Azmi Bujang showing the school uniform voucher. KUCHING: The state government has increased its allocation for School Uniform Assistance Programme through Yayasan Sarawak as the implementing agency from RM1 million to RM2 million. This means from this year onwards, instead of receiving RM100, about 20,000 students benefiting from the programme will be receiving RM200 each. Yayasan Sarawak director Azmi Bujang said the purpose of the aid was to ensure that needy students could go to school looking smart and proper. “The aid is for the parents to get school uniform, shoes and bags for the identified students. When they look good, they will feel more driven to go to school.” He thus urged parents to spend the money on the designated purpose so that ...

KUCHING: The RM200 vouchers issued by Yayasan Sarawak under the School Uniform Assistance Programme 2017 will expire on Nov 30 this year. Yayasan Sarawak director Azmi Bujang thus called on parents who have received the vouchers to use them at stores and business establishments identified by the agency before the expiry date. He said Yayasan Sarawak had made it a point to distribute the aid to well deserving students as early as possible, preferably between Jan and March. “Last year, we managed only to get it ready only in December as we were only given the name list by the Education Department in October. And this was just too late. “After receiving the list from the Education Department where the number of students to us was much more than 20,000, we had ...

Nanta (third right) and actor Datuk Rosyam Nor (right), who was the moderator, pose with participants at the dialogue. KUCHING: A Community Dialogue on the National Transformation 2050 (TN50) here on Thursday was the most dynamic of its kind undertaken by the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development. Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi said the active participation of youths here would help the federal government to formulate future policies and plans. “This is the most dynamic with active participation among all the dialogues the ministry has organised so far. I am very touched by non-Sarawakians who talked about wanting to see more development for Sarawak. “You can be the ambassador for Sarawak as you hope ...

(Seated from left) Dr Annuar, Manyin and Chong pose for a group photograph with officers from the ministry and Education Department at the end of the courtesy call. —Photo by Muhd Rais Sanusi KUCHING: The Sarawak government’s initiative to prioritise English in the state through the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Research has received the backing of the federal Education Ministry. Deputy Minister of Education Senator Datuk Chong Sin Woon said the ministry is open for more discussions with the state government on the usage of English and to improve the proficiency of English among students. Stressing the good command of English as critical and vital for competiveness in the job and global market, Chong said they may look into using the Common ...

Julaihi (left) discusses a point with an officer at the State Legislative Assembly Complex. – Photo by Chimon Upon KUCHING: Students in the 20 Sebuyau schools involved in the Newspaper in Education (NIE) Programme have shown improvement in their level of English language proficiency. Sebuyau assemblyman Datuk Julaihi Narawi said the programme, which began last year, involved using The Borneo Post as a learning tool. He provides the English daily for the 3,000 students – 2,032 pupils from 19 primary schools, and 942 students from the area’s only secondary school. “According to the reports which I have received from the headmasters and the education officers in Simunjan, recently there are signs of improvement in terms of the students’ ...

Manyin (left) greets Chong upon arriving for the dinner. KUCHING: The decision to appoint the first minister in charge of education in Sarawak was because the state government could no longer wait for Putrajaya to provide the best schooling facilities for the state. Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg said his appointment of Dato Sri Michael Manyin as the minister to look after education in Sarawak was to enhance the state government’s emphasis on education. He explained that having a minister holding a watching brief on matters pertaining to education, as practiced previously, is not enough for Sarawak. “We want somebody who is given the political mandate to deal with education in Sarawak and to deal with Putrajaya (federal government). ...

Manyin (fourth right), flanked by his wife Datin Sri Mary on his left, joins others including Wong (second right) and Wee (left) in showing some of the mock cheques of contributions received for the SJK Chung Hua No. 2 expansion project. KUCHING: Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg believes the state government has been doing the right thing by continuing its policy to assist and recognise Chinese education. He said the late chief minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem allocated a few million ringgit to independent Chinese schools in 2014, 2015 and 2016 and this was continued this year when he (Abang Johari) gave RM6 million last month. He pointed out that previously, the independent Chinese schools did not receive even a single sen in government aid. As ...

Arpah (seated fourth left) and representatives from various agencies with the participants in a photo-call. MIRI: The Knowledge Outreach Intervention Programme implemented by Pustaka Negeri Sarawak has made a huge impact on the knowledge of its participants from various rural areas in Miri Division. Member of Parliament for Sibuti Ahmad Lai Bujang hoped Pustaka Negeri Sarawak would continue with such efforts by extending similar programmes to other rural areas in the state. “Like the urban folk, people living in the rural areas also want the government to give them equal attention on basic needs such as health, education, welfare and many others,” he said when closing the Knowledge Outreach Intervention Programme at Pustaka Miri on Saturday. Ahmad ...

Abang Johari Tun Openg SIBU: Dilapidated schools in Sarawak will be redeveloped via a new financing model created through the Development Bank of Sarawak (DBoS). “The bank will charge the federal government to reimburse the funds taken by the state government. This is an understanding between the state and federal governments,” said Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg. He was speaking at a dinner held in conjunction with the 127th Anniversary of SK Abang Ali at the school’s multipurpose hall, here, last night. Abang Johari also said that the development of dilapidated schools in the state was the main agenda for the establishment  of the State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology ...

Dato Sri Michael Manyin THE Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Research will undertake careful studies on issues, challenges, needs and opportunities to formulate a comprehensive plan to improve the education system in Sarawak. Its minister Dato Sri Michael Manyin said the state government would continue to work closely with the federal government in education matters even with the setting up of this new ministry. “Education comes under the federal list and setting up this ministry does not mean the state wants to take over education,” he said in his winding-up speech  yesterday. The new ministry, he added, was needed to monitor and facilitate the development and contributions of various institutions of higher learning such as Swinburne ...