SERIAN – Sarawak’s Education, Innovation and Talent Development Ministry will discuss the lack of a Gawai Dayak break under the school academic calendar for 2024/2025 with the federal Education Ministry (MoE), said minister Datuk Sri Roland Sagah Wee Inn.
The calendar, which shows a term break from May 25 to June 2 next year, has caused dissatisfaction among members of the Dayak community for a lack of sensitivity towards the needs of students celebrating the occasion.
Sagah, who is also Tarat assemblyman, said he would bring this up with the MoE.
“In the ordinary days, this may be true because there’s a lot of Dayak students coming from rural areas – they need a number of days to go and return to their respective schools.
“For next year, I’m not too sure because there are some who told me that June 3 (Monday) could be the Agong’s birthday. In that case, then the school session should start on June 4 (Tuesday).
“We have yet to see it (the academic calendar for 2024/2025), but there’s no harm in bringing up this matter to our federal counterparts. The MoE should be sensitive to this and respond positively,” he told reporters at an appreciation dinner in Siburan here last night.
Sagah said engagement between his ministry and its federal counterparts has been quite positive, although there are many things that are “quite slow”.
Several Dayak community leaders have advocated for an extension of the school semester break in June next year to accommodate students celebrating Gawai.
On Saturday, Kapit District Council walikota Lating Minggang said the MoE’s calendar disregarded the significance of the celebration to the Dayak community.
He said it was disappointing that MoE did not consider in its planning the travel time required by rural students for the celebration.
The Gawai Dayak public holidays, June 1 to 2, fall on a Saturday and Sunday next year. – November 14, 2023