PDCA APPROACH SPEEDS UP REDEVELOPMENT OF DILAPIDATED SCHOOLS – WONG

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 24 (Bernama) -- The redevelopment of dilapidated school buildings nationwide can now be expedited through the use of the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) approach introduced by the Public Sector Reform Task Force (STAR), the Dewan Rakyat was told today. 

Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh said the effort is further strengthened by improvements to procedures under the '’Inisiatif Bitara MADANI'’, based on the project conditions at each location and the specific needs of individual schools.

He said the implementation period for dilapidated building projects has been shortened, particularly in the pre-construction phase, with improvements to the tender procurement process and the coordination of land matters through Section 20A of the Town and Country Planning Act.

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“Under the procedural transformation, we have updated the demolition recommendation method by shortening the process duration from 147 days to 47 days, delegating NOC (notice of change) authority to the secretary-general of the ministry, and facilitating land matters via Section 20A of the Town and Country Planning Act.

“Improvement efforts are ongoing and monitoring is carried out periodically through the ministry’s Development Action Committee and the Ministry Development Action Meeting to ensure all projects proceed smoothly and properly,” he said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat.

He was replying to a supplementary question from Young Syefura Othman (PH-Bentong) on whether STAR’s PDCA mechanism would be expanded to accelerate the rebuilding of dilapidated school structures.

Wong said the allocation for the reconstruction of dilapidated schools nationwide this year amounts to RM1.61 billion, the highest in the past 10 years, reflecting the Education Ministry’s determination to address and resolve the issue.

For dilapidated schools in Kedah, he said the government has approved more than 80 redevelopment projects from 2016 to November 2025, involving a total cost of RM671.81 million, with 50 projects fully completed, 16 under construction and 21 in the pre-construction stage.

“To ensure continuity under the 13th Malaysia Plan 2026 Rolling Plan 1 (RP1), the government has approved 12 new projects worth RM175.05 million.

“In terms of statistics and data related to schools with dilapidated buildings, the data is dynamic and changes according to current conditions, as new schools are added and, at times, when projects are completed, the numbers decrease,” he said.

He added that as of Sept 30, a total of 60 schools in Kedah remain in Scale 7, meaning they still have dilapidated buildings.

Wong was responding to the original question from Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman (PN–Sik) regarding the number of dilapidated schools in Kedah yet to be repaired, and the ministry’s work schedule to ensure all schools achieve complete infrastructure by 2030.

-- BERNAMA