KUCHING: Limkokwing’s new batch of about 100 local and international students were brought to the Bako National Park recently to have a taste of the tropical rainforest as part of their orientation programme.Led by senior staff member Philip Chang, the 2 nights/3 days’ trip saw the students participating in various activities and challenges set by the Limkokwing Borneo staff team.
The students’ mental and physical stamina were also tested when they went for a 90-minute jungle trekking at Telok Pandan Kecil where they had to negotiate slippery grounds, winding paths and steep inclines.
For some of the students, the journey to Bako represented the first time they had taken a longboat out to the sea.
For many others, it was their first visit to a national park in the state.
With its rainforest, abundant wildlife, jungle streams, waterfalls, interesting plant life, secluded beaches and trekking trails, Bako offered Limkokwing students an excellent introduction to the rainforest of Borneo.
“This is one of the most amazing treks I have ever taken,” said Peter Khamis from Tanzania who is undertaking Anglia Ruskin’s Computer Science programme.
“There were times along the trek that we thought we could not go on another step, but once we reached the cliff top we could not wait to get down to the beach below,” he added.
Computer Science faculty lecturer Salleh Mohiddin said: “This is the first time that we have organised an overnight trip as part of our orientation. The response by the students has been nothing but great from the start.
“We wanted to introduce our students to the teamwork culture at Limkokwing Borneo and it was amazing seeing all our local and international students working together and truly enjoying themselves as they went through the various challenges together,”
Areeb Siddiqui, a Pakistani student undergoing the Anglia Ruskin Business Management degree, said: “This is definitely an eye-opener for me as I have never seen monkeys, bearded pigs and snakes doing their own thing amongst people,”
The finale of the trip was a mass clean-up competition whereby the teams had to compete against each other to see which group could accumulate the most litter on the beach.
Students were told to first clean up the areas that they had occupied throughout their stay at Bako before moving on and clearing out as much rubbish as possible from all the other areas.
Programme leader from the Faculty of Built Environment Alan Goh said that the institute wanted its students understand the need to take care of the environment and respect nature.
“It’s amazing to see how responsible our students were. I truly admire the way they value nature above anything else,” he added.
The orientation programme to Bako National Park is just one of several events held to welcome students to Limkokwing Borneo.
Limkokwing Borneo, situated at Jalan Nanas, is a leader in producing graduates that meet the needs of the industry.
Limkokwing has Malaysia’s best creative programmes that give the students the widest choice of subjects and also offer transferability to any Limkokwing campuses worldwide.