Sagah (third left) presents a certificate of appreciation to a DBNA Siburan branch representative, with (from left) Ik Pahon, Harden and others looking on. — Photo by Roystein Emmor
SERIAN (Jan 11): It is vital for today’s school students to learn history so that they can become good future leaders.
In highlighting this, Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development Datuk Roland Sagah Wee Inn regarded history as ‘teaching one not to repeat the mistakes of the past’.
“History is important as that is how you can learn about your own country, your own existence, governing and administrating the country, as well as the people.
“Without that knowledge, you would have difficulties; you’d find that you would be handicapped in society.
“That is why history is an important subject,” he said in his opening remarks for the ‘History Subject Excellence Programme for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) Students with Potential to Pass (Polus) at SMK Tun Abdul Razak here yesterday.
In addition, Sagah said aside from History, students should also master the English language.
“It is a lingua franca all over the world. The language is also used in science, as well as in literature,” said the Tarat assemblyman.
On the programme, he said it was organised by the secondary schools in Serian District and supported by the Dayak Bidayuh National Association (DBNA), with the objective of helping students learn the History subject better, so as to excel in their SPM examinations.
The three-day programme, which concludes tomorrow, covers SMK Tun Abdul Razak, SMK Balai Ringin and SMK Tebedu.
“This programme focuses on the subject of History, as it is one of the ‘killer’ subjects in SPM.
“If students fail their Bahasa Malaysia and History subjects, they could not get the full (SPM) certificates.
“Since History is a vital subject in SPM, the DBNA branches in Serian District have taken the initiative to run this programme, and have engaged an expert of this subject to provide tips to the students,” he added.
Also present at the event were Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation and Talent Development II Datuk Francis Harden Hollis and DBNA president Datu Ik Pahon Joyik.