Mohamad (third left), accompanied by IPG Gaya campus director Dr Gerturude Jock (second left), tours the newly-completed administration building at IPG Gaya campus.
KOTA KINABALU (Jan 24): Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Rampayan in Manggatal will be relocated to a 50-acre land reserved for education purpose in Kingfisher.
Deputy Education Minister Datuk Mohamad Alamin said a sum of RM48 million had been allocated to build the school on the new site.
He said the Ministry of Education (MOE) had approved the development and the project was currently at planning stage.
At present, he said the MOE and Public Works Department (PWD) were resolving several technical issues.
“We hope that the technical matters and implementation can be expedited because the school is facing two major issues, namely frequent floods and in need of immediate upgrade due to its dilapidated state.”
In addition, he said the existing compound of the school is only about one acre, thus the need to relocate to a larger site.
Mohamad said that to the media during his visit to Gaya Teachers Training Institute (IPG Gaya campus) here on Monday. Earlier, he had visited SK Rampayan and IPG Kent campus in Tuaran.
He said the ministry was informed of the issues faced by the IPGs during the visit.
“We are looking into enhancing the facilities in IPGs nationwide, especially the Kent and Gaya campuses in Sabah,” he said, adding that priority would be given to pressing issues.
Mohamad had toured the new six-storey administration building, multipurpose hall and auditorium at IPG Gaya campus during his visit.
The building will serve as a new office for the top management, lecturers and administration staff at the campus. However, the staff have yet to move into the new building as there is no electricity yet.
On another note, Mohamad said the MOE was working on resolving the shortage of teachers.
“One of MOE’s priorities is to increase the number of teachers in the states facing shortage, including Sabah, Sarawak and Johor.”
He believed that both Sabah and Sarawak would benefit from a one-off teacher recruitment scheme undertaken by the MOE, but stated the figures were not available yet.
“We will try to fill the shortage as soon as possible,” he vowed.
Mohamad will head to IPG and vocational college in Keningau and several schools in Ranau and Tambunan during his working visit in Sabah.