Nation’s pride: The Likas Vocational College team receiving their award from Ahmad Zahid (centre).
KOTA KINABALU: Students from a Sabah vocational school won second place in the international Asia Pacific Cooperative Youth Summit 4.0 here for their innovation of an eco-paver brick.
The team from the Likas Vocational College, comprising Nur Maisarah Balqis Jinno, Nursari Hamid, Jiroryce Michael Chia, Muhammad Syafiq Mohd Yusri, and teacher adviser Roman Pileh, beat 17 other schools from various countries in the coop-pitch competition.
The diploma-level construction programme students received their award from Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi at the close of the event here recently.
The team was presented with US$1,500 (RM6,750).
Roman, who is also the college’s innovation coordinator, said the team’s presentation was on the socio-economic impact of the eco-paver brick.
The team had carried out a corporate social responsibility (CSR) project involving a garden paver brick pathway at the Cheshire Home in Likas, he added.
“This will enable the home residents to be mobile in their wheelchairs around the garden path. Likas Vocational College is very proud to have represented Malaysia in this international event held for the first time in Sabah,” he said in a statement yesterday.
College director Mokhtar Ibrahim said it was a double bonus after the college innovation team won first prize in the International Science, Technology and Engineering (Istec) 2023 competition in Bali two months ago.
The Bali innovation team, represented by Nur Izzrahatul Ronnie, Nurafiqah Syazwana Mohd Yusri and Nuralyianah Abu Bakar, who are in Year 2 of the construction programme, were also awarded the Sabah Education Excellence Award (Aksa) 2023 by the state government in recognition of their international success.
Mokhtar said he hoped these successes would motivate students in all vocational colleges in the country, adding that participation in such competitions would give students confidence in their work.
“Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is the way forward for our young as it provides opportunities for them to do well in the future,” he said.
