KUCHING: Students and parents’ awareness on the importance of education and the opportunities made available has enabled many children of farmers, fishermen and labourers attain a better life today.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Nancy Shukri who said this, also opined that a family’s economic position (poverty) was not an obstacle for anyone to achieve success, provided he or she had the determination and diligence in his/her studies or the field ventured in.

She was speaking at an appreciation dinner and presentation of awards for excellence involving schools in the Simunjan area here Saturday night.

Nancy, who is also Batang Sadong MP, urged parents and teachers to work together in preparing the young towards a more secure future and to bring more development here and to the country by being excellent human capital.

She said she would continue to support programmes promoting learning and boosting education in her constituency, including through channelling of allocations.

Last year, she said, she had channelled RM621,550 to Simunjan for motivational programmes, the UPSR camp for excellence, parenting motivational programme and parent-teacher association activities.

“For infrastructural development, RM3.4 million was spent from January to October, last year under the Mesra Rakyat Project,” she added.

Nancy also promised to bring the school building and teachers’ quarters problems of SK Lubuh Pungggor/Gumpey, Simunjan to the attention of the Education Ministry for immediate action.

At the same event, Balai Ringin assemblyman Snowdan Lawan urged the ministry to double its efforts in educational infrastructure development in Sarawak, particularly in his constituency.

He said many school buildings and teachers’ quarters in the state’s rural areas were old and in need of repairs or upgrading. — Bernama