Siti Nurhaliza aims to help school kids in rural areas

Good daughter: Siti used to help her mother make cakes when young.

KUALA LUMPUR: When she was still at school, Datuk Siti Nurha­li­za Tarudin used to wake up as early as 4am to help her mother make and sell homemade kuih around their village in Kuala Lipis, Pahang.

Now, as the latest member of the Pintar Foundation board of trustees, Siti Nurha­li­za wants to help schoolchildren in rural areas reach their maximum potential, be it in academic, sports or creative arts.

“As someone who used to study in a rural school, I was active in sports, singing and I was exposed since young to the business world by my mother.

“These things gave me self-confidence and I want to inspire the same in kids in rural communities,” she told reporters during a press conference at Mercu UEM here yesterday to announce her appointment.

Pintar Foundation is a non-profit body established in 2008 to spearhead the Pintar Programme, where companies adopt under-served and underperforming schools for a minimum of three years.

During the adoption period, companies fund a range of activities such as spelling bees, extra classes and sports clinics to enhance the students’ academic performance and well-being.

Pintar schools are typically located in rural areas and have lower than 65% passing rate for major examination results. The students’ parents usually earn less than RM1,500 a month.

Pintar Foundation chairman Tan Sri Arshad Ayub said Siti Nurha­li­za’s appointment could encourage and nurture the creative talents of rural kids in the arts industry.

“Her singing talent and pleasant personality have made her an idol to Malaysians, especially the younger generation,” he said.

“Siti Nurha­li­za has shown vast potential as she is not only successful in her singing career, but also runs a beauty line and still finds time to do charity work.”

As of February this year, there were 498 Pintar schools, said its chief executive officer Karimah Tan Abdullah.

However, she said there was a need for more companies and individuals to come onboard, as there were some 3,000 schools in need in the country, with the bulk of them in Sabah and Sarawak.