Baru Bian: No water supply in newly built rural schools

Ng Ai Fern

• Baru Bian showing photos of rural schools in his area

The shocking situation of rural schools with half-completed structures, no water supply in newly built schools and other inadequate infrastructures, are in dire need of the state’s intervention and assistance, says Be’kelalan state assemblyman Baru Bian.

Baru, who is also the state PKR chief, hoped new Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem, who pledged to listen, to seriously listen to the plights of rural schools which had been long neglected under the Federal Government’s care.

“I call on the state government to respond, if there is no sufficient grant from federal government, I urge the state government to consider releasing funds from the state coffer.

“Education is so important and must be given priority,” said Baru, who urged the new chief minister to depart from his predecessor’s policy of being indifferent to Education.

Showing photographs of three schools in his area, Baru pointed serious flaws in current system in uplifting the rural schools infrastructures and doubted the additional allocation of RM1 billion would ease these issues.

SK Long Lupin, some 80km from Lawas town through logging road which was built four years ago, is currently relying on water from a nearby stream.

Baru revealed that the basic infrastructure of clean water supply was never in the school building plan.

After the school was built, an allocation of some RM70,000 was given to erect a gravity feed pipeline but it was abandoned halfway after the money was exhausted.

He also pointed out that some 100 students from SK Long Sukang, some 35km from Lawas, have to cramp into a 30-year-old small house because the new school was never completed.

“The building was abandoned because the contractor was in financial difficulties. Also the new building was built on unstable grounds, on an old stream path,” said Baru, who urged for immediate investigation into the abandoned project.

Another school, SK Siang Siang , some 10 km from Lawas as well, with over 200 students, lacks proper drainage system and an unsuitable stony field.

Baru believed that the rural schools problem in his area could be only the tip of the iceberg among other schools in the state, but the issues were never raised by other elected representatives from Barisan Nasional all this while.

Other than Lawas, clean water supply is also a common problem faced by schools in Tinjar and Limbang, which had been reported in local dailies here.

Baru doubted the allocation of RM1 billion announced by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for 600 dilapidated schools in both Sabah and Sarawak would be sufficient.

“I hope he (Muhyiddin) can come and see for himself ”, he said, wanting a serious investigation into rural schools to be carried out.