SARAWAK is allowed to use English as a medium of instruction in school, state Deputy Education, Innovation and Talent Development Minister Annuar Rapaee said today.
He told the state assembly that was one of many advances Sarawak had made in the talks between the state and federal authorities in its pursuit of the devolution of powers in education.
He said subjects such as additional mathematics, biology, physics, and chemistry would be taught in English.
Annuar said the state education director now has the authority to approve state government-funded projects.
“This will improve the process and facilitate the implementation of projects funded by the state government."
Annuar said many rural transformation projects had been slowed down by the Putrajaya bureaucracy.
As the talks with the federal government to restore the rights of Sarawak under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) continued, Annuar said agreement had been reached 16 points of interest.
Annuar said the talks were within the framework of paragraph 17 of the Inter-Governmental Committee Report 1963.
He said the state government is now allowed to participate in the planning of schools.
“We are also allowed to assess our dual language programme and we will be given more funding for the teacher development programme.
“More importantly, now the state government is allowed to access Education Ministry data."
Annuar said this would enable to data-driven projects.
He told the assembly that the state and federal Education Ministry will document the agreement.
“We would like it to be translated into a circular. We are also studying whether these agreed points could be put into regulations or statutes so that there will be adherence and continuity, because anytime there is a change in minister or government, there will be policy changes.”
On the shortage of teachers, Annuar said 94.5% of vacancies in primary schools and 98.9% in secondary schools had been filled. – May 9, 2024.
