Students in crammed boat a disaster waiting to happen, warn groups

 

The students in Sabah’s Pitas district who have to squeeze into a boat to get to school. (Khairul Abidin pic)

KOTA KINABALU: Human rights groups have told the authorities to act without delay after photos emerged online of children having to cram into a boat to go to school in Sabah’s Pitas district.

Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) children’s commissioner Noor Aziah Mohd Awal was shocked that children had to risk their lives almost on a daily basis just to gain access to education.

“I pray that God will protect these children,” she told FMT. “Don’t wait for a tragedy to happen before taking action.”

Last week, a villager posted photos of students from Kampung Pituru Timbang Taun and Kampung Mengkapon Laut travelling in an overcrowded boat without life jackets to go to their primary school, Sekolah Kebangsaan Mengkapon.

Khairul Abidin said he did not intend to blame anyone but that he shared the photos online in the hope that they would catch the attention of the authorities.

According to him, the boat had been the students’ main means of transport for years, and that more than 20 of them would squeeze into it.

With Primary 1 pupils set to begin school in March, he said, more would have to cram into the boat.

Khairul said there was a road leading to the school, about 40 minutes away, but many of the parents were poor fishermen and did not own any vehicle.

Noor Aziah said the government should allocate funds to address this issue.

“With the closing of the suspension bridge in Sandakan and now the overloaded boat in Pitas, both the state and federal governments must set their priorities right.

“Either we provide a better boat or we build schools in the villages so the children do not have to put their lives at risk,” she said.

She said districts like Pitas, which was among the poorest in the country, deserved better attention from the government.

“Let’s fulfil the objectives of the Convention on the Rights of the Child this year,” she said.

Society for Equality, Respect and Trust for All Sabah (Serata) chairman Sabrina Melissa Aripen agreed with Noor Aziah, saying too much development was focused on urban areas like Kota Kinabalu.

“Important issues like proper infrastructure are ignored,” she told FMT. “I heard that a school in Ranau is no longer operational because it is unsafe. Yet, instead of repairing the building, the students were sent elsewhere.”

She hoped that it would not happen to the school in Pitas as well.

Sabrina also called for schools to be built in the rural areas and transportation provided for the students. In the meantime, she said, those taking the boat to school should be provided life jackets at least.

Jangkauan Kasih Pitas founder Fauziah Stephens said another solution would be to build a hostel for the children.

“If we do get a sponsor, that would be good, but it takes time. For the moment, the government must look into providing a bigger boat and life jackets … make it a social welfare initiative,” she said during an online forum themed “Sabah Way Forward” last night.

However, all is not lost, it seems, for the children. Bengkoka assemblyman Harun Durabi, the state representative for the area, is said to be planning to buy a bigger boat.

Harun was quoted as saying by the Borneo Post Online that he had met with SK Mengkapon’s Parents-Teachers Association to inform them of his plans.

He also provided life jackets to the Pitas district office to be given to the school. - FMT