Students to write essays on ideas, vision for country
THE National Transformation 2050 (TN50) programme will affect today’s youth and tomorrow’s leaders.
The process to collect the ideas and input of Malaysia’s youth started in January last year and although the TN50 Youth Canvas Report – containing a compilation of refined aspirations for the next phase of the country’s development – has already been submitted to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, school students can still share their ideas and vision for Malaysia’s future.
The report contained a compilation of refined aspirations for the next phase of the country’s development.
Although the report has already reached the Prime Minister, school students can still share their ideas and vision for Malaysia’s future.
How? Well, Sunway University and the Oxford & Cambridge Society Malaysia chose TN50 as the theme of this year’s SunwayOxbridge Essay Competition.
Oxford and Cambridge Society committee member Margaret Hall says: “This is a way to get far more young people involved, and hearing their ideas about the future.”
Sunway Education Group and Sunway University senior executive director Elizabeth Lee adds: “2050 is the young people’s future. So they ought to be thinking and writing about it.”
She also says the theme was chosen to encourage school students to think about their future and how they can help shape it.
Hall says that the judges will not be looking for a particular style of writing. In fact, she adds, the competition received a large number of narrative essays last year.
“As long as whatever is written addresses the question, the form (of writing) does not matter,” she explains.
SMK Infant Jesus Convent (M), Johor, had submitted the most number of entries for the past two years and an English teacher from the school says the teachers played a huge role in encouraging the students to take part in the competition.
Sumita Sachidanantham says that the teachers guide the students and will run through their essays if they ask for help.
“Through the competition, our students have gained more knowledge by reading widely and researching the essay questions,” she says.
Alicia Malini Samuel, a student from the school, won the third prize for Category A in 2016.
The bubbly 17-year-old says she took part because she “loves writing.”
“Even if my teachers and parents didn’t encourage me to join, I will still join,” she says, adding that the competition is a platform for students to voice their ideas.
Charlene Lim Rui Ying, 14, says she took part in the competition last year because she was fascinated by the theme about climate change.
The student from the same school was the winner for Category A, says she enjoyed researching and writing about the a topic she didn’t really know much about.
SMK Sri Sentosa, Kuala Lumpur, former student Ryan Moey Wei Ming, 18, was elated when he won the second place for Category A back in 2015. He used the bursary prize to enrol in the Australian Matriculation course in Sunway College. He has completed it and is now waiting to enrol for his degree.
Fully supported by the Education Ministry, the competition has received close to 10,000 entries over the past four years.
Lee adds that students aged 13 to 17 from both government and private schools that are using the national syllabus, are invited to submit online their original essays on TN50.
There are two categories, Category A is for Forms One to Three. They are to write 200 to 350 words on “How would you like to see your city, town or village change by 2050?” Category B is for Forms Four and Five on “What is your vision for Malaysia in 2050? What is your role to achieve it?” with a word count of 500 to 650 words.
Students should send in one essay each by 1pm on April 24 at http://sunway.com.my/essay/.
In each category, the winner will take home RM5,000 in cash and a Sunway bursary worth RM26,000, the runner-up will win RM3,000 and a Sunway bursary worth RM15,000. The third prize winner will receive RM1,000 and a Sunway bursary worth RM10,000. There are 10 consolation prizes of RM500 and a Sunway bursary of RM5,000 for each category. The school with the most submissions also stands to win a special prize.