Bumiputera students urged to take part in Chinese essay contest
KOTA KINABALU: Assistant State Education Director of Chinese School Unit, Tham Yun Fook, has urged bumiputera students to take part in the statewide Chinese essay competition organized by the Confederation of Chinese Communities Associations of Sabah and Labuan.
He said Mandarin would be one of the most important business languages in the future.
“China has risen as an economic powerhouse and so will the importance of the Chinese language.
“People who do not learn Mandarin will regret it,” he said this in a press conference on the competition.
The annual Chinese essay competition will be held simultaneously in eight zones Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Tawau, Tenom, Keningau, Lahad Datu, Kudat and Labuan at 8am on March 23 this year.
The contest is divided into Lower Secondary, Upper Secondary and Open categories.
Tham said the certificates issued to the participants were certified by the State Education Department, and students could also earn extracurricular points for taking part in the competition.
He said promoting Mandarin should not be the sole responsibility of the Education Department or schools.
“We are happy that the Confederation of Chinese Communities Associations of Sabah and Labuan are assisting the Education Department and Chinese schools to promote Chinese education.
“As a Chinese, I believe we should all support such activities.”
Apart from secondary students, Tham also encouraged primary school teachers in Sabah and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) students to take part in the Open category.
He said there were many China nationals studying at UMS.
“I hope UMS lecturers will encourage not only local students to compete, but also those from China so that they could compare each other’s standards in Chinese essay writing.”
Tham also commended Confederation of Chinese Communities Associations of Sabah and Labuan vice president Datuk Susan Wong Siew Guen for her contribution to Chinese cultural and educational developments in Sabah.
Also present was Confederation of Chinese Communities Associations of Sabah and Labuan’s Cultural Bureau chief, Fung Mou Poon.