Teo Nie Ching – Bernama file photo
KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Education (MOE) has introduced a new mechanism to empower the Sabah and Sarawak state education departments on decisions to improve and upgrade schools in the state.
Deputy Education Minister Teo Nie Ching said the move was expected to accelerate works involving schools in both states, thus improving students’ academic achievements.
“In August, we authorised (the state education departments) for the selection of contractors for each project under the Sarawak Federal Procurement Board.
“In addition to having MOE representatives, Treasury representatives from the Ministry of Finance, the Education Development Authority’s (LPP) value cap and jurisdiction has also been raised from RM30 million to RM40 million,” she said in response to a supplementary question from Yamani Hafez Musa (PH-Sipitang) on the long-term proactive measures taken by the government to ensure that schools in Sabah and Sarawak were on par with those in the peninsula.
Teo said that for Sabah, a special state-level committee chaired by the Sabah State Secretary, comprising representatives from the Ministry of Education, Sabah Ministry of Education and Innovation, the Ministry of Finance and the Woks Ministry, was formed to manage tenders and the ministry’s asset rehabilitation projects in the state.
However, she said the implementation of the project was still subject to the Treasury Instruction number 182, which states that development projects under the MOE are to be implemented by the Public Works Department. — Bernama