ANN/THE STRAITS TIMES – A group of pupils and their two teachers had to walk for two days on a rain-soaked mud track to get to Sekolah Kebangsaan Magandai, their school in Sabah’s interior Kota Marudu district.
Their unfortunate experience following a vehicle breakdown has sparked an outcry online, prompting a minister from the Malaysian state to pledge to address the issue.
In a Facebook post on January 17, one of the teachers, who goes by the handle Moniq Cfrndz, shared two video clips showing at least three pupils who had to walk on the mud track while carrying umbrellas and some bags.
Their faces, hair, clothes and shoes were all stained with mud.
The teacher explained that the group had to walk to school several days ago after their vehicle broke down due to the road conditions.
They could not reach their destination on the same day, as it was challenging to navigate the muddy terrain safely in the rain, so they spent the night in a hut before continuing with their journey the next day.
The teacher said in another post on January 19 that the youngest among the pupils is just six years old.
In one of the video clips, two pupils said they felt cold, tired and hungry.
“My heart breaks, seeing them walk so far to return to school,” the teacher said in her post, adding that the pupils are too young to endure such hardship.
She also appealed to the authorities to repair the road quickly for the benefit of the villagers.
Her January 17 post has since been shared more than 2,000 times. Many netizens empathised with the plight of the pupils. Some questioned: “Where did our ministers go?”
Sabah Works Minister Shahelmey Yahya said on January 20 that the 40-kilometre road leading to the school was actually under construction, reported local media.
He said the frequent rain has softened the soil structure and made it difficult for construction and maintenance works to be carried out.
