Kuala lumpur: The government has approved 389 redevelopment projects for dilapidated school buildings in Sabah, with a total cost of RM6.07 billion from 2016 until August this year. Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh said of these, 233 projects have been completed, 64 are under construction, and 92 are in the pre-construction phase.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the Ministry of Education allocated RM98.51 million for repairing and maintaining government schools in Sabah in 2023. For 2024, RM54.35 million was set aside, and RM101.79 million has already been spent up to July 2025. The Deputy Minister mentioned this during the question and answer session in the Dewan Rakyat, responding to Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal (Warisan-Semporna) who inquired about the number of dilapidated schools identified in Sabah in 2023 and the annual maintenance funding provided from 2023 to 2025.
In a separate development, the Ministry of Defence is focused on upgrading its defence assets to safeguard national sovereignty. This includes enhancing radar capabilities to monitor Sabah’s waters and the South China Sea, procuring Littoral Mission Ships, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, and constructing Littoral Combat Ships. Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari stated that the Malaysian Armed Forces have deployed officers and personnel in strategic locations along Sabah’s east coast to strengthen security. This was in response to Datuk Awang Hashim (PN-Pendang) who questioned maritime security efforts in the South China Sea.
Furthermore, as of last July, 507 local R and D products have been recognised under the MySTI initiative, which focuses on the use of local R and D products. Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation Deputy Minister Datuk Mohammad Yusof Apdal highlighted that these products span various sectors such as health, agriculture, information technology, medical devices, and the environment. The initiative, supported by MOSTI and strategic partners, aims to enhance the visibility and usage of MySTI-certified products through participation in high-impact events. This was in response to a query from S. Kesavan (PH-Sungai Siput) regarding the status of the MySTI programme.