KUCHING: Students and parents’ awareness on the importance of education and the opportunities made available has enabled many children of farmers, fishermen and labourers attain a better life today. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Nancy Shukri who said this, also opined that a family’s economic position (poverty) was not an obstacle for anyone to achieve success, provided he or she had the determination and diligence in his/her studies or the field ventured in. She was speaking at an appreciation dinner and presentation of awards for excellence involving schools in the Simunjan area here Saturday night. Nancy, who is also Batang Sadong MP, urged parents and teachers to work together in preparing the young towards a more secure future and to bring ...

Putrajaya to empower state in administrative matters, greater autonomy to be discussed in next phases Adenan speaking at the press conference. With him are (seated from left) Morshidi, Manyin, Jabu, Wong, Mawan, Dr Rundi (standing second right) and Abdullah (standing right). — Photo by Kong Jun Liung KUCHING: The state’s negotiation for devolution of power has seen the light of day as the state government will soon implement new administrative empowerment resulting from Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem’s meeting with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in Putrajaya on Wednesday. The meeting was described as positive, with Adenan disclosing that both parties agreed to divide their discussions into three phases, with the first phase ...

Rozlysham speaks to reporters outside the ship. — Photos by Chimon Upon An officer explains to reporters about some of the ship’s controls at the bridge. Visiting students from Unimas listen to Navy officers explaining the missile launcher. KD Laksamana Hang Nadim is in town until Jan 22, accompanied by KD Lekir (on the left). KUCHING: The waters off Sarawak are safe from external threats, says Rozlysham Yusoff the commanding officer of Royal Malaysian Navy warship KD Laksamana Hang Nadim. “We always come here to patrol the waters off Sarawak and Sabah, particularly after the Lahad Datu incident. “So far, we have no problem with external threats. The situation is well under control, and we are communicating ...

Students watch a demonstration on combating snatch theft. KUCHING: The Sarawak Community Policing Association (SCPA) adopted SMK Matang Jaya under its community policing programme yesterday. SCPA chairman Datuk John Lau said the programme aims to provide guidance and support to students and teachers in addressing problems of disorder. “This is our first school and the programme will be expanded to several other schools mainly in Padawan and Kuching areas later,” he said. Lau said the programme is also part of efforts to create greater awareness of crimes such as drug abuse and to educate students on the importance of protecting themselves against cyber crime. Forging a community policing partnership, he said would hopefully create an atmosphere where ...

Serina (second left) and Fatimah speaking to reporters. KUCHING: Institut Aminuddin Baki here will hold a convention on Feb 21 that is aimed at promoting good citizenship to the public through education. According to institute director Serina Sauni, the organising committee expects a turnout of 2,000 comprising educators, members of education groups, school leadership bodies and parents-teachers associations (PTAs), as well as representatives from Sarawak Teachers Union, Bumiputera Teachers Federation Sarawak and Education Office from all districts across the state. Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem is expected to officiate at the state-level ‘Citizenship Education Convention 2016’. “Teachers and educationalists are the agents ...

The Borneo Post business writer Yvonne Tuah (right) receiving the first prize for English category of the Sarawak Chief Minister’s ICT Media Competition from Adenan while Chan and Sains chief executive officer Dato Teo Tien Hiong (left) look on. Exchange of MOA documents between Sains represented by Teo (left) and Centexs director Dato Mohd Abu Bakar Marzuki, witnessed by Adenan, Chan and Sains chief operating officer Teo Loon Tong. KUCHING: The Borneo Post won two prizes in the English category of the annual Sains Sarawak Chief Minister’s ICT Media Competition last night. Business writer Yvonne Tuah won the first prize with her article ‘Powering the digital wave’, while column contributor and Swinburne University of Technology lecturer Mujahid ...

Children work at a community farm in Sungai Apong under the care of SKUP. KUCHING: Eco Lodge Care Center steered students towards caring more for their community through social activities during the recent school holidays. Principal Eileen Chua said children should be nurtured to be merciful and given wings to fly so that they may give others hope. “We have in the past organised holiday programmes which were more fun-oriented and enjoyable for the students. This time, we would like the young ones to look beyond themselves and to care about their community instead,” she said in a press release yesterday. “It is a challenging process as children nowadays easily drift from reality to their virtual worlds of iPads and phone games. However, empathy can ...

Jabu (fourth left) inspecting the mobile cubicle that will be used by families at evacuation centres. KUCHING: Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu is confident that there will be no flood in the state, as the weather is expected to improve in the next few days. Jabu, who is State Disaster Management Committee chairman, acknowledged that the people were alarmed because of the heavy rain in Kuching early yesterday that lasted until the afternoon, which had caused localised flooding in certain areas. “But the good news is, in the catchment and upper catchment in the upper Sarawak River which feed Sungai Sarawak that flows to Kuching, the weather has been comparatively better than what we saw surrounding Kuching,” he told a press conference ...

Rosita (left) holding up Anak Sekolah rambutans while Farizan holds the Muar Gading rambutans. KUCHING: The public, especially families with children, should not miss the opportunity to experience fruit picking this fruit season at UiTM’s Pluck and Pack Rambutan 2015, said UiTM academic affairs deputy rector Assoc Prof Dr Rosita Suhaimi. She said fruit picking, for example for cherry and strawberry, has become one of the activities during the open days of universities overseas. “This event is a community engagement event to let the public see for themselves what we have at our Campus 1 here. It also gives opportunity to children and school children to experience fruit plucking like in fruit orchards because not many may have the chance to do so,” she ...

SK Kampung Beraya pupils and their parents are all smiles after receiving the school items from Ahmad Lai (back row, eighth right). MIRI: About RM300,000 has been set aside towards helping some 2,000 under-privileged pupils from 50 primary schools across the Sibuti parliamentary constituency. The ‘Back To School’ campaign is run under the ‘Help The People Programme (Membara) — a collaboration between Sibuti Parliamentary Constituency Service Centre and Special Affairs Department (Jasa). According to Sibuti MP Ahmad Lai Bujang, the assistance comes in the form of a set of school uniforms including socks and shoes to every recipient. “This education assistance is our ongoing programme to help needy students. We have allocated about RM300,000 ...