NEWS & UPDATES
Sarawak Energy Contributes to Education Fund for 2017
RM200,000 annual commitment to benefit Belaga Penan and Murum Resettlement communities
KUCHING, 29 NOVEMBER 2016, TUESDAY: Sarawak Energy remains committed to supporting the education of the Penans in Belaga and those affected by the Murum HEP by contributing to the Bakun Charitable Trust for the second year.
Sarawak Energy Group CEO Sharbini Suhaili presented a cheque of RM200,000 to Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing, Sarawak’s Deputy Chief Minister and Chairman of Bakun Charitable Trust at the latter’s office at the State Legislative Assembly Building here today.
A memorandum of understanding was signed between Sarawak Energy and Bakun Charitable Trust last year to provide further education support for the Penans in the Belaga district, especially those directly affected by the newly completed Murum HEP.
The MOU defines how a special education fund worth RM200, 000 annually, parked under the Bakun Charitable Trust, will be utilised to support the particular education needs of the Penans. The initiative aims to further motivate young people from the community to attend school regularly and strive for educational excellence.
Commenting on the contribution, Sharbini said that Sarawak Energy was pleased with the outcome of this education investment as there were already results within one year.
“In 2016, 266 students from the two primary schools in Murum received incentive awards for attendance and academic performance, representing almost 80 per cent of the students in the schools,” he said.
He said this social investment and support also looks at preparing the community for employment opportunities and so far a total of 17 Penan youth has completed six-month training at the Centre of Technical Excellence in Kuching.
The fund is specifically used for the delivery of education support to the Penan communities in the Belaga District including the seven resettled villages affected by Murum HEP and leverages on Bakun Charitable Trust’s experience, expertise and resources.
The beneficiaries are residents of the 6 Penan villages and sole Kenyah Badeng village from Murum Resettlement and another 19 Penan communities from throughout the Belaga District.
The fund of RM200,000, replenished annually, will be utilised for the following programmes;
- Attendance and Academic Incentive Award for students in primary and secondary schools
- Financial Aid for students pursuing:-
- Certificate / Diploma in training at approved skills development centres or institutions of higher learning in Malaysia
- Diploma / Degree programme at approved institutions of higher learning in Malaysia
- Funding for any other educational development programme or provision of teaching and learning facilities as deemed necessary as agreed by the committee.
