Nurturing students to care for environment

STUDENTS from SMK Sungai Pusu took part in the Salcon Smart Water Programme (SSWP) in a fun and interactive way.

Organised by Salcon Berhad in collaboration with Water Watch Penang (WWP) at Taman Persekutuan Bukit Kiara, the ninth SSWP has been nurturing the young to care for the environment.

It is also to foster an understanding that they can make a difference through their small but meaningful green gesture.

During the half-day programme, the students, aged between 14 and 17, learnt the importance of water resources, the effects of river pollution and the steps taken to preserve natural water sources.

Apart from that, they also had the opportunity to conduct checks on the river water quality via physical, chemical and biological monitoring techniques. Through these established monitoring methods, the students were able to identify the health condition of the Sungai Penchala river.

“My students are able to relate to most of the activities as it has been taught before in the classroom.

“It is a good opportunity for them to conduct the hands-on experiments in a fun and interactive manner,” says SMK Sungai Pusu teacher Munirah Jamaluddin.

SMK Sungai Pusu student Ahmad Danish Mohd Aman, 15, says he was in love with this open classroom that allowed him to get his feet wet while having hands-on experience in learning how to identify and grade the health of a river.

Salcon Berhad General Manager – Corporate Chern Meng Gaik says Malaysia is blessed with many well-kept and beautiful parks.

“We are happy to provide the opportunity for SMK Sungai Pusu students to step outside their classroom,” adds Chern.

Salcon measures the effectiveness of the programme through a pre and post water knowledge evaluation. The evaluation result has shown that the students’ understanding on water knowledge has increased significantly after conducting the activities by themselves.

To date, the programme has benefited more than 40 schools and 2,700 children.