GPS assemblymen often barred from entering schools, claims Meradong rep

KUCHING (Nov 23): Meradong assemblyman Datuk Ding Kuong Hiing has claimed that he has been barred from entering schools whenever he wants to visit them.

Ding said he often faced problems, although his visit was meant to improve school facilities under the Rural Transformation Programme (RTP) and Minor Rural Project (MRP).

“I have been facing many problems when implementing RTP projects in our schools in my constituency.

“Very often, the schools involved need to face a long wait for the relevant authority to approve the implementation of the proposed RTP projects, which, in the end, causes delays in the completion of the projects,” he said when debating the 2024 State Budget at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting here today.

Ding said he was confounded and perplexed by the procedure, as the project still has to seek federal approval.

He said that despite being part of the Unity Government, GPS assemblymen like him are often treated differently from the federal.

“Although GPS is part of the Unity Government, we are often barred from entering our schools, either for monitoring the RTP projects or for the presentation of MRP allocations.

“Apart from RTP implementation and MRP presentation, we also give incentives to students who excelled in Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) examinations.

“As we can see, our purpose for visiting our schools is to help by improving the hard and soft landscapes of the schools and providing encouragement for our students, and yet we often fall victim to bureaucracies by the authorities concerned.

“There’s a Chinese saying that goes ‘sticking our warm cheeks against a cold bum’ which, I believe, is the most apt to describe what GPS assemblymen might be feeling at the moment,” he said, adding that dealing with such bureaucracies sometimes made him anxious.

“Many a time, I feel so frustrated that I wish to stop all assistance to our schools, but by doing so, I am depriving our children of having a better learning environment.”

Ding said such a scenario reflects why Sarawak insists on having its autonomy in education.

He also lauded the Ministry of Education, Innovation, and Talent Development’s move to develop its assessment examination for Primary 6 students in schools.

“Recent developments have indicated the Sarawak government, under the able leadership of our Right Honourable Premier, is moving closer towards full education autonomy.

“I am particularly glad of the insistence on using dual languages for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) teaching in our schools, as announced by the Ministry of Education, Innovation and Talent Development Sarawak.

“Moreover, I also welcome the ministry’s move to set up certain kinds of assessments for our Primary 6 students,” he said.