KUCHING: A total of 63 pairs of love birds completed a virtual ‘Marriage Course: How To Build A Long Lasting Relationship’ programme which started from April 15 to June 6 this year.
The programme was initiated in 2014 but it was the first time ever to be conducted via online video conferencing in view of Covid-19 pandemic and the implementation of movement control order (MCO).
There were a total of seven weekly sessions in the programme. Each session lasted about two hours and 15 minutes.
State Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said initially, four marriage courses and four parenting courses to be conducted in various towns in Sarawak had been approved and planned for the year 2020.
“However due to the unprecedented outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, all these physical courses were put on hold.
“Despite that, I am so pleased and delighted to know that the organisers Dr Wong Howe Tung and his wife Gan Chuei Lian, were quick to act by conducting two marriage courses online via Zoom app since April 15 during the MCO.
“The first course was attended by 21 couples and the second course conducted two weeks later saw the attendance of 42 couples. I believe this double portion in the registration has indeed rewarded them and their teams for their relentless effort and time,” she said when officiating at the ‘Virtual Marriage Course Graduation Party’ held via Zoom meeting app last Friday night.
She congratulated the participants and wished them continued success and great happiness as they build their marriages and families that would not only last a lifetime but would also leave a solid legacy to the next generations.
The marriage course was organised by the Sarawak Women and Family Department (JWKS) in collaboration with Alpha Malaysia (Sarawak) represented by its regional coordinators Dr Wong and Gan for non-Muslim families.
Apart from the marriage course programme, Fatimah also said there was a similar programme for the Muslim families namely ‘Till Jannah: Smart Marriage’ organised by JWKS in collaboration with UWAiS Followership Academy PLT (Borneo).
“For this year, the ‘Webinar Till Jannah: Smart Marriage’ programme was conducted last month with a total of 62 couples and 72 individuals in attendance during the three sessions of the webinar,” she added.
