Kota Kinabalu: The Federal Government should release school maintenance allocations announced under the National Budget 2027 earlier in the year to give school administrators sufficient time to carry out essential repair and upgrading works, particularly in Sabah.
Nominated Assemblyman Datuk Chin Shu Ying said timely disbursement was crucial as many schools in the State continued to grapple with ageing infrastructure, deteriorating buildings and inadequate facilities requiring urgent attention.
He proposed that applications for maintenance grants be processed in the first quarter of each year, with approved allocations released by the second quarter to allow schools sufficient time to plan and complete the necessary works.
“I welcome the increase in national school repair and maintenance allocations from RM1 billion to RM2 billion, including RM100 million for national-type Chinese primary schools, and also the nearly RM1.3 billion allocation to upgrade 682 dilapidated schools, particularly in Sabah and Sarawak.
“However, the timing of funds disbursement remained a longstanding administrative problem that could affect the implementation of essential maintenance works.
“In many cases, schools receive approval or funding only during the second half of the year, leaving insufficient time to complete the necessary works before the financial year ends,” Chin said.
Commenting on the recent tabling of the National Budget 2027, he said earlier disbursement would enable school boards and administrators to plan projects, undertake procurement and carry out maintenance works more efficiently.
He reiterated that timely funding was particularly important for Sabah, where many schools continued to face challenges involving deteriorating buildings, inadequate facilities and urgent repair requirements.
Meanwhile, Chin urged the Federal Government to consider providing special assistance to non-profit private kindergartens, which are facing rising operating costs and possible declines in enrolment following changes to Primary One admission policies.
He said these institutions had made significant contributions to early childhood education and deserved greater recognition and support.
“Targeted assistance for these non-profit private kindergartens would help ease their financial pressures and enable them to continue providing early childhood education services to local communities,” he said.
On healthcare, Chin stressed that Sabah must receive a fair share of additional healthcare personnel to address staffing shortages and improve access to medical services, particularly at major government hospitals.
Welcoming the increase in the Health Ministry’s allocation to RM47.7 billion and the proposal to offer permanent appointments to more than 9,000 contract doctors in 2027, he said the shortage of healthcare personnel remained a major concern in the State.
He cited Queen Elizabeth Hospital II, which he had previously highlighted in the Sabah State Legislative Assembly as facing staffing constraints that had prevented it from operating all its approved beds.
Chin urged the Health Ministry to ensure Sabah received an appropriate share of additional medical personnel, including doctors, nurses, specialists and allied health professionals.
He also called for adequate funding and staffing provisions for the planned Sabah Heart Centre at Queen Elizabeth Hospital II and the PET-scan facility at Likas Hospital.
“Both projects must be completed according to schedule to strengthen specialist healthcare services and reduce the need for Sabah patients to seek treatment outside the state.
“Healthcare development should not be measured only by the number of new buildings or medical equipment purchased, but also by whether patients can obtain timely, affordable and quality treatment,” he said.
He said addressing staffing shortages alongside infrastructure development was essential to ensuring that investments in healthcare translated into better access to treatment and improved services for Sabahans.
On the cost of living, Chin welcomed continued financial assistance for lower-income households through the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) and Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara) programmes, as well as the proposed increase in personal income tax relief.
He also commended the planned increase in the minimum wage from RM1,700 to RM2,000 in June 2027, describing it as an important measure to improve workers’ incomes.
“However, wage increases and financial assistance must be accompanied by measures and policies to improve productivity, control living costs and support businesses.
This was particularly important in Sabah, where transportation and logistics costs could contribute to higher prices for essential goods,” he said.
Chin acknowledged that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) could also face higher operating costs following the minimum wage increase.
He therefore urged the Government to provide adequate financing, productivity assistance, skills training and business support to help SMEs adapt to the changes.
More importantly, he said Sabah needed greater opportunities to develop higher-value industries, attract investment and create better-paying jobs for young people.
“Our young Sabahans should not have to leave their home state simply because suitable employment opportunities are unavailable,” he said.
