Sarawak Energy Berhad CEO Sjotviet presenting a certificate to one of the Penan adults attending the course.
MIRI: Aware that illiteracy is still high among the Penan community, Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) in collaboration with Society for the Advancement of Women and Family Sarawak, organized adult literacy classes.
SEB chief executive officer Datuk Torstien Dale Sjotviet, at the closing of an adult literacy class for a group of 250 Penan in Murum recently, said: “It (literacy class) is part of Sarawak Energy Berhad’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes for the local community. We found out that a big number in the Penan community are not educated or highly educated and thus illiteracy rate among them is very high.”
Thus, SEB together with Society for the Advancement of Women and Family Sarawak organized a series of adult literacy classes for Murum Penan.
“We realized the importance for them to able to speak, read and write at least basic Bahasa Malaysia and English including counting, to improve their life. If they are able to read and write simple words and to count … it would be easy for them in any dealings as they can be easily cheated if they are illiterate,” said Sjotviet.
He said they would be able to do simple business such as selling both jungle and farm products to improve and supplement their income.
According to Sjotviet, they will not stop in their efforts to improve their livelihood not only through the literacy programs but others as well.
After completing the basic course, the adult Penans will be go to advance level such as simple accountancy for them to be involved in small business.
For more effective and interactive lessons, the courses were conducted by ‘more educated’ Penan as facilitators.
Alex Lenggok, one of the facilitators, disclosed they are very grateful and thankful to Sarawak Energy for this programme, as “at least we have the basics and able to read, speak and count”.
Although they are just basics, Alex believed it will bring a little change among them.
“I hope there will be more others will come forward and assist us to improve the quality and standard of our living. We also want to be like other communities who have gone far ahead,” he added.
Also present was Telang Usan assemblyman Dennis Ngau.