Chinese school ups stakes with computer-aided teaching

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Yong (second left) presents a memento to Hong. Also seen are Temenggong Lu Kim Yong (left), Thien (centre) and Chong (second right).

KUCHING: SM Min Lit Batu Kawa, a Chinese independent school on the outskirts of the city, embraced computer-aided teaching last January to enhance its quality of education.

Its Board of Management chairman Penghulu Thien Shin Fong said this transformation initiative was meant to help students cope with future challenges.

“We have to move with time and the board will continue to upgrade the facilities at SM Min Lit. We have abandoned the conventional teaching approach by introducing equipment necessary to help cultivate learning interests among students.

“All classrooms are now equipped with projectors worth some RM30,000, fully sponsored by a Chinese education enthusiast J.P. Hong Boon Siong. The results have been `so far so good’,” he said at the launch of the computer-aided teaching at the school in Batu Kawa Old Bazaar here yesterday.

The board’s permanent honorary advisor Datuk Yong Khoon Seng was the guest-of-honour.

Thien noted that it was now easier for the teachers to prepare their teaching materials, while a more animated teaching style had made lessons more interesting.

Earlier, SM Min Lit Batu Kawa principal Chong Kok Yah said the modern way of teaching marked a new chapter in the school’s history.

He was confident the school would be able to catch up with their counterpart in the city despite its minuscule student population.

The school has only 156 students, which is small when compared with schools such as Chung Hua Middle School No.1, which has over 1,800 students.

“Education is vital to help shape the mind and enhance the know-how of the young individuals. We have a team of noble and dedicated teachers capable of producing future leaders who can contribute to the country’s overall development meaningfully,” asserted Chong.

He hoped students, upon completing their students, would emulate Hong to give back not just to the school, but also the community at large.