Resolve land issue to speed up repair projects for dilapidated schools, says education minister

The education ministry wants the issue of land legalisation nationwide to be resolved immediately to enable projects to upgrade and rebuild dilapidated schools to be expedited, especially in Sarawak.

Education Minister Radzi Jidin said if the land for the construction site of a dilapidated school building was not dederal-owned, then construction work could not be carried out.

“That was among the matters I discussed when I paid a courtesy call to Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg at Wisma Bapa Malaysia (the administrative centre of the Sarawak government in Kuching) yesterday.

“If we look at the most basic things that need to be settled, Insha Allah when the land issue is resolved in the future, then the process will be faster and more systematic,” he told a media conference after a working visit to Sekolah Menengah Samariang.

Meanwhile, Radzi said that since the Public Service Department announced that it was mandatory for civil servants to be vaccinated against Covid-19, some teachers who had reportedly refused to do so had had their first dose of vaccine.

“We (the education ministry) have received the latest list after the announcement, there are teachers who have received their first dose of the vaccine jab, so we are monitoring the current situation.

“What is most important is that if these unvaccinated teachers affect the operation of the school, immediate action will be taken including transferring the teachers, especially special education teachers who are always physically present with their special needs students,” he said.