Programme brought to nine higher learning institutions by Great Eastern and The Borneo Post
KUCHING: Students from nine universities and colleges state-wide will be enjoying free supplement of The Borneo Post from May till July as part of the paper’s Newspaper-in-Education (NiE) Sponsorship Programme 2010.
PROMOTING READING HABIT: Koh (third right) presents a mock cheque to Phyllis (third left) witnessed by Morshidi (centre). Also seen are (from left) Ting, Voon, Atikawati and Shirley.
The programme, part of the company’s efforts to promote reading and strengthen the command of the English language among students, will see complimentary newspapers delivered to the participating higher learning institutes within the three-month span.
At a mock cheque presentation ceremony at the State Secretary’s Office, Wisma Bapa Malaysia here yesterday, The Borneo Post general operations manager Phyllis Wong said: “The project was first launched in August 2009 in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
“SP Setia Group, collaborating with the paper, sponsored the NiE for five participating secondary schools. The programme was a hit as newspapers were actively used by the teachers. Prior to the launch, the teachers were sent for training on how to utilise the newspaper as a teaching material.”
She added that The Borneo Post’s parent company, the KTS Group, also initiated the programme in Sibu beginning January this year where 12 secondary schools took part.
She said it was her fervent hope that more corporate bodies would come forward to support the programme, which had been found to be effective in helping to upgrade the standard of English among the students.
The mock cheque presentation ceremony was held with programme partner, Great Eastern Life Assurance (M) Berhad, which sponsored RM20,000 in support of the cause.
At the ceremony, a press statement by Great Eastern director and chief executive officer Koh Yaw Hui said: “I cannot but constantly stress the importance of reading newspapers.
“It keeps one abreast of happenings in the community and the world. It also broadens one’s horizon and improves language skills.”
On the partnership, Koh said: “Great Eastern has supported the NiE in West Malaysia for more than 10 years.
“I hope that the collaboration with The Borneo Post would open up a host of opportunities for the company in contributing to the community in East Malaysia.”
Koh, a Sarikei-born, said it was Great Eastern’s hope that this programme would be able to reach out to the youths in tertiary institutions, thus encouraging them to build a consistent habit of reading newspapers.
He said if that was achieved then Great Eastern had indeed done well in its corporate social goal, in line with the company’s tagline of ‘Life is Great’, which promotes healthy lifestyle and meaningful relationship.
The event was graced by State Secretary Datuk Amar Mohamad Morshidi Abdul Ghani.
The nine participating institutes of higher learning were Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Sarawak campus, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas), Inti College in Kuching, Kolej Laila Taib and Methodist Pilley Institute in Sibu, Maktab Perguruan Miri, Riam Institute of Technology, Fajar International College and Kolej IBS in Miri.
Great Eastern also runs a children community project called ChildrenCare Fund.
Now into its 15th year, ChildrenCare benefits children charities under the National Welfare Foundation.
To date, ChildrenCare has donated over RM1.4 million to more than 120 children charities across Malaysia.
Another Great Eastern Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project was the Supremacy Scholarship Award given to qualified students who were pursuing their higher education either locally or internationally.
Up to 2010, about 81 students had been awarded the scholarship amounting to RM3 million.
Present at the ceremony were Great Eastern state regional manager Ricky Voon Woo Kian and administration manager Ting Lee, UiTM Sarawak campus Student Affairs Department assistant registrar Atikawati Ahmad Razali and Inti College head of programme Shirley Wee.
To those who wish to contribute or know more about The Borneo Post NiE Sponsorship Programme, contact Phyllis Wong at 082-485111 (office).