KUCHING: The Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Ministry is looking at the possibility of services it can offer to assist students at Henry Gurney School in Puncak Borneo.
Its minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said the ministry would emphasise on providing rehabilitation for the students.
“First, the ministry could conduct assessment for the students who have not mastered reading skills, and if they are dyslexic, rehabilitation and intervention can be given so that they can read.
“So, we may provide rehabilitation in the aspect of these areas” she said at the launching ceremony of CantiKK@HG products at the Sarawak Prisons Headquarters, Jalan Puncak Borneo here today.
She said it is important for one to have reading skills, or else it would result in low self-esteem, and when a person has low self-esteem, this could lead to social issues.
“Education is important, be it formal or non-formal education. As educators, there is a need to not only to teach the children today, but we must prepare them for the future.”
She added that students from Henry Gurney School deserved a second chance, and through the school, with proper guidance and counselling, their potential could be expanded and thus helping the students to succeed in life.
“If they are left on their own outside, there is a likelihood that they will not be able to achieve what they could have achieved.”
She added that there were many success stories of students from Henry Gurney School and Integrity School, also in Puncak Borneo — one of them was an ex-drug addict and now an entrepreneur.
“So, what I want to emphasis here is that the public must understand that through rehabilitation, it benefits the inmates and they can start a new life after prison, which benefits them and the community.”
While on the CantiKK@HG programme, Fatimah lauded the initiative taken by Community College Kuching by choosing students from Henry Gurney and providing basic entrepreneur and training skills in the field of fashion and clothing through the Community Entrepreneurship Programme.
“This is an excellent initiative to expose entrepreneurship education among the 20 students who are undergoing rehabilitation.”
On this, she said the ministry would also use its network by adding value to the CantiKK@HG programme.
“Branding of a product is important where each package on the product must have a detailed description of the product.
“The product package should have a detailed explanation of the product where it is produced from Henry Gurney. Thus, this will eventually help the students in starting a new life and also adding value to the product.”
The CantiKK@HG programme, which was conducted from September to October, saw students producing 40 pieces of envelop file with Sarawak motifs, 20 batik-chop sheets, and 30 tie-dye clothes.
These products will be promoted by Sarawak Craft Council and all sales will be channelled back to the students.
Also present were Sarawak Prisons director Mohamad Rosidek Musa, deputy director Fathi Mursidi, Community College Kuching director Suharyati Sulaiman and deputy academic director Nurul Dafiqah Kamarulzaman, who is also CantiKK@HG Beauty Product Entrepreneurship Programme director.
