1,273 schools without power

Finally, it must be regarded as a national scandal and disgrace when the country is aiming to make the quantum leap into the Digital Era that there are still 1,273 schools in the country without electricity supply.

I want to thank the Deputy Education Minister, Datuk Haji Khalid Yunus for fulfilling his promise in the Dewan Rakyat during the budget meeting last December and furnishing me a state-by-state breakdown of the schools in the country without power supply in a letter to me in January.

The information provided by Khalid was as follows:

In his letter, Khalid made a special point that “kebanyakan sekolah-sekolah terlibat ialah di kawasan-kawasan pendalaman Sabah dan Sarawak. Di Semenanjung cuma terdapat 146 buah sekolah sahaja. Dari bilangan tersebut 94 buah menerima bekalan terhad”.

Nevertheless, the country must regard it as a national scandal that three years before the new millennium and at a time when Malaysia is promoting the Multimedia Super Corridor in the world arena to attract companies with cutting-edge technologies to come to Malaysia, there are 883 schools totally without power supply and 440 schools with limited power supply.

The Education Ministry should launch a Schools Electrification Programme 2000 to provide steady power supply to all the 1,273 schools currently without electricity or with only limited power supply.

I call on MPs from all political parties, whether Barisan Nasional, DAP, PAS or PBS, to take a clear-cut common stand on this issue in demanding that all schools in Malaysia, whether in the most remote areas in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah or Sarawak, should be supplied with power by the year 2,000 and to demand that the Education Ministry should give a progress report at every Parliamentary meeting as to the number of schools without power supply which had been provided with electricity and the number of schools with limited power which had been given steady and continuous electricity.

For instance, I would call on the Education Minister to report to the House and nation as to the progress that have been made on the electrification of the 1,273 schools since the last Parliamentary meeting.

Let Malaysia be able to stand tall in the world by the year 2,000 when all schools in Malaysia have power supply - to give credence to Malaysia’s intention to be at the forefront of information technology revolution.