Parents of SK Batu Niah pupils call for relocation of unsafe school

MIRI (Aug 25): The declaration of SK Batu Niah as unsafe by the Public Works Department (JKR) has sparked concerns among parents about the potential impact on their children’s safety and academic studies.

The chairman of the SK Batu Niah Parents Teachers Association Cr Sebastian Janting Takin said the school has received a letter from JKR regarding the matter.

“We have received confirmation from JKR about a year ago that the school’s building is unsafe.

“In this regard, relocation is much needed and we have identified a plot of land as a new location and have applied for the construction of a new school.

“However, the land application is still in process, so we have expressed our request to Deputy Minister of Women, Childhood and Community Development, Datuk Rosey Yunus to follow up on the status of the land with the Land and Survey Department,” said Sebastian.

The safety of the children and teachers, he added, is the main concern now, and if the school is forced to close, it worries parents even more as they have no other place to go for their education.

“I have heard that Sarawak government is developing schools and if possible, we would like to request a new school from the government.

“In our request to Datuk Rosey, who is also the Bekenu assemblywoman, we hope for her to convey our request for the construction of a new school to the Sarawak Premier and the education minister,” he further added.

Sebastian, who attended SK Batu Niah’s annual sports day, also expressed his gratitude to Rosey for allocating an additional RM2,000 in support of the school sports day yesterday.