KOTA KINABALU: A closer working relationship between state and federal governments is needed to address issues faced in implementing education-related project development and policies, said Sabah state Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk James Ratib.
James said that issues such as abandoned school projects require close cooperation between the Federal Government, state government, and local authorities to ensure the root causes can be identified and resolved.
He said the state government plays an important role in facilitating the implementation of educational development projects, as several aspects of administration and regulation still fall under state jurisdiction.
He suggested reviewing procedures or regulations to improve the efficiency of information delivery.
“When communication flows more smoothly, every issue that arises can be identified earlier and solutions can be implemented more effectively for the benefit of Sabah’s education sector,” he told reporters after officiating the 14th Academic Excellence Awards (MEKAR) held at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) here.
As such, he said, cooperation on education between the state and the Federal governments must be strengthened to ensure policy implementation and educational development can be better aligned in Sabah.
Strengthening cooperation does not mean the current relationship is inadequate, he said, explaining that it is important to strengthen communication to enable the state to be updated on the latest developments in the education sector, including school projects that were delayed or abandoned.
“This way, the state government can understand the issues that arise and help find solutions together with the relevant parties,” he added.
