Little lives at stake: Sabah’s Pitas children brave tiny boat ride to school

KOTA KINABALU – Another case of primary school children risking their lives to get to school via a small perahu (wooden boat) has been reported in Pitas, one of the poorest districts in Sabah and in the whole of Malaysia. 

This time, 58 pupils from five villages are forced to resort to taking a small boat to cross Sg Bengkoka to school after the hanging bridge they utilised daily was ravaged by a serious flood that hit the district in early January.

Kg Bilangau Besar village chief Eddword Upak told The Vibes that his village is one of five reliant on the hanging bridge. 

“There are about 1,000 villagers from these five villages, and we all rely on the hanging bridge to get to Kg Dandun, where SK Dandun is located.

Worse, the only health clinic around the area is in Kg Dandun. This clinic is utilised by 30 villages, including the five villages that are separated by Sg Bengkoka,” he said. 

Other than Kg Bilangau Besar, the four other affected villages are Kg Sapatalang, Kg Salungkapit, Kg Mandurian Laut and Kg Kobon. 

The villagers are currently paying RM2 per boat ride to cross the river. 

The hanging bridge was built in 1984, about 38 years ago. 

According to Eddword, it had been old and dilapidated for many years.  

“The bridge was still usable, but only a maximum of 10 people could cross the bridge at the same time. 

The bridge was further damaged during the floods in December last year, but we still used it due to our desperate need to cross over. 

“But it is now completely destroyed and cannot be utilised at all after the flood incident last month,” he said. 

Crocodiles, rapid rise of water level among dangers faced by Pitas villagers

Eddword said he fears for the safety of the villagers, especially the children, when crossing the river in a small boat, particularly as there are crocodiles in the river. 

He also said that it is extremely dangerous to cross the river during the rainy season, as the current would become very strong and the water level will rise very quickly. 

The village chief hoped this case would get the attention of the authorities. He noted that he had personally approached an elected official, but has yet to receive a response. 

The Vibes has contacted Kudat MP Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri for his comments and is waiting for his response.  

Earlier, a similar situation was reported in Kg Pituru and Kg Timbang Taun, in which 27 primary school students crammed into a boat without having life jackets on were headed to SK Mengkapon in Pitas. 

The problem was soon resolved after a non-governmental organisation from Peninsular Malaysia donated two fibre boats to the villagers. 

There was also a case in Kg Nelayan Tengah, Sandakan involving primary school students braving a dilapidated hanging bridge to get to school. – The Vibes, February 19, 2022