KOTA KINABALU: Students placed in special schools under the Prisons Department too have the right to a better future through access to quality education, said state education director Jame Alip.
As education is for all, he said the department had never neglected students in such schools and in fact strove towards providing whatever assistance they needed.
He stressed that the department was always prepared to serve these schools, including ensuring sufficient teachers to teach the students.
“As we can see, there are students from schools such as Sekolah Integriti Kota Kinabalu (SIKK) and Henry Gurney School (HGS) who displayed excellent academic and co-curriculum performances to match their counterparts from the mainstream schools,” he told reporters after officiating at the excellence award presentation for SIKK and HGS here on Tuesday.
Jame also commended the commitment and contribution of the teachers serving in such schools.
He said teaching in these schools had its own unique challenges as teachers not only had to teach but also to mould problematic students into better persons.
He also reminded that community support for these students and their schools is vital to encourage them to be successful not only academically but also socially and in their careers after they leave school.
“There are of course somethings that we can improve in terms of providing education for the students as well as in terms of the welfare of the students and the teachers in these schools, and this is what we will strive to do.
“In the meantime, I urge the teachers to recognize and nurture the talents of their students, to encourage them to pursue their passion so that they can have a brighter future,” he said.
Also present was state prison department director Ab Basir Mohamad.
Meanwhile, five teachers received their awards and RM1,000 worth of Deposit-i Account certificates from Bank Rakyat in recognition of their outstanding performance and contribution yesterday.
They were Mohd Shafie Matzain, Datin Lorna Catherine Perera, Yakub Uton, Awang Mohdzar Abdul Samad and Sharif Shamsuddin Sharif Sagaf.
The award was given as part of the bank’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme in Sabah, and the first organized by the bank in the country.
Jame said his department highly welcomed the initiative, in line with its slogan ‘Education for all, by all’.
“Education development is no longer viewed as an exclusive responsibility of the Education Ministry. Schools and education belong to all of us, including the financial institution, as all are the stakeholders,” he said.
He stressed that a poor education system, which would result in a poor academic achievement, is bad for everyone as it has a direct impact on the country’s economy and development.
Sabah regional head of Bank Rakyat, Zainal ‘Amini Sulaiman, said the initiative was aimed at helping to strengthen the education system, apart from better positioning the bank as the preferred brand in Islamic banking in Sabah.
He added that the programme was also in tandem with Bank Rakyat’s support towards the government’s effort to produce excellent teachers to mould the next generation into a productive and balanced human capital.