KOTA KINABALU: Likas assemblyman Tham Yun Fook has called for state education departments to be allowed to draft their own strategic plans.
He argued that a centralised policy framework from Putrajaya fails to reflect the realities faced in Sabah.
Tham said the Education Ministry should give state departments the autonomy to draw up strategies tailored to their unique challenges.
This would ensure that decisions are practical, relevant and responsive to local needs.
His statement follows the ministry's decision to temporarily relocate pupils of SK Balaban Jaya.
The students were forced to sit along the corridor of a mosque in a makeshift classroom as their current school was unsafe.
The ministry ordered the students relocated to SK Pekan Beluran, about 12km away, and will provide transportation pending the construction of a permanent RM2mil school building.
Tham, who highlighted the issue at SK Balaban Jaya, welcomed the immediate measure and hoped the views of parents and stakeholders had been considered.
He said the SK Balaban issue highlighted weaknesses in the current approach, where state departments no longer prepare their own strategic plans.
Instead, they follow the ministry’s blueprint through tactical and operational plans.
“This policy is not relevant because the challenges in each state are different. Issues in Kuala Lumpur are not the same as those in Sabah, which is far less developed,” he said on Sunday (April 12).
The former educationist turned politician said children in Sabah deserve a safe and dignified learning environment, not makeshift classrooms under tents or mosque verandas.
He added that the Balaban Jaya case underscored the need for state-level planning that takes into account local infrastructure gaps.
“Education is not just about policy—it is about the future of our children, especially those in Sabah who are already far behind in terms of facilities,” he said.
