Strive for educational excellence, Telang Usan rep urges rural students
MIRI: The progress of a nation is dependent on the educational development of her people, said Telang Usan assemblyman Dennis Ngau.
“Hence, our leaders have always stressed on the importance for especially the younger generation to always strive for academic excellence and skills,” he said at the Long Lama Secondary School ( SMKLL) reunion dinner and launching of SMKLL Alumni at a hotel here recently.
“The calls by the nation’s leaders for Malaysians especially the younger generations to be part of the nation building process are for the benefit of all and it is vital to equip ourselves with better education and acquire skills especially in the ICT (information communication technology) and digital technology.
“Nowadays most people in the rural areas have moved to town to make a living and that is something we did not see back then because we did not have the necessary skills to secure jobs many years ago,” Dennis said adding that nowadays job seekers must have the necessary skills in order to be competitive in the market.
“No one is to blame if you are not successful because you do not adequately equip yourself,” he stressed.
More than 80 former students of SMKLL attended the dinner and Dennis took the opportunity to advise them to contribute back to the school that once played a significant role in developing them into what they are today.
“I hope the alumni will be a platform to assist the school and students in any way possible and I would like to suggest to successful former students to literally adopt one or two students each from SMKLL or any students in Telang Usan and guide them to be successful.
“I believe this way of mentoring will motivate the students because they are able to see how successful you are and in turn they would like themselves to be successful as well,” he added.
Dennis also announced a grant of RM8,000 from his Minor Rural Project for the alumni to kick start their activities.