"Education is fundamental to the development of Sarawak in the face of the new wave of change…”

Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud

We live in extraordinary times. There are changes in every corner of the world, predictable and unpredictable. Who would have guessed that the New York Twin Towers would be attacked that way, for instance? With such kind of catastrophe, one cannot help but question not only the religious orientation of those people who are involved but also their academic background. Issues like this require a comprehensive analysis of what went wrong in the educational system and of the value orientation that is supposed to be an integral part of such system.

The world has changed irrevocably in the last decade and education has not been immune from these changes. Globalisation has changed our educational and training needs with more flexibility in careers and the loss of the linear career path . Global opportunities have seen educational institutions operate in a world environment and being benchmarked globally. The students emerging from our institutions are as mobile as our global products going often to the richest destinations whether within nations or across the world. (Jane Lomax Smith)

The impact of technology has resulted to astounding changes in the field of education and in our life in general. Communities and societies all over the world are beset with challenges to meet the demands of this fast-changing world. One of the most challenging issues is the communication overload. We are having too much information, too much for us to consume that at times we seem to be confused or probably drunk with information that nothing is retained in our memory.

“We need to move with the time and be able to stand up to face growing competition” says the Chief Minister

Aside from these, there have been numerous disturbing facts as far as education of our people is concerned. There are many people, especially children who want to have education but they simply cannot. All over the world, there are 125 million children who are deprived of any schooling, two thirds of whom are girls. Illiteracy is another concern. There are about 872 million illiterate adults in the world. While nations and societies struggle to provide basic education for all, the fact remains that not everybody is getting sufficient education.

In Sarawak, the march towards quality education never stops. The State government is receptive to new ideas which promise advancement and better livelihood. It recognizes the need and urgency of providing a good education in all levels. As the Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud said, “We need to move with the time and be able to stand up to face growing competition and meet the rising expectations of the younger generation . “We must give top priority to our children’s education because our future economy is becoming increasingly dependent on our ability to excel in the competitive workplace. We should not pin their hope on charity anymore.”

In Malaysia, 40 per cent or 200,000 children aged five to six are not receiving pre-school education . With this finding, the Education Ministry, as revealed by Education MinisterTan Sri Musa Mohamad prepares to make pre-school education available to all children in Malaysia by 2007 with the extension of the Pre-school programme.

The Pre-School Programme started in 1992, would have an addition of 1,500 classes annually from 2003 to 2006 .

Highlights of Educational Programmes in Sarawak

In Sarawak, the march towards quality education never stops …

There are various educational programmes being implemented in Sarawak as a measure to further improve the system, in both rural and urban areas. The education for special children and the strong emphasis on tertiary education are but some of the measures being undertaken to intensify the efforts towards a knowledge economy and at the same time, taking into consideration the educational requirements of special children.

Education of Special Children

The education of handicapped children is under the jurisdiction of different agencies and are mostly located in the urban areas. Those who are mentally retarded are handled by the Ministry of Social Development while for those who are blind, deaf or having difficulties in studying are under the Ministry of Education. At present, the 196 special students in 30 primary schools are handled by 50 teachers. Under the “Program Percantuman Masalah Pembelejaran” , there are 232 students in 29 classes with 41 teachers in the primary schools.

Strengthening the Tertiary Education

Unlike in the past, there are various opportunities for tertiary education now where students can actually select the university of their choice provided they have successfully completed their pre-university requirements.

Tertiary education basically covers programmes at the certificate, diploma and degree levels. It plays vital social and economic roles by providing the vehicle for social mobility to realize the restructuring objective of the development policy of the State and meeting demands for the appropriate labour force to propel the industrial process. It also assists in developing the human resource by imparting knowledge. The graduates would form a well-rounded labour force that have the required skills and knowledge guided by appropriate ethical values.

The State fund for tertiary education, under Seventh Malaysia Plan, was RM13.96 million while the federal fund was RM236.22 million. This fund was mainly to strengthen the existing education delivery system in order to increase opportunities of acquiring education and to enhance the quality of education.

Sarawak government ensures that pre-school education is available to all children both in the urban and rural areas

These public institutions of higher learning have initiated various steps to realize the plans under Seventh Malaysia Plan. For instance, UiTMS and UNIMAS have introduced more programmes especially in Science and Technology in order to produce more knowledge workers in this field. UiTMS during Seventh Malaysia Plan strengthened its programmes especially in business and management programmes. Kuching polytechnic strengthened its delivery system by recruiting graduates from the Polytechnic Staff Training Centre as its academic staff.

Educational Assistance Scheme

Yayasan Sarawak plays an important role to finance the needy students to pursue their studies. It introduced the Educational Assistance Scheme and Community Educational Programmes focussing on parental education course, motivation course and preparation for examination (PMR and UPSR). Yayasan Sarawak also collaborates with the Education Department to cater for the needs of the poor achievers among the students by implementing a special programme called “Suajaya” in order to equip them with the necessary skills.

On the other hand, Angkatan Zaman Mansang (AZAM) also provides “non-academic” educational programmes. Their emphasis is to increase the awareness among the community and students on the development, environment and opportunities in higher education.

Indeed, the State government is providing all the avenues for our youth to acquire the best education possible. For every move there is a definite objective - to lead the path towards a better quality of life ahead of them and for the next generations to come.