PETALING JAYA: A Sarawak state minister has expressed disappointment with the amount of funds allocated to the state under Budget 2023, particularly to repair dilapidated schools.
State education, innovation and talent development minister Roland Sagah Wee Inn said the federal budget did not take into account Sarawak’s “huge contribution” to Putrajaya’s coffers.
Sagah said the RM920 million allocated under the budget to upgrade 380 dilapidated schools in Sarawak and Sabah was far too low, The Borneo Post reported.
He pointed out that the Sarawak government had set aside RM1 billion to upgrade and build schools previously, and even this was not sufficient.
“We are grateful that some funds have been allocated for schools. It is a normal thing and, for Sarawak, many schools will be repaired, with some of them fitted with new facilities.
“But the amount is quite disappointing. There are many dilapidated schools in Sarawak. Here, we don’t talk about how many schools we have because we have a few thousand schools. But if we talk about the dilapidated schools, there are over 1,000 in Sarawak.”
Sagah, who is also the Tarat assemblyman, said the funds allocated would only be able to upgrade about 100 dilapidated schools.
He said he was grateful for the allocation, but hoped Putrajaya would set aside more funds for education in the state in the future.