SIBU: Sarawak Timber Association (STA) rewarded 962 students comprising 747 SPM students and 215 STPM students who excelled in their last year’s public examinations compared to 618 students last year.
According to chairman of Sarawak Timber Association (STA), Pemanca Datuk Wong Kie Yik, the selected students will each receive cash award of RM550 for SPM and RM650 for STPM this year which amounted RM550,600.
He said the criteria for selection are that the student must be a Sarawakian or have a parent who is a Sarawakian and the student should at least obtained 8As for SPM and 2As for STPM in their respective examination results for the year 2016.
“I am pleased to inform that all students sitting for their SPM and STPM examinations in Sarawak that the association will continue to give these cash awards next year in our pursuit to recognise and encourage them excel in their studies.
“The association hopes that the number of selected students from both examinations will increase,” he said at the awards presentation ceremony to the students who excelled in their last year’s SPM and STPM examinations here, yesterday.
Apart from that, Wong stressed that STA is fully aware of the importance of giving back to the community as part of its corporate social responsibility.
“Through our subsidiary company, STA Mutual Sdn Bhd (STAM), with its objective of improving the welfare of communities irrespective of race, religion or creed, as well as to provide scholarships and financial assistance to schools, colleges, institutes, universities that are training Sarawakians in skills relevant to the forestry, forest plantation and timber industries,” he said.
Wong added that among the corporate social responsibilities carried out by STAM are providing financial assistance to outstanding students studying in the technical institutes in Sarawak.
“In year 2016, six students of Institut Kemahiran Mara received the assistance whereas nine students of Institut Latihan Perindustrian Kota Samarahan (ILPKS) had their fees subsidised to attend professional certificate courses with the professional certificate course providers.
“The association is glad that the professional certificate courses attended by the nine students, namely emergency preparedness, response plan, incident reporting, analysis technique to oil from 21 to 25 November, 2016 and gas safety purses (level 1) on 1 November, 2016 conducted by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) had greatly benefited them.
“Hence, I am also pleased to announce that the association will not only continue to provide this assistance to ILPKS but will increase the number of students to 20 next year,” he said.
Furthermore, he said the association has also distributed 1,000 school bags with a set of stationery each costing a total of RM86,016.51 to students from primary schools that were nominated by its members in their respective timber concession areas.
Wong also said a sum of RM360,000.00 has been earmarked for a project to repair and maintain furniture and key facilities in some of the rural schools within the timber concession areas, which are nominated by the association’s members.
Among the projects that had been completed, he said are replacement of damaged ceiling and roof of community hall, internal and external wall painting and adding extra structural support to community hall affected by termites at Sekolah Rendah Lau Hui Kang, Suai, Miri; extended the administrative office at SK Segaham, Belaga; repaired six classrooms of SK Nanga Encheremin which was leaking badly, constructed school wall of SK Nanga Jagoi to ensure the safety of the students, replacement of furniture and book shelves in the school’s library for SK Nyimoh, SK Engkuah and SK Bangkit and rewiring of the electrical system for SK Melipis.
