a secondary religious school as a continuation of the religious education for students.
“This is a very good proposal because there is a high demand for Islamic secondary schools in Sabah. We need more religious secondary schools to meet the needs of the Muslim community. So, this plan is excellent. Eventually, we could even consider an Islamic university,” he added.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the SAN Apas Balung Development Committee, Sabran Zabur Abd Hamid, mentioned that the school’s construction cost around RM1.5 million and was completed within 80 days, starting from November 8, 2025.
He shared that the project includes two buildings with a total area of 13,000 square feet and an initial capacity of 300 students across six classrooms.
“Overall, there are 12 rooms, including a special AI classroom, while the remaining spaces are used for administrative purposes,” he said.
According to him, SAN Apas Balung is among the first religious schools in Sabah — and possibly in Malaysia — to adopt an advanced learning approach with a focus on the latest technology, particularly AI, as a teaching aid.
He further mentioned that the establishment of SAN Apas Balung was the realization of the late Datuk Tawfiq Abu Bakar Titingan’s (former Minister of Youth and Sports of Sabah/Apas Assemblyman) long-term vision to build a religious school at the site nearly 29 years ago.
“This dream has finally been realized through the collaboration of Tawau MP, Datuk Lo Su Fui, local leaders, and the active support of the local community,” he said.
Sabran Zabur added that, given the success of the school’s construction, the management is now planning to establish a religious secondary school in the Apas Balung area in the future.
Currently, Sabah has only six state religious secondary schools with the capacity to accept about 360 students annually, whereas more than 6,000 students apply for these schools every year.
“Our hope is that the government will support the construction of this state religious secondary school to meet the growing demand for religious education in Sabah,” he concluded.
