Wan Hamzah signing the visitor’s log.

SEMATAN: The computer labs of SMK Sematan will see new terminals following a RM59,000 grant from Santubong MP cum Deputy Home Minister Dato Sri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.

Without the fund, they only have 17 computers for a class of 40 students.

It is the hope of the school to increase the number of units from 17 to 40, said principal Nedumaran Lingappan when met at SMK Sematan’s manifestation of excellent students and the handover of cheque ceremony yesterday.

He received the cheque from Wan Junaidi’s senior private secretary Dato Wan Hamzah Wan Paie at the school’s Dewan Sri Sematan, over 100km from Kuching.

Nedumaran said he put in the request last year and was pleased Wan Junaidi responded to the school’s needs as soon as he could.

To equip students with the information and communication technology (ICT) skills would be a means to bridge the gap between the urban and rural children, he asserted.

“Although the ICT subject is optional, we hope more students in our school can catch up on ICT skills. We have a computer club with now about 120 members,” he added.

Asked whether the RM59,000 would be enough to get 23 computers to meet the shortfall, Nedumaran merely smiled with gratitude.

Meanwhile, Wan Hamzah acknowledged the grant might be little but it represented hope for the school to expand its computer labs.

“SMK Sematan has been around for 30 years and it is the absolute commitment of the government to ensure everyone has access to education,” he said.

He claimed to know of a rural school where the number of teachers was greater than the number of students.

“There are 12 teachers whilst the number of students is six. But the school still goes on and this shows how committed our government is to provide education for all,” he added.