Building in Pensiangan unsafe for occupation
KOTA KINABALU:
A newly completed hostel, which was built specially for primary school pupils in Pensiangan, has not served its purpose as yet. The Sekolah Kebangsaan Babalitan hostel, which can accommodate up to 50 children at one time, was completed earlier this year but has been deemed unsafe for occupation because of its condition. There were holes in the floors in some parts of the building and to date, only 10 pupils have been allowed to reside there. The deplorable condition was discovered by a group of volunteers who went to the school early May to carry out free health check-up for the 181 pupils of the school. According to one of the volunteers who wanted to be identified only as Ngui, the two-room hostel has not been officially opened yet. It is also without any basic necessities such as beds, chairs and tables. “The holes in the floor are covered with linoleum. It is sad to see that a newly completed building is already in that sorry state,” said Ngui, adding that the hostel was built by the Government to provide shelter for young children from far villages who are studying at the school. Apart from the newly built hostel, there is an existing shelter which was built by the Rotary Club last year for these children, also near the school. Ngui also said that the teachers’ quarters were also in bad condition. “Three teachers have to share a one-room house. These teachers are from other parts of the State and they have to bear living uncomfortably and accept the challenge in order to provide education to these children,” said Ngui. The volunteer therefore called on the State Education Department and other relevant agencies to look into the matter seriously. “We are working towards creating a first class mentality generation but before that, we must not neglect the fact that facilities should also be upgraded and maintained. This is to provide comfort and better learning environment to these children,” said Ngui. Pensiangan Member of Parliament Tan Sri Joseph Kurup when contacted by The Borneo Post, urged the relevant authority to submit a report on the matter as soon as possible to enable immediate action to be taken to solve the problem. “I would also like to advise contractors who are given the task to carry out development projects in Pensiangan to perform their duties with full responsibilities and in accordance with their work specification. “Their failure to work well would not only affect the end-users but also the contractors themselves,” he said.
