SK Sungai Paku pupils with their new school bags and books.
PUPILS of SK Sungai Paku in Kapit, Sarawak, have received school bags and books. In addition, their school received RM40,000 from Astro Kasih, the sustainability arm of satellite television and IPTV provider Astro.
The funds were proceeds from Astro’s Walk for Education campaign.
Astro Group chief executive officer Henry Tan presented the contributions to SK Sungai Paku headmaster Timbang.
In 2012, Astro Kasih built a hostel for SK Sungai Paku to encourage higher student enrolment from the surrounding villages.
The school serves a population of 1,000 from five villages within a radius of 30km.
Currently, student enrolment stands at 38.
Tan said, “Astro Kasih is committed to giving more opportunities to students living in remote areas to access quality learning and to open their minds for a brighter future.
“Our Walk for Education was held in May this year and we wish to thank those who supported us with their generosity.
“All proceeds from the event totalling RM140,000 and over 2,000 school bags and learning materials have been handed to our three Astro hostels in SK Sungai Paku, SK Malinsau and SK Magandai as well as Starfish Malaysia Foundation in Sabah and Sarawak.”
Headmaster Timbang said, “We are pleased that Astro is bridging the education gap by using its platform, content and resources to help students in remote areas access learning.
“Our students have experienced positive outcomes in their academic performance thanks to the hostel and the learning content on Astro Ceria, Discovery Channel and Astro Tutor TV SK.”
SK Sungai Paku teacher Bija said, “Since the hostel was built, the pupils have achieved 100% passing rates for all papers in 2018 and 100% passes for Science from 2016 to 2019.
“This can be attributed to the hostel as pupils have more time now to focus on extra classes instead of on travelling.
“The journey for pupils from the school to Rumah Tang during weekends takes one hour via long boats.
“And depending on the river situation, they might miss school, especially if their parents are unable to afford the petrol for the long boat.”
Astro Kasih has also collaborated with Starfish Malaysia Foundation by providing access to its TV services and education content to five hostels and one community centre in Sabah and Sarawak.
