FOR children and parents in the city, it’s easy to take the convenience of sending kids safely to their schools for granted. If parents can’t send their kids to school directly, these kids can walk, use public transport or other means of commuting, all without worrying too much about the safety.
But for children elsewhere in the country, particularly in the more isolated and rural areas of Malaysia, the danger ramps up considerably.
In Sandakan, Sabah, students from Sekolah Kebangsaan Sibugal Besar returned for their first session in school yesterday. For some students, to go back to school – and then return home – they have to cross the Seguntor River.
The only way to cross this river is by using a suspended hanging bridge that connects Kampung Nelayan to the other side of the river, where the school is located.
Other than the fact that the bridge has been worn by time, and has been poorly maintained, this doesn’t sound too bad, right?
Well, if the bridge falls apart while the kids are travelling across it, they not only face the danger of death from falling, but there is also the obvious risk of drowning.
It gets worse: the Seguntor River is also known for crocodile attacks.
Member of Parliament for Sandakan Vivian Wong said that while she was tagged as this issue went viral online,she is unable to directly help as the location of the bridge falls under the Libaran constituency, and not her own Sandakan constituency.
Wong hopes that the Libaran MP, Datuk Zakaria Mohd Edris will step up efforts to help with solving the bridge problem.
