Hostel bed frames at SMK Beluran repaired
SANDAKAN: Students staying at the SMK Beluran hostel should now be feeling more comfortable and restful after the Sandakan Indian Association (SIA) delivered on its promise to help repair the damaged bed frames.
“Thanks to the efforts of our member Sagaran Letchmanan, we have been able to repair 85 bed frames for the school hostel,” said SIA president Taren Sunil Manoharan.
Earlier this year, in March, the SIA president and fellow members had joined Sabah Education Department (JPN) director Dr Mistirine Radin and senior JPN officials on a visit to the school for its “Ziarah Cakna” program.
The SIA president had described the JPN program as being very innovative and timely. The JPN director and officials took their time to “turun padang” to see for themselves the actual living conditions of the poorer rural students and to find out some of the root causes of the absentee problem.
It was during that visit that SIA learnt about the damaged bed-frames and immediately promised to help out. SIA also pledged to contribute RM2,000 towards the repair of a house of a student. The house was in very bad condition.
Meanwhile SMK Beluran teachers themselves also jointly collected and contributed another RM1,000 for the same purpose.
Unfortunately both the two projects were later delayed due to the imposition of the Movement Control Order to break the chain of the Covid-19 infection.
However, as soon as the situation permitted, Sagaran Letchmanan quickly summoned his workmen together to fix the beds, charging SIA only the cost to cover the materials used and forgoing any profit.
SMK Beluran principal Nor Aslam Mano Abdullah, who is also vice-president of SIA, recorded his thanks and appreciation to all concerned for their efforts and contributions.
Meanwhile Taren Sunil expressed his satisfaction that SIA had successfully “walked the talk” by delivering on its promise to help SMK Beluran repair their hostel's bed frames as well as financially support a needy student's family to fix their home.
He assured that SIA would continue to be involved in community and social work that benefit society.