(From left) Tan, Encharang, Usat, Henry, Jiwari and Dennis in a group photo with the high achievers from SMK Belaga and SMK Bakun.
KUCHING: Sarawak Energy presented 25 high achieving students from SMK Bakun and SMK Belaga with academic incentives as an encouragement to keep up the pace following the students’ accomplishment in the recent Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.
Sarawak Energy assistant general manager for Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability Jiwari Abdullah presented the incentives to these top achievers at SMK Bakun in Bintulu recently.
In his speech, he said the determination displayed by the students were commendable and hoped that they would inspire other students to also want to do better.
“This is also the result of the commitment and dedication of the teachers as well as support from parents and the community here in Belaga.”
He pointed out that Sarawak Energy understood the value of education as the pertinent building block to the success of a community.
“This is why education and young people make up one of the pillars to our corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts. We have rolled out a number of programmes in support of this, such as talks on tertiary education opportunities, academic workshops for students sitting for examinations and skill training programmes for youth, among others.”
Through direct engagement with the communities, Sarawak Energy has developed a suite of programmes that address the respective community needs.
Its CSR initiatives and social investments focus on project-affected communities and this encompasses communities in the Belaga District where the Bakun and Murum Hydroelectric Plants are located.
The state-owned power utility and energy developer has even adopted SMK Bakun.
Meanwhile, SMK Bakun principal Henry Usat Bit said the school would continue to work together with Sarawak Energy on programmes and initiatives that would bring benefits to the students.
“Our collaboration with Sarawak Energy is in line with the Education Ministry’s ‘Program Transformasi Sekolah’ (TS25) which is to work closely with agencies and NGOs towards the development and enhancement of schools and students,” he said.
Sarawak Energy also organised an educational trip to Bintulu for primary school pupils in Belaga in December last year and similar educational trips to Kuching for the students of SMK Bakun.
Other activities included Fire Safety Awareness and Prevention Programmes for 15 longhouses in the Bakun Resettlement Area in Apau Koyan as well as contributing fire extinguishers and firefighting equipment to them last October. Sarawak Energy came to the aid of fire victims at Uma Badeng, Apau Koyan in June last year.
Sarawak Energy also supports Do Ledoh and Ladong Bio harvest festivals – significant cultural events for the Kayan and Kenyah community in Belaga as well as sponsored a group of artisans from Belaga to participate in the Borneo International Beads Conference in October 2017.
Also present at the presentation ceremony were SMK Belaga principal Usat Ibut, representative from Belaga District education office Dennis Hang Bilang, Bakun HEP deputy station manager Encharang Ngtingih and senior manager for Social Investment and Community Development Joanne Tan Cho Yian.