28-07-2025
Ministry approves new site for 188-year-old Sung Siew
Published on: Monday, July 28, 2025
Published on: Mon, Jul 28, 2025
By: Mardinah Jikur Text Size: Also present were Sandakan MP Vivian Wong Shir Yee, Sandakan District Education Officer Roslin Siabok, school principal Kwok Chee Yen, SM Sung Siew School Board Chairman Vun Soon Chong and representatives from the Sabah Education Department and alumni. SANDAKAN: The Education Ministry approved the relocation of the 118-year-old Sekolah Menengah Sung Siew here to a new 25-acre site at Batu 4 near Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Sung Siew. The approval letter was handed over during a ceremony at the school on Saturday, witnessed by Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh during his official working visit here. Also present were Sandakan MP Vivian Wong Shir Yee, Sandakan District Education Officer Roslin Siabok, school principal Kwok Chee Yen, SM Sung Siew School Board Chairman Vun Soon Chong and representatives from the Sabah Education Department and alumni. The Ministry granted the approval on June 25, following a request submitted four years ago by the school, Sandakan District Education Office and Sabah Education Department. Kah Woh hopes the relocation approval would expedite the construction process. The current school, built on 2.24 acres owned by the Basel Christian Church Malaysia, would move to the new site at Batu 4, where Sung Siew's primary and preschool sections have already been operating for several years after relocating there. 'Over 80 per cent of students live near Batu 4 residential areas which was a key factor in the decision. Our priority is to provide the best educational access for all students here,' he said. Meanwhile, Vun Soon Chong thanked the Ministry, the Sabah Education Department and the District Education Office for the approval, adding that the school board, parents and staff had been actively fundraising for the new campus through charity events and marathons. Earlier, Kah Woh visited SK Sri Tanjung Papat I and SK Sri Tanjung Papat II in Kampung Sim-Sim, which currently share premises after the latter was destroyed by tidal waves in 2018. Following discussions with parents, the Ministry would seek a new site for SK Sri Tanjung Papat II to accommodate the growing number of students. The Deputy Minister also inspected SK St Mary Town and SK St Mary Labuk, where the Ministry has allocated RM185,000 for upgrading works, including a new canteen. He also attended a Bahasa Malaysia Oratory Competition and a Multilingual Writing Test (in Malay, Chinese and English languages) involving 144 finalists from eight districts, praising the decades-old programme for nurturing student talents. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
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