Companies urged to help develop education sector
KOTA KINABALU: Corporate companies have been urged to implement Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in helping to develop the education sector in the country with many schools in poor condition and in need of government aid.
Community Development and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Jainab Ahmad Ayid said that it is difficult to rely solely on government funding as there are many schools needing help.
Therefore, the role of corporations in implementing CSR in the field of education is required to help the schools in need.
Parents who are eligible to receive aid also need to play their role in monitoring their children to learn well and not get involved in social ills.
They are also advised to have a talk with the child’s teacher if their child’s studies are not well.
“In addition, other CSR that can be done in the education field is to provide a tuition centre for students. We have experts such as former teachers and headmasters and if possible, we provide the tuition centers to help the children in their education,” she said after launching Gemilang Generasi Rural Capital Sdn Bhd 2016 program in collaboration with Mara Education Foundation (YPM) at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Darau in Manggatal here yesterday .
She also appreciated the efforts of both the Rural Capital and YPM in donating RM15,000 to help 100 underprivileged pupils at the school. The donations were given in the form of cash and school bags.
When asked about parents’ complaints about their children not being eligible for the Poor Students Trust Fund (KWAPM) when in fact they are qualified to receive the 1Malaysia People’s Aid ( BR1M ), Jainab said that parents should understand that eligibility for BR1M and KWAPM are not the same.
“The criteria and conditions between KWAPM and BR1M are different. Conditions in KWAPM is set by the Ministry of Education. Parents need to know that there are certain conditions to be met in order to get them qualified to receive KWAPM,” she explained.
Thus, she suggested cooperation between the Parent-Teacher Association and teachers to understand the eligibility of the aid provided by the government, including KWAPM.
Jainab also said that the efforts of subsidiary companies of Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA), which are Rural Capital and YPM, in helping school children in Sabah is a good thing and will hopefully continue in the years to come.
She said such corporate company should help in the administration of school development.
Meanwhile, Deputy Director of Sabah MARA Razak Aziz said that the program is the first to be held in Sabah in collaboration with two subsidiary companies of MARA.
MARA wanted to show to the public that through the effort, the agency is not only focused on profit alone but also to the development of the local community as well.
He also said that part of the profits obtained by MARA is channeled to the development of education and entrepreneurship, which are efforts in helping bumiputera children to acquire excellence and assisting the government to strengthen the country’s education sector.
Razak explained that MARA is in the process of building another Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM), which based on religious sects, namely MRSM Semporna and pupil intake is expected to commence in March, if the first phase of the project is complete while the second phase is expected to be completed by June.
The MRSM would be able to fill 200 students at a time, in efforts to produce students that not only excel academically but also in the religious field.