Auditor General’s Report 2022: Only 386 from 1,505 dilapidated schools upgraded, redeveloped

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 22): The School Upgrading and Redevelopment Project had been implemented in only 25.6 per cent, or 386 out of 1,505 schools nationwide, which were identified as having dilapidated buildings, according to the Auditor General’s Report 2022.

Auditor-General Datuk Wan Suraya Wan Mohd Radzi, in a statement, said the project had a subpar performance, with only 123 (31.9 per cent) of the 386 schools involved having been completed between 2019 and 2022.

She said that this was one of the issues raised in the Auditor-General’s Report, which also included 16 performance audits carried out in 14 ministries involving projects and programmes worth RM208.882 billion.

The report also revealed that the Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB) had conducted research and development (R&D) activities encompassing three sectors in accordance with its stipulated functions.

“However, the outcomes of the R&D activities have yet to contribute directly to the development of the Malaysian rubber industry,” Wan Suraya said.

As for the management of the padi planting programme, the Auditor-General said the remaining accumulated allocation of RM448.87 million channelled by the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry to the Farmers’ Organisation Authority as of 2022 for the provision of subsidies and incentives to padi farmers has not been spent.

She added that the issue of delayed fertiliser supply from 2016 to 2019 was a loss for both the government and the target group, as no action was taken against the supplier despite the late delivery.

In addition, Wan Suraya said the performance of the National Flood Forecasting and Warning Programme Phase 1 (2015-2022) in three river basins in Kelantan, Terengganu, and Pahang was unsatisfactory.

According to her, although the government has spent RM145 million on this programme, the flood forecasting accuracy rate was only 5.6 per cent, and it was unable to issue warnings and announcements two days in advance.

On the management of federal government companies, Wan Suraya stated that one of the issues raised was the failure of Kwasa Land Sdn Bhd (KLSB) and the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) to meet the initial target for the development of Kwasa Damansara over a 15-year period from July 2012 to 2027.

She said that only 5.20 acres (or 0.4 per cent) of the total area of land available for sale (1,324.49 acres) has been developed since 2012.

“EPF’s investment in KLSB involved paid-up capital amounting to RM1.770 billion, but no dividend has been paid since its establishment (in 2009),” she said.

The Auditor-General has also put forward 261 recommendations to be considered for implementation by the audited ministries, departments and agencies at the federal and state levels.

The Auditor General’s Report 2022 will be uploaded on the website of the National Audit Department after being tabled in the Dewan Rakyat and the respective state legislative assemblies. – Bernama