KUCHING: The Federal Government has agreed to devolve 10 administrative matters in education to Sarawak, says a deputy minister in the Sarawak Premier's Department.
Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali said this was part of ongoing negotiations on restoring education autonomy to Sarawak under the Malaysia Agreement 1963.
She said the administrative matters included allowing Sarawak to implement Year Six and Form Three assessments subject to conditions set by the Education Ministry as well as technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programmes based on the state's needs.
Others include empowering Sarawak to engage contract teachers, subject to appointment by the Education Service Commission, and be involved in planning education development projects.
"All this is administrative devolution which we hope will not only be agreed upon but implemented," Sharifah Hasidah told Billy Sujang (GPS-Opar) during question time in the Sarawak Legislative Assembly on Friday (Nov 15).
She said another important demand that had been approved involved empowering the state Education director to approve projects funded by the state government or other parties apart from the Federal Government.
"This is important to ensure that education projects are carried out on schedule and take into account Sarawak's needs," she said.
In addition, she said the appointment of district education officers, principals and headmasters to fill vacancies should be discussed with the state director first before decisions are made.
On health autonomy, Sharifah Hasidah said Putrajaya was working closely with Sarawak and Sabah to improve health services in both states.
She said there were also positive developments in discussions to raise the level of health facilities and repair dilapidated clinics.
"Nevertheless, there are still many issues which we will continue to discuss and agree on," she said.
