The construction of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Puncak Borneo has been approved by the government and is now included within the 12th Malaysia Plan (2021–2025).
Puncak Borneo Member of Parliament, Datuk Willie Mongin, confirmed the decision in a report carried out by Sarawak Tribune.
The MP also confirmed that the land acquisition for the project is currently on-going to make the new school a reality.
The project is seen as a very important project as the new school would serve students from the Mambong and Tarat state constituencies which are now dispersed across five secondary schools – SMK Siburan, SMK Padawan, SMK Tun Abdul Razak, SMK Tarat, and SMK Penrissen.
All five schools are now operating under the pressure of exceeding their intended capacities.
In addition, these schools are not even located within Puncak Borneo, with SMK Penrissen, a nearby school to the area, also absorbing a significant number of Puncak Borneo students.
The Sarawak Tribune report also quoted Willie as saying that the designated location for SMK Puncak Borneo is a 25-acre parcel within Block 174 at Pangkalan 4, Padawan, situated along Jalan Puncak Borneo.
This location is approximately 20 kilometers from Kuching with the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) approving the project in September 2022.
Puncak Borneo is a Bidayuh majority area just outside of Kuching with a population of about 80,000 people.
