Sowing seeds for the future

Doing his part: Dr Eng (left) handing over the mock cheque for the sponsorship of the ‘Step Up’ pullout to Wong at Menara Star in Petaling Jaya.

PETALING JAYA: Education is a very important aspect in nation-building.

This is one of the reasons why many corporate social responsibility projects by Orando Holdings Sdn Bhd focus on education.

“Everyone hopes that our country will become a developed nation that is competitive in the international arena. The basic requirements are language and education.

“These two aspects go hand in hand. If one is not good in English, one does not have access to a lot of knowledge.

“And with the rise of the Internet age, a lot of information is in English,” said Orando Holdings Sdn Bhd managing director Datuk Dr Eng Wei Chun after handing over a mock cheque for RM50,000 for the sponsorship of the Step Up pullout by The Star.

Star Media Group managing director and chief executive officer Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai received the cheque at Menara Star last Friday.

Step Up is an English workbook-cum-activity pullout for primary school pupils in Years Four, Five and Six.

The colourful syllabus-based content tackles themes set by the Edu­cation Ministry and helps prepare pupils for the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR).

This sponsorship will benefit selected schools in Johor and the Klang Valley.

Dr Eng hopes that Malaysians will acquire greater knowledge and stronger language proficiency.

“What makes humans different from animals is that we can communicate through language. With good language and communications skills, people can get their points across faster as well as avoid misunderstandings.

“Malaysia is home to multiple languages. Pupils should definitely have a good grasp of English as it is a common language,” he added.

A long-time supporter of The Star’s Step Up programme, Dr Eng said that he has heard good feedback and received “thank you” notes from schools.

“It is the responsibility of businesses to give back to society. While many may choose to contribute towards the ‘hardware’ of schools like facilities and buildings, the ‘software’ or learning materials should not be forgotten,” he said.

The Step Up pullout features Bahasa Malaysia and Chinese translation of English words.

The version with the Bahasa Malaysia translation is published on alternate Tuesdays while the version with Chinese translation comes out on alternate Thursdays.

For details on the Star-NiE school sponsorship programme, call The Star’s Customer Care Unit at 1300 887 827 from Monday to Friday (9am to 5pm).