TANJUNG MALIM: Students should have strong motivation to go to school despite hardships in their pursuit of education.

Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon said he faced similar hardships as a student in the 1970s.

"I was born in 1965 and I was in Standard Six about 40 years ago. I lived in a small village where there was only one SK, but no SMK.

"I had to travel by bus for 18km, from Changkat Keruing to Ayer Tawar, to get to school. 

"What I want to stress here is the importance of having a strong will to learn. That's the motivation. We must always be grateful," he said at a press conference after attending the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a hall at SK Tanjong Malim here today.

At the event, he was asked about a viral video showing schoolchildren in Kampung Mansiang Baru, Sabah, using a pipeline to cross a fast-flowing river.

Dr Mah said the ministry was open to cooperating with other government agencies or ministries to improve the infrastructure to help the students.

Similar hardships faced by students had been reported in the past.

In May, a road linking five villages in Kota Belud was cut off after a bridge collapsed following continuous heavy rain, forcing children to miss school.

A month earlier, a video of primary school students in Nabawan using a bamboo raft and a zipline went viral on social media.

In February, it was reported that 58 students from five villages in Pitas had to take boats to school after a suspension bridge there was damaged.

In January, photos of Year One students on their way to SK Mangkapon Pitas in a small boat without life jackets were shared on social media.

In the same month, images of schoolchildren having to cross a dilapidated suspension bridge in Kampung Nelayan Tengah to get to school went viral, leading to the closure of the bridge.

Two years ago, three students from Kampung Gusi in Ranau were injured when they fell from a suspension bridge while trying to get an Internet connection for their online classes.