Community enthusiasm and support have been credited for the success of a private Chinese school in Sibu, Sarawak.
Sarawak Public Health, Housing and Local Government Deputy Minister Datuk Michael Tiang said these elements had propped up Wong Nai Siong Secondary School, which was named after the first settler from China to Sibu.
“Wong Nai Siong Secondary School is the only private secondary school in the country named after a pioneering figure from the Fuzhou (Foochow) community in Sibu.
“It is a source of pride for all of us to have succeeded in standing firm as a respected educational institution.”
Tiang was speaking at the launch of the school’s 58th anniversary celebration in Sibu.
The Pelawan assemblyman added that the school’s continuous efforts in strengthening native language education and producing excellent students should be used as an example to other schools.
He credited the school’s excellence to the strong leadership of its board chairman, Temenggung Datuk Vincent Lau Lee Ming, who was present at the event, and dedication of its teachers.
“The success is not something easily achieved. It is the result of the unwavering spirit and dedication of all school staff.”
He urged the school’s former students to return to Sarawak to contribute to its development.
Tiang also invited all parties to continue to uphold the spirit and vision of Wong Nai Siong’s education to ensure his legacy remained etched in Sibu’s development history.
He said the Sarawak government was the first to allocate RM10mil annually to assist private Chinese secondary schools.
