Sabah a ‘classroom’ destination for world’s first travelling high school

KOTA KINABALU: The world’s first travelling high school, Think Global School, is currently in Sabah with 34 students to learn about the state’s natural and cultural diversity.

The students aged between 15 and 17 have been here since July 5 and have been learning about the different cultures and biodiversity in Sabah.

They are slated to give public presentations on Aug 30 at the state library on what they learned during their trip before leaving Sabah on Sept 5, said the school’s principal Adnan Mackovic.

Every semester, the New York-based school brings students to live and study in a different country, engaging in place-based and project-based learning pertinent to the nations they visit, he said here on Friday (July 29).

Mackovic recommended Sabah as a “classroom” destination after visiting the state twice for work conferences.

“We believed Sabah would be the ideal location for some of them to encounter cultures that were different from their own and to understand how (components of) such a diverse culture could coexist," he said in a statement released by Sabah Tourism Board (STB).

STB led by its chief executive officer Noredah Othman hosted dinner on Thursday (July 28) for the Think Global School group.

The students, from different countries and regions such as the Middle East, the United States, Canada, South Africa, Northern Europe and Asia, were accompanied by 11 teachers for the two-month stint.

So far, the group had visited the Mari-Mari Cultural Village here for cultural immersion and hiked on Mount Trus Madi, the second highest mountain in Sabah.

They also participated in activities with villagers to learn about rice field cultivation.

In addition, they learned how to cook using bamboo and picked up jungle survival skills such as identifying edible wild plants, said Mackovic.

He added that the students would also get to visit the forest reserve, wildlife rehabilitation centres and go diving, among others.

Noredah said Think Global School's presence here meant a great deal since it promotes Sabah by allowing students to learn about local places, local history, the many ethnic groups and their way of life.

“While we continue to promote Sabah as an ecotourism hotspot, we also want visitors to see it as a place where they may expand their horizons via education,” she said.

In addition, the students are also scheduled for a learning session on blog and content writing with the STB Communications and Digital Unit.

The purpose of this session is to teach them how to communicate what they have learned, and how they may contribute to the promotion of Sabah, she added.