Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Association of Chinese Independent Secondary School Committees (Dongzong Sabah) has expressed its appreciation for the concern and contributions by the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) Government under the leadership of Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor in strengthening the State’s education sector.
Dongzong Sabah Chairman Datuk Au Kam Wah said the State Government’s continued support for educational institutions, including Chinese independent secondary schools, was greatly appreciated as it helped ensure the sustainability of their operations and development.
He said this after a meeting with Assistant Finance Minister Datuk Ben Chong at the latter’s office, Friday.
Also present were Dongzong Sabah committee members, who were the chairmen of nine Chinese independent secondary schools in Sabah, namely Sabah Tshung Tsin Secondary School (Kota Kinabalu), Kian Kok Middle School (Kota Kinabalu), Yu Yuan Secondary School (Sandakan), Sabah Chinese High School (Tawau), Beaufort Middle School (Beaufort), Lahad Datu Middle School (Lahad Datu), Papar Middle School (Papar), Pei Tsin High School (Kudat) and Tenom Tshung Tsin Secondary School (Tenom).
Au said the meeting also discussed the progress and development of the schools, as well as various issues and challenges currently faced by Chinese independent secondary schools in Sabah.
Meanwhile, Chong said the GRS Government had announced RM90 million in education assistance for Chinese independent schools, mission schools, non-Muslim religious institutions and related educational institutions in 2026, marking the largest allocation to date and a 100 per cent increase from the previous RM43 million.
He said the significant increase demonstrated the State Government’s commitment to ensuring the welfare of all educational institutions continued to receive due attention.
“The Government always prioritises the welfare of all parties and will continue to ensure the education sector in Sabah is strengthened,” he said.
Records showed that education assistance allocations by the GRS Government had increased progressively, from RM43 million in 2020 and 2021, to RM47 million (2022), RM54.05 million (2023), RM56.75 million (2024), RM70 million (2025) and RM90 million in 2026.
For Sabah’s East Coast Zone, out of the RM9 million approved allocation, RM4.41 million was channelled to 42 educational institutions, including one Chinese independent secondary school, two Chinese national-type secondary schools (SMJK), 10 Chinese national-type primary schools (SJK(C)), mission schools, kindergartens and private mission schools.
Meanwhile, Dongzong Sabah Adviser Datuk George Teo said the GRS Government under Hajiji’s leadership had continued to demonstrate strong commitment in strengthening human capital development through the education sector.
He said under the Hala Tuju Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) 1.0 Development Plan (2020-2025), the State Government had invested about RM1.33 billion in Sabah’s education sector.
“In the SMJ 2.0 Development Plan (2026-2030), Hajiji also announced that the State Government would continue to strengthen Sabah’s education sector by providing larger allocations,” he said.
He added that continuous investment in education was crucial to ensuring Sabah’s younger generation had better educational opportunities while supporting the State’s human capital development agenda.
