Unimas sets up reading corner at Indonesian school

KOTA SAMARAHAN: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) in partnership with the Indonesian Consulate in Kuching has set up a reading corner at Sekolah Dasar Negeri 5 Seriang in Kalimantan Barat.

The community service programme spearheaded by Unimas’ Faculty of Language and Communication was aimed at promoting good reading practices among rural school children.

During a one-day visit to Pontianak, the Consulate General of Indonesia in Kuching, Yonny Tri Prayitnon, said in a statement yesterday that the effort would make the Indonesia-Malaysia border community more aware of the importance of knowledge.

“Teachers and school children in border community schools will benefit from the support given by Unimas.

“The project will facilitate knowledge transfer and help cultivate the schoolchildren’s reading habits,” he said.

Yonny’s view on the effort was also echoed by the Kapuas Hulu district office which was represented by district secretary Linda Purnama.

“We hope for more collaborative efforts in promoting the quality of education in border schools,” she said.

Responding to the call, the school principal, Suwardiyanto, expressed his gratitude to Unimas and the Indonesian Consulate in Kuching for setting up the reading corner.

“We are highly encouraged by the support. This will help address the disparities in education quality that has been faced by rural schools.

“We are keen to work together on future programmes to improve literacy and will work towards using English language,” the principal said.

With the establishment of the Unimas Community Centre, project leader Dexter Sigan from the university’s Faculty of Language and Communication said, “This is necessary because both urban and rural communities deserve better quality education.”