The Economic Planning Unit and the Implementation Coordination Unit have been instructed by Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali to prepare a Cabinet Paper on the upgrading of dilapidated schools in Sabah.

The Cabinet Paper was necessary to enable the allocation which had been approved for the schools' upgrade to be channelled to the Sabah government, Azmin said.

"Based on the development allocation for 2018. RM4.1bil has been approved for Sabah and we want to ensure that the approved allocation is fully spent for the sake of development in Sabah.

"Priority has been given to the education sector so that the dilapidated schools that exist in Sabah are promptly developed. Unfortunately, the process conducted by the old regime was a non-transparent one which had delayed the construction of the dilapidated schools," he told reporters.

The upgrading of the schools which were implemented by the state Public Works Department (JKR) went well as they had completed 37 schools but the upgrading of 83 schools which were given to contractors (not under JKR's supervision) had seen only 12% progress, Azmin said.

He described the failure to complete the upgrade projects at the 83 schools as a betrayal as it had denied the children of Sabah access to education.