IT was a midnight visit last Wednesday that showed the state of affairs at a rural boarding school in Sarawak.

Deputy Education Minister Datuk Razali Ismail, who earlier visited a longhouse in Kapit, decided to pay an unannounced visit to Sekolah Kebangsaan Sungai Amang close to midnight.

Razali, accompanied by Hulu Rajang MP Datuk Billy Abit Joo, Kapit Education Officer Jamit Ajok and several senior ministry officials, headed straight for the hostels.

Those entrusted with the safety and nurturing of the rural students were missing. The guardhouse was unmanned and there was no caretaker in sight.

Razali was appalled at the sight of the boys sleeping on the floor, reported local daily The Borneo Post on Friday.

He couldn't check on the girls' hostel as the teacher in charge reportedly did not show up, even after being informed of the deputy minister's visit.

Razali surely knows by now that "appalling" would also be the condition of many other rural boarding schools in Sarawak.

Many instances of dereliction of duty by those entrusted to be the "guardians" of rural schools had been reported. Sadly, after the usual knee-jerk verbal reaction, nothing has been done about it.

Granted there could be a host of reasons for the many shortcomings in rural schools, but the Education Department and school officials being defensive and pointing fingers at others, including the media, do not help.

Two years ago, when a team from the New Straits Times visited the remote Long Lellang primary school, it found the predominantly Penan students living in pitiful conditions.

There were no mattresses, pillows or mosquito netting for the 100-odd students in the hostel.

If lodging was appalling, board was no better. The students said that they sometimes went to school on an empty stomach.

And when they were fed, it was only porridge and boiled young papayas.

The report headlined "Empty bellies force pupils to stop schooling" appeared in the Oct 19, 2006 edition of the New Straits Times.

While people sympathised with their fate, some, including Education Department officials and politicians, reacted differently.

A senior officer in Kuching said they would "replace" the "non-existent" mattresses in the boarding school's wooden hostel and blamed a private contractor for not supplying adequate food.

Certain politicians went on damage control to cover up their failure to do what they were supposed to do.

The deputy education minister's midnight visit is viewed by many in Sarawak as a politician walking the talk.

It wouldn't do well for teachers, school administrators and elected representatives to blame everyone else for the poor state of rural schools.

Have conditions in Long Lellang changed? The deputy minister could always pay more surprise visits.

But do we need midnight visits? We just need every public and elected official to do what they are supposed to.