Flood-destroyed Sabah school in Paitan to be relocated to safer site

SK Simpangan. Photo courtesy of Datuk James Ratib

PAITAN: Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Simpangan which is completely destroyed in a major flood earlier this year will be relocated to a safer site.

Sabah Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk James Ratib said land belonging to the Village Development Cooperative (KPD) in Kampung Simpangan has been identified as a strategic location for the relocation.

He said the proposal takes into account safety considerations as well as the long-term needs of students and school staff, who have frequently faced flood risks at the current site.

“It is appropriate for SK Simpangan, which is often affected by floods, to be relocated to higher ground near Kampung Simpangan, namely at the KPD site proposed by the village development and security committee (JKKK), as the original site is low-lying and close to the river.

“At the same time, I also propose that the original site for SK Simpangan in Paitan town be repurposed as SK Pekan Paitan,” he said in a statement after visiting the temporary school construction site at the weekly market area in Paitan town on Saturday.

He added that the relocation proposal will undergo a land gazettement process to be submitted to the Lands and Surveys Department before being brought under the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK-13) for further approval.

Meanwhile, to ensure that students’ learning is not disrupted, temporary placement will be provided at the open hall of SMK Simpangan, with suitable partitions to be installed.

“This step is important to ensure students continue to have access to education in a conducive environment while awaiting the completion of the new school,” he said.

During the same visit, he also toured SMK Simpangan and received a briefing from the Sabah Education Department on the current state of education in the area.