Condition of the roof of SK Simunul in Bugaya, Semporna.
TAWAU: The Semporna district Education Department has been asked to conduct an inspection at SK Simunul to ascertain the extent of problem of the school building.
In making the call, Bugaya assemblyman Datuk Ramlee Marhaban said that an inspection is paramount as the aging building of the school could endanger the safety of students.
He said many of the main structures of the school building, including walls, roofs and ceilings, were on the verge of collapse and some were found to have already collapsed.
“These problems at the school are not something new but have been going on for a long time. However, no action has been taken to rectify the problems by the authority,” he said yesterday when visiting the school after being told of problems faced by teachers.
Ramlee said he felt sad and sympathetic to the problems faced by the school students, especially on safety matters as he does not want for any mishaps to happen.
Among the damage he observed were the broken down and leaky roofs, major sections of the floor and pillars were cracked, and the entire ground floor of the school building had to use iron rod support to avoid collapse.
Ramlee said the main electrical wiring system did not appear to be safe and the water piping system was not functioning, including a number of tables and chairs. In summary, he said about 70 percent of the school building was not safe for use and could pose a danger to students and teachers.
Present during the visit were Bugaya’s people development chairman Abdul Suhud Jaani, district officer Mahadi Jaya, assistant district officer Suhaimi Ejip, SK Simunul principal Sarudah Arun, teachers and Simunul branch zone community leaders.
Ramlee, who is also Assistant Minister of Finance, welcomed the recent announcement by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin that the government had identified 600 dilapidated schools across the country that needed to be refurbished to provide comfort and ensure the safety of students.
Muhyiddin said most of the schools involved were in Sabah and Sarawak. These schools just needed time to repair because the provision required for the repair work was not small, but a minimum of RM15 to RM20 million.
Muhyiddin, who is also the Education Minister, said the government had provided funding for the development of under served schools across the country this year, including RM1 billion for Sabah and Sarawak.
Ramlee hoped the provision would include the schools in Sabah, especially in Bugaya. He said the issue of damaged schools had been forwarded many times to the Ministry of Education, including at the district and state levels.