Yayasan S’wak to adopt 50 rural schools under Hipers

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Adenan (seated, centre) joins a group photo with the recipients of the 23rd Chief Minister’s Awards. Seated with the chief minister are (from left) Abu Bakar, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu, Rakayah and State Legislative Assembly Speaker Datuk Amar Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar. — Photo by Jeffery Mostapa

Adenan (seated, centre) joins a group photo with the recipients of the 23rd Chief Minister’s Awards. Seated with the chief minister are (from left) Abu Bakar, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu, Rakayah and State Legislative Assembly Speaker Datuk Amar Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar. — Photo by Jeffery Mostapa

KUCHING: Fifty rural schools will be adopted by Yayasan Sarawak in line with the rebranding of the High Performing Rural Schools (Hipers) project — an initiative aimed at reinforcing the development of quality human capital.

As a start, the foundation will adopt 25 primary schools and 25 secondary schools under the programme, of which key objective is to elevate the standard of rural students to be on par with their urban counterparts.

Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem, who is also Yayasan Sarawak chairman, has pledged to look for funds in enabling the foundation to adopt more schools.

“I welcome any suggestion on how to improve the standard of education, especially in the rural areas, considering that there is a big gap between rural and urban schools. While urban schools have adequate facilities, the rural schools are facing a shortage. That is why Yayasan Sarawak is adopting rural schools under Hipers project.

“Yayasan Sarawak is responsible in raising the standard of education in the state. Don’t associate the foundation with only education loans and scholarships, as it also encourages investments in educational institutions and future talents through various programmes,” he said after officiating at the launch of Hipers 2015 at Hilton Hotel here yesterday, which was held in conjunction with the presentation of the 23rd Chief Minister’s Special Awards.

The ceremony was witnessed by Yayasan Sarawak director Datu Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki and state Education Department director Rakayah Madon.

The Hipers project was introduced in 1996 but is now undergoing a revamp aimed at strengthening its effectiveness in raising the academic performance of rural students. It focuses on both academic and co-curriculum achievements, along with students’ leadership and involvement in school activities.

At the same time, Hipers encourages stronger participation from parents and the local community in helping schools to produce high-quality future human capital.

On a related matter, Adenan believed that Sarawak would need to do more for the development of its education sector, in supplementing certain aspects that had been ‘neglected’ by the federal government.

“One of the difficulties that we face in managing rural schools is that most schools lack the facilities. We should ask for more from the federal government, which oversees education matters but sometimes, they neglect certain areas.”

Earlier, Abu Bakar said Yayasan Sarawak, in collaboration with the state Education Department, would continue to recognise students, schools and also their parents-teachers associations (PTAs) for exhibiting excellent performance at state, national and international level.

He mentioned that this year, the foundation had provided incentives amounting to RM1.5 million to 1,864 pupils who excelled in their Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR), 705 in their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations and 154 in their Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia (STPM) examinations from across the state.

“Yayasan Sarawak will continue to help the government and the Education Department with regard to holistic education development in the state,” he said.

Later, Adenan presented the Chief Minister’s Awards to 25 recipients comprising schools, principals, headmasters, teachers, students and PTAs for their outstanding achievements.