Ahli (seventh left) joins (from fifth left) Sharifah Idawati, Kushairy and others in a group photo at the closing ceremony of the short video competition in SMK Bukit Lima, Sibu.
SIBU: SMK Nanga Dap and SMK Kanowit, both in Kanowit, emerged winners of the
upper and lower secondary school categories, respectively, in an ‘Anti-Drug Message
Short Video Competition’ run here.
The programme was jointly organised and run by One-Stop Committee Sibu District, Sibu District Education Office and SMK Bukit Lima.
A total of nine schools took part in the competition.
In the lower secondary category, SMK Bukit Lima and SMK Nanga Dap placed first and second runner-up, respectively.
SMK Bukit Lima took second place in the upper secondary category, and SMK Kampung Nangka placed third.
Sibu District Education officer Ahli Chikba officiated at the closing ceremony in SMK Bukit Lima here yesterday.
Among those present were Sibu District Education assistant officer (students development sector – student affairs) Jackery Hillary Chukan, Sibu District Office’s representative Cynthia Ong, SMK Bukit Lima principal Sharifah Idawati Wan Ahmad and ASP Kushairy Bujang.
In his speech, Ahli said drugs and substance abuse were among the issues that became the state government’s main focus through the Ministry of Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development.
He recalled that former state secretary Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Morshidi Abdul Ghani had, on April 3, 2018, instructed for a one-stop committee to tackle issues related to drugs and substance abuse, to be established at the district-level – beginning as a pilot project being run in several districts, with Sibu being one of them.
“This year is the second year of collaboration among the agencies, where the committee comprises (representatives of) the district office, Education (Office), Sibu police and National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK),” said Ahli.
However, he noted that presently, not many students have creative-thinking as the majority of them are focusing primarily on academic achievements.
“Therefore, our country faces a shortage of people who have the skills and expertise in producing creative short videos,” he said.
Towards this end, Ahli hoped that through the short video competition, the students would be better aware of the dangers of drug abuse and addiction.
“The early exposure, especially at school level, would help prevent school-children from getting entangled in problems related to drugs, alcoholism, smoking, vaping, inhalants and AIDS,” he pointed out.