I have received a state-by-state breakdown of the 1,273 schools in the country without electricity from the Deputy Minister for Education, Datuk Haji Khalid Yunus - as he had promised during the parliamentary debate on the Education Ministry last month on the subject of introducing Information Technology to the schools.
The information provided by Khalid is as follows:
1. Sekolah-sekolah yang tidak mendapat bekalan elektrik ditentukan mengikut definisi seperti berikut:
Berdasarkan definisi di atas terdapat 1,273 buah sekolah yang tidak mendapat bekalan elektrik seperti berikut:-
Negeri Tiada Bekalan Bekalan Terhad Jumlah
1. Selangor 2 1 3
2. Pahang 12 8 20
3. Kedah 2 3 5
4. Perak 2 44 46
5. Johor 23 9 32
6. Kelantan 11 29 40
Semanjung (52) (94) (146)
7. Sabah 244 251 495
8. Sarawak 537 95 632
Jumlah 833 440 1,273
2. Kementerian ini sentiasa mengambil berat terhadap sekolah-sekolah yang tidak mendapat bekalan elektrik. Langkah-langkah yang telah/akan diambil bagi mengatasi masalah ini adalah seperti berikut:
(i) Bagi kawasan yang telah/akan mendapat bekalan elektrik dalam tahun 1997 melalui TNB, SESCO dan LLS, tindakan akan diambil untuk membuat penyambungan bagi membekal elektrik ke sekolah-sekolah. Pihak TNB, SESCO dan LLS mempunyai perancangan untuk membekalkan elektrik ke kawasan-kawasan yang belum mendapat bekalan. Bagaimanapun, kita tidak dapat menentukan bilangan sekolah.
(ii) Khusus bagi Sarawak, permohonan telah dibuat kepada Kerajaan Negeri untuk membekalkan elektrik ka sekolah-sekolah melalui “Rural Electrification Programme”.
(iii) Membekal alat generator ke sekolah yang belum mendapat bekalan eletrik termasuk mengadakan pendawaian sekiranya belum lagi di pasang.
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.
For the next three years, DAP Members of Parliament will monitor this issue of providing power supply to all schools in every meeting of Parliament, asking for progress reports 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.
Let Malaysia be able to stand tall in the world by the year 2,000 and announce that all schools in Malaysia have power supply - to give credence to Malaysia’s intention to be at the forefront of information technology revolution.
(25/1/97)