Muda Pakeri Paloh, Ibrahim Abang Mahamud (centre) and local residents.
SIBU: The proposed construction of a new ‘Asrama Harian Luar Bandar’ (student hostel) at SK Orang Kaya Muda Pakeri, Paloh by Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS) will greatly benefit residents in the Paloh area, especially students from three villages, namely Kampung Paloh, Kampung Berangan and Kampung Kedang when the hostel is completed.
The issuance of tender for the project (SK Orang Kaya Muda Pakeri Paloh) is next month and the construction will start in July next year and expected to complete in December, 2019. When completed, the new hostel can accommodate 120 students (60 female and 60 male students). Petronas is constructing its first ‘Asrama Harian Luar Bandar’ at SK Orang Kaya Muda Pakeri, Paloh, Sarawak and SK Pulau Palambangan, Banggi, Sabah. The project was initiated to support the growing student population in the area, which due to its remote location and geographical landscape has made it difficult for the students to get to school.
The facilities will enable more students in the area to gain access to quality education provided by the federal and state governments. Petronas to build new school hostel When met by reporters during the Petronas and media visit to the school last Monday, the school headmaster, Ibrahim Abang Mahamud expressed his gratefulness to Petronas for building a new hostel which will benefit residents from Kampung Paloh, Kampung Berangan and Kampung Kedang. “We are real ly grateful t o Petronas for building the new hostel as the existing one cannot accommodate any more students. “Our existing hostel cannot accommodate students from the three villages.
We receive a lot of applications from students of the three villages who want to stay in the hostel and we have to screen the applications because the existing hostel is able to accommodate 50 students only,” he said. Hence, he hoped that the construction of the new hostel will start soon so that students from the three villages can get accommodation in the new hostel.
He said the construction of the new hostel will not only help to realise the direction of the school but also achieve the targets of the Malaysia Education Development Plan 2013 to 2025 and also the transformation of the school. He said that the distance from the school to Kampung Paloh is 10 kms, Kampung Berangan (2 kms) and Kampung Kedang (6 kms), adding that the villagers are mostly farmers and fishermen.
“Many applications to stay in the hostel came from fishermen and farmers families and single mothers. Hence, we have to screen the applicants because of the limited accommodation,” he explained. The existing wooden hostel was built in 1985 and for the safety of the students a new hostel needed to be built. It takes about one and a half hour’s car ride to reach the Serdeng jetty from Sibu and 45 minutes by boat to reach the school. Meanwhile, Petronas Senior Vice-President Group Human Resource Management, Dato Raiha Azni A Rahman said that Petronas started investing in human capital development just a year after it was established.
“We believe that education has the ability to empower individuals to improve their standard of living and make meaningful contributions towards the growth and prosperity of their community. “With that in mind, Petronas has developed a holistic approach to its corporate social investment in education.
We collaborate with various parties at primary, secondary and up to tertiary levels with the aim to nurture well-rounded individuals by providing access to education and promoting a love for knowledge,” he said. A pupil of the school, Tina anak Janang, 12, from Kampung Kedang said that she has been staying in the school since she was seven years old (Year 1).
“I love staying here because I have a lot of friends. Besides, the teachers also take care of all of us. “Every night we have tuition class and I can focus on my study,” she said. Tina, who wants to be a teacher said that she was very happy when she heard that Petronas wanted to build a new hostel at their school. “I would like to thank Petronas for providing good educational facilities to us here,” she said.
