KUCHING, Nov 13 — The state government asked Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng today to accept its offer of RM1 billion to solve the problem of dilapidated schools in Sarawak.

State Education, Science and Technological Research Minister Datuk Seri Michael Manyin said Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Openg wrote to Lim on August 1 about the matter.

“However, to-date we have not received any reply from the minister of finance,” Manyin said in his winding-up speech in the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly here.

He said the state government’s offer was to hasten the rebuilding and upgrading of dilapidated schools.

Manyin said the state government also urged the Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal government to honour the previous Barisan Nasional administration’s pledge to allocate RM1 billion towards fixing dilapidated state schools in 2018 and 2019.

“This is an allocation that is over and above the allocation under the 11th Malaysia Plan,” he said, expressing the hope the PH government will honour this.

Manyin said dilapidated schools are still a major concern in Sarawak, although the previous federal government had spent RM419 million under the federal Budget 2018.

He said this had been enough to address 116 of the 1,020 dilapidated schools.

He said out of 116 schools, work on 67 was completed while the rest are expected to be finished by the end of this year.

“However, none of the completed schools has been handed over to the state Education Department, together with the Certificate of Practical Completion,” he said.

Manyin also said the state government has offered to connect 113 schools to the state electricity grid at a cost of RM50 million and to provide 33 schools with treated water supply at a cost of RM9 million.

He said he has written a letter to the federal education ministry to seek consent for the state government to connect the 113 schools to the electricity grid and to provide 33 schools with treated water.

He said he has yet to receive a letter of consent from the ministry.

Manyin said 371 schools in Sarawak are still dependent on generator sets for electricity and 428 schools are still without treated water supply.