KOTA KINABALU: A total of 82 schools in Sabah will benefit from the RM680,000 funds raised by Media Prima NSTP.
Tourism, Culture and Environment minister, Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun said during the State Education Department 1Agenda 1Vision Disaster Fund presentation ceremony held at the Promenade Hotel near here yesterday.
He said the schools that would be receiving the funds were afflicted by the floods which occurred in February and March.
Masidi, who was represented by State Education Department director, Datuk Jame Alip, also congratulated the department for successfully raising RM42,200.90 in its special donation fund.
The funds would be used to help schools affected by floods, landslides, and fire, he said.
The special donation fund was set up on February 17, he said.
He described the effort as noble and hoped that the assistance rendered would help the schools overcome the difficulties they were facing.
“This would also serve as an encouragement for them to recover as they are aware of the support given to them by the Education Director,” he said.
He described each disaster as a divine test which also acts as a reminder to people who were not affected by the disaster and encouraged them to be grateful to God and render their assistance to those in need.
He urged all parties, including individuals, to assist victims of disasters irrespective of where they were.
The assistance given could be in the form of cash, equipment, medicine, clothing and used materials as well as physical assistance, he said.
He reminded that while some disasters do not result in the loss of lives, they do incur heavy losses to those involved.
He also urged that the spirit of helping others be inculcated in the young and encouraged parents to do their part in this respect.
Meanwhile, when met by media members after the event yesterday, Jame said that the Beaufort District Education Office had received the largest allocation as the floods severely affected the schools there.
He said SK Pintas at Beaufort, for instance, had lost its chairs and desks in the flood. However, despite the loss, the school continued to operate.
The recipients of the funds were the District Education Offices from Sandakan (RM8,000), Lahad Datu (RM16,000), Kota Kinabalu (RM56,000), Keningau (RM96,000), Tuaran (RM69,000), Kota Belud (RM40,000), Sipitang (RM40,000), Nabawan (RM16,000), Beaufort (RM221,000) and Tenom (RM128,000).
He advised the District Education Offices to immediately issue assistance payments to all the affected schools to enable them to carry out rectification work promptly.