Sabah Education and Innovation Minister Yusof Yacob said the matter was discussed with Education Minister Maszlee Malik, who had responded positively to the request.

“Sabah needs to make autonomous decisions on education, not because we want to challenge the federal government but because we must manage it.

“We need autonomy to make decisions in Sabah.

“Our policies are based on decisions made by the education ministry until 2035,” said Yusof, after a working visit to the district education office here today.

Yusof spoke about his visit to a school in Long Pasia in Sipitang which lacked basic facilities.

He said the school was built under the industrialised building system (IBS), but its construction did not meet the requirements set for schools.

“There is a dormitory at the school but there are no toilets or bathrooms.

“There is a building with classrooms but there is no staffroom for teachers or a school office to carry out administrative work.

“This is one of the reasons why I want autonomous power for Sabah because our officers know exactly what is required,” he said.

Yusof said the federal government had allocated RM500 million this year to upgrade 120 schools in the state through the IBS technology.

“We have 700 schools in Sabah and they are expected to be upgraded within five years,” he said.