KOTA KINABALU, Efforts to upgrade all underperforming schools within the next five years leading up to 2029 are among the aspirations declared by the Sabah Education Department in shaping a new educational landscape in the state. Sabah Education Director, Datuk Raisin Saidin, outlined nine strategic focal points to realise this ambition, with one of them being a commitment to uplifting weaker schools, recognising that complete and conducive school infrastructure is vital in strengthening the state's education system. He emphasised that this step is also significant in meeting the requirements of the 21st-century Education Era, alongside another strategic focus to elevate the state's average grade achievement in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia from level 5 to at least 4.99. "To achieve this, it's not only about requiring integrity or the best quality teachers, but also necessitates excellent school infrastructure support," he told Bernama. He stated that the department is committed to providing the necessary facilities in every school across the state, including creating comfortable spaces and environments for teachers and students during the teaching and learning process. Raisin stressed the importance of this aspect, highlighting that comprehensive and well-equipped school infrastructure plays a crucial role in enhancing both academic achievement and extracurricular engagement among students. This is facilitated through the provision of specialised rooms, science and technology laboratories, sports facilities, and other amenities that meet established standards. "A conducive, complete, and safe school building will also provide security assurance to all its occupants while within the school premises, especially during teaching, learning and extracurricular activities," he explained. Expanding on initiatives aimed at improving underperforming schools in Sabah, Raisin explained that the Sabah Education Department is diligently overseeing maintenance efforts in schools across the state that have not attained a scale of six or seven. "This means that schools at scales one, two, three, four, and five need maintenance to prolong their lifespan to help ensure that the schools do not fall into scale six or seven." "We are earnestly pursuing this effort starting this year. We hope that within five years, there will be no more underperforming schools in Sabah as we anticipate the completion of identified projects for such schools. "At present, schools at scale seven have been identified, and the majority of their improvement works are underway," stated Raisin. On April 18, during her working visit to Sabah, Minister of Education Fadhlina Sidek announced that 218 out of 338 underperforming school reconstruction projects had been completed in the state to date. Sixty projects are currently in the construction phase and are expected to be completed shortly, while the remaining 60 are still in the preliminary construction stage. Source: BERNAMA News Agency