RANAU, June 6 — Thirty-three schools in several districts of the state suffered damage in the 5.9 magnitude earthquake that hit Ranau yesterday.
State Education Department director, Datuk Jame Alip said the number was recorded based on reports received from principals and headmasters of the schools involved.
Of the total, only two schools suffered severe damage, namely Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Ranau, involving two blocks of teachers’ quarters, and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama (SMKA) Mohamad Ali Ranau (school buildings).
The rest suffered only minor cracks that did not affect the structure of the school buildings, Jame told Bernama after visiting SMK Ranau, here, today.
Ranau district recorded the highest number of quake-affected schools, comprising 15 primary schools (SK) and eight secondary schools (SM).
This is followed by Tuaran (one SM, four SK), Kota Belud (three SK), and one each of SK in Nabawan and Penampang.
Jame said, experts from the Forensic Unit of the Public Works Department (PWD) would examine the schools from this Monday, starting with SMK Ranau and SMKA Mohamad Ali.
He said the team would identify the estimated cost for repair works and after obtaining the report, he would submit it to the Education Ministry in order to obtain allocations for the repair works.
According to him, the team would also determine whether the two blocks of SMK Ranau teachers’ quarters were safe for occupation or not.
He said the quake had also caused many cracks in several classroom walls and some of the underground water pipes at the school burst due to sedimentation.
On his visit to SMK Ranau today, Jame said the classrooms at the school were not affected, thus the teaching and learning process could continue from June 15.
“However, if the PWD release a report stating that the classrooms are unsafe, the students will be transferred to nearby schools so as not to disrupt their lessons.
“It must be remembered that the safety of students and teachers remains a top priority,” he said.
Jame said officials from the Education Ministry would visit the two schools tomorrow to obtain a full report on the damage.
With regard to the teachers of SMK Ranau who were made homeless due to their damaged quarters, he said they could move to other quarters if these were vacant.
He has also ordered any school in the district that has conducted extra classes during the school holidays, to postpone it due to the unstable situation caused by the earthquake. — Bernama
