Fatimah takes a closer look at some of the products on display produced by Henry Gurney School trainees. — Penerangan Photo
KUCHING: The Ministry of Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development is ready to collaborate with the Malaysian Prisons Department Sarawak to develop the potential of trainees at Henry Gurney School in Puncak Borneo here.
Its minister Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah said her ministry will offer rehabilitation services for reading, writing and counting skills among trainees at the school.
According to her, studies have found that quite a number of trainees do not know how to read due to factors such as dropping out of school or
dyslexia.
“We will first assess the trainees who have not mastered reading skills and if they are found to have dyslexia, we will give them a rehabilitation intervention so that they can read. Reading skill is very important because everything is carried out involving this ability. Those who cannot read will have low self-confidence and it is from there that various social problems arise,” she told a press conference after officiating the launch of Cantik@HG at the Sri Sarawak Auditorium of the state Prisons Director’s Office at Jalan Puncak Borneo near here yesterday.
Fatimah also said her ministry will help add value to skills programmes involving trainees at Henry Gurney School, particularly Cantik@HG through the cooperation network available at the ministry.
Cantik@HG is a strategic collaboration project between Kuching Community College and three institutions; namely Malaysian Prison Department Sarawak, Sarawak Craft Council and Helmi Batek Crafts, to educate 20 trainees at Henry Gurney School undergoing rehabilitation programme on entrepreneurship.
Apart from being exposed to entrepreneurial knowledge, the trainees are also taught to produce batik in the form of Sarawak art motifs, ‘batik canting’, t-shirts and dye as well as envelope files featuring batik stamps.
“Congratulations to Kuching Community College, Sarawak Craft Council and Helmi Batek Crafts for launching the beautiful products under a unique brand, Cantik@HG, today (yesterday). In just a month, various products have been successfully produced and the quality is something to be proud of.
“This strategic collaboration benefits the trainees in this school. It proves that the concept of rehabilitation is successful here and also highlights the importance of giving someone a second chance to improve their life,” she said.
Also present were Sarawak Prisons director Mohamad Rosidek Musa, deputy director Fathi Mursidi, Kuching Community College director Suharyati Sulaiman and Ministry of Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development acting permanent secretary Caroline Cleophas Joseph.