SANDAKAN – The Higher Education Ministry said that there have been no applications from public or private higher learning institutions to establish branches at the Sandakan Education Hub.
Deputy minister Datuk Mustapha Sakmud told Scoop that the ministry had not received any information or requests from the Sabah government regarding the establishment of additional higher learning institution branches in the hub.
“The ministry will assess the necessity of establishing new higher learning institutions based on suitability and demand. Further discussions and site visits to the hub will be conducted soon,” Mustapha said.
Previously, Warisan’s Elopura assemblyman Calvin Chong urged the government not to neglect the Sandakan Education Hub, which currently comprises only three higher learning institutions.
The education hub, located in Sg Batang in Mile 12 and initiated by former chief minister Tan Sri Musa Aman in 2012, boasts complete infrastructure, including roads, water supply and electricity.
However, a significant portion of the area remains undeveloped, with 34 lots (633ha) still vacant.
Currently, only three lots are occupied by Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s Sandakan campus, the Sandakan Polytechnic and MRSM Sandakan.
Despite this, Mustapha expressed the ministry’s openness to proposals from public higher learning institutions to establish branches at the hub. He also encouraged new private colleges or university branches to offer technical and vocational education and training (TVET) courses in Sandakan.
The absence of requests from the Sabah government raised eyebrows, particularly since assemblymen in the district have consistently raised the issue in previous state assembly sittings.
Karamunting assemblyman Datuk George Hiew emphasised the urgent need for the government to establish more institutions offering TVET courses for residents in the region.
“Many youths in my constituency face the same problem – they lack direction after SPM because their parents cannot afford for them to pursue further studies outside of Sandakan,” Hiew said.
“We need to bring academic and skills-training education to Sandakan, allowing the district to produce its own skilled workforce, enabling our youth to secure high-income jobs and boost both family and district economies,” he told the Sabah assembly last year. – February 23, 2024