86 dilapidated schools repaired under RM1 bln advance payment allocation

A TOTAL of 86 dilapidated school projects under the RM1 billion advance payment allocation had been completed, while the remaining 54 were at various stages of implementation.

Education, Innovation and Talent Development Minister Datuk Seri Roland Sagah Wee Inn said 680 schools in Sarawak are classified as unsafe for occupancy under Scale 6 and 7, indicating the need for substantial investment in infrastructure upgrading.

“Under Projek Rakyat, half of the 12 identified projects have been completed, while the other half are either under implementation or at the pre-construction stage,” he said in his ministerial winding-up speech on Monday (Oct 19).

Buildings rated Scale 1 to 4 are safe for use with periodic maintenance, Scale 5 are deemed unsafe by school management and need maintenance, Scale 6 are unsafe as determined by the district education office’s technical department, while Scale 7 are unsafe and recommended for demolition by the Public Works Department.

Sagah also thanked the federal government for allocating RM1.3 billion to upgrade 682 dilapidated schools nationwide, particularly in Sabah and Sarawak, as announced by the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in his Budget 2027 speech.

“It is hoped that a substantial portion would be channelled towards upgrading school infrastructure and improving facilities in Sarawak,” he said.

Beyond infrastructure, Sagah said opportunity remained key to unlocking talent, citing the performance of students from Yayasan Sarawak International Secondary School (YSISS).

“Talent is everywhere, opportunity is not. Give a rural child a chance and watch them excel,” he said.

He said YSISS Kuching students sat the Cambridge Checkpoint exams for the first time in April, achieving above the international average in Mathematics and Science while matching the international benchmark in English as a Second Language.

Sagah said the students had also excelled in national and international competitions. Most recently, two teams from YSISS Petra Jaya took part in the International Sarawak Bridge and Mapping Challenge 2026 at Polytechnic Kuching, where one team won the Gold Medal in the Creative Mapping Challenge.

YSISS also sent four teams to the Science Castle Asia 2026 competition, winning three Gold Awards and one Bronze Award, with two teams hand-picked by Japan-based industries to receive Poster Awards.

Two of the four teams have secured sponsorship to represent Malaysia at Science Castle World 2026 in Japan in the second week of December.