KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 28 — The government has given its assurance that all approved school development projects will be implemented and completed, while projects that had to be cancelled due to specific factors will be resubmitted for fresh approval.

Education Minister Datuk Seri Fadhlina Sidek said issues such as land constraints and rising costs would not result in school development needs being neglected, adding that affected projects would be resubmitted to address the needs of the schools concerned.

“I wish to emphasise here that we will ensure every approved project is implemented and completed. I repeat, we will ensure that every approved project is implemented and completed,” she said when winding up the policy-level debate on the Supply Bill 2027 for the ministry in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Fadhlina said the commitment covered schools nationwide, with the ministry continuing to prioritise safe, conducive and quality educational facilities, particularly in rural and remote areas.

She said 131 new school construction and replacement projects, costing more than RM14.789 billion in total, had been approved between 2023 and 2027.

Of these, nine were approved in 2023, 26 in 2024, 44 in 2025, 38 in 2026 and 14 in 2027.

Meanwhile, 292 projects to redevelop dilapidated school buildings in Sabah and Sarawak have been approved since 2023, involving RM10.29 billion, or 80 per cent of the total allocation channelled to the two states.

Fadhlina said the ministry was also leveraging Industrialised Building System (IBS) technology to accelerate school construction and classroom expansion, while reducing costs and construction waste.

Of the 777 additional classroom projects using IBS undertaken this year, 159 had been completed and handed over to the ministry. The remaining projects were being monitored to ensure completion by December, allowing the facilities to be used at the start of the next academic session.

She said the ministry had also introduced targeted school renovation and upgrading initiatives since 2024 to improve facilities more quickly without having to wait for large-scale development projects.

The initiative covered 50 schools in 2024, involving RM15 million; 309 schools in 2025, with an allocation of RM135 million; and 118 schools in 2026, with RM50 million allocated.

On bullying, Fadhlina said the 5,681 cases recorded from January to August this year reflected greater awareness and a growing willingness among victims, witnesses and school administrations to report incidents.

She said this would help prevent cases from being concealed to protect a school’s reputation.

“This shift in the reporting landscape has become particularly pronounced following the gazetting and enforcement of the Anti-Bullying Act 2026. We are now seeing investigations, comprehensive reporting and disciplinary action being carried out in accordance with existing regulations,” she said. — Bernama