Sabah govt to reassess YTL over school Internet project delays

KOTA KINABALU (Jan 21): The Sabah government will review YTL’s performance following delays in its implementation of Internet services in schools across the state.

State Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Datuk James Ratib said that the ministry had received numerous complaints from schools and parents regarding delays in the implementation of YTL’s internet service projects in schools across the state, said its minister Datuk James Ratib.

He said that the delays directly affected the teaching and learning process as well as the efforts to digitalise education in 736 schools using fibre Point-of-Presence (PoP) technology.

“Among the grievances are several schools were found to have unsatisfactory internet services, including bandwidth access that does not reach the level as promised. YTL has also been slow to address the complaints, and there were delays in the installation of fibre PoP infrastructure even though locations have been identified.

“Some PoPs were also not yet ready for use despite being listed as completed, and some schools are still dependent on 1BestariNet towers which cause the quality of internet access to remain low and inconsistent,” he said in a statement.

He said the ministry viewed this matter seriously, as stable and quality internet access is a basic necessity in today’s education system.

James added the assessment aimed to ensure there are no prolonged delays that continue to affect the teaching and learning process, especially in rural and interior schools.

“If there is valid evidence of delays or failure in implementation by YTL, the Sabah government will not hesitate to terminate the appointment in the interest of students, teachers, and the continuity of the state’s education system,” he said.