Treasure hunt gets students excited about museums
KUCHING: The treasure hunt that sent 30 students and their chaperone teachers searching for answers across three museums and one museum exhibit was an effort to get the younger generation excited about museums and the wealth of knowledge they hold.
Organised by Sarawak Museum Department, the treasure hunt under their ‘Night at the Museum 2018’ programme was conducted this last weekend.
Participants tracked down answers based on clues that sent them to the Chinese History Museum, Sarawak Textile Museum, Sarawak Islamic Museum, and Urang Sarawak Exhibition housed next to Sarawak Museum.
They even spent the night at Sarawak Islamic Museum, sleeping in the galleries among the exhibits. Sarawak Museum Department public telations officer Muhammad Zakeria Hattar said the museum has more activities planned.
“This event was not just for fun, but to help learn about the culture and history of Sarawak,” he said in closing.
Islamic Museum curator Norraha Abdul Rahim congratulated participants for their effort and good spirits.
“We hope to have you back again, not just for competitions, but for our other future programmes,” she said.
SMK Petra Jaya emerged champion of the treasure hunt. SMK Seri Setia came in second while SMK Seni Malaysia was third. Fourth to sixth places went to SK Tabuan Jaya, SK St Teresa and SMK Bandar Semariang.
The ‘Night at the Museum’ was introduced by Muzium Negara in 2005. The programme gained popularity in 2006 with the Hollywood movie starring Ben Stiller, Robin Williams and Owen Wilson.
In 2016, Department of Museums Malaysia launched the first ‘Night at the Museum’ programme involving 22 museums nationwide and 1,573 participants, earning them a place in the Malaysia Book of Records.