24 Adat Teachers Complete Training – SAANS Steps Towards UNESCO Recognition

21 August 2025

TUARAN: A total of 24 trainees from the August 2025 intake have successfully completed the Basic Teacher Training Course for the Sabah Native Ethnic School (SAANS), held over three days at the SAANS Teacher Training Centre in Kampung Lomawang, Tuaran, recently.

The course, organised by the Living Lab of the Sabah Native Ethnic School (MAANS-UMS), comprised lectures, practical sessions, and concluded with a written examination. The final results saw Gr. Jackson Korom, a native Dusun Gobukon from Kota Belud, named the overall best participant.

All participants received certificates of attendance signed by National Heritage Expert Committee Member and founder of Sunduan Nabalu, Shalmon Sanangan, along with Associate Professor Dr Jeannet Stephen, Head of the Living Lab (MAANS-UMS) and Deputy Director of the Institute for Borneo Indigenous Studies (BorLIS), Universiti Malaysia Sabah.

During the closing ceremony, Kiulu Community Development Leader (PPM), Gelubi Guntarik, representing the Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, stated that SAANS is now firmly on the path towards official registration with UNESCO, supported by both the state and federal governments.

“The tireless efforts of SAANS founder and President of the Sabah Native Ethnic Community Organisation Sunduan Nabalu (MAANS–Sunduan Nabalu), Shalmon Sanangan, have brought renewed hope to the cause of uplifting and safeguarding the customs, history, and cultural identity of Sabah’s Indigenous peoples,” he said.

For the participants, the experience was seen as more than just a training course. Stela Resiun from Keningau expressed her gratitude, noting that the programme not only imparted knowledge, but also fostered a strong sense of identity and responsibility to ensure that younger generations continue to appreciate their cultural heritage, while strengthening inter-ethnic unity across Sabah.

To date, 27 SAANS schools have been registered throughout the state, representing a diverse array of ethnic groups including the Lotud, Kadazan, Tagahas, Kimaragang, Tobilung, Liwan, Tindal, Rungus, Nabaai, Kwijau, Bookan, Paluan, Tahol, Gana, Tidung, Sandayo, Labou, Labuk, and Timugon communities.

With the growing unity and dedication among SAANS educators and stakeholders across Sabah, there is strong hope that the vision of establishing these Native Ethnic Schools as a national model for heritage-based education can be realised in the near future.