KUCHING:A sum of 21,000 primary school pupils from low-income households will receive personal hygiene kits and school supplies for their 2021 academic year.
The distribution of assistance to schools across Johor, Kelantan, Kuala Lumpur, Labuan, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Penang, Perak, Perlis, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor and Terengganu started from Monday till Mar 24.
The aid is from Yayasan Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas) and it is part of its back-to-school 2021 (BTS 2021) programme.
In a statement, Yayasan Petronas chief executive officer Nelly Francis Shariah said the programme has been consistent since its establishment.
“Our aim for BTS has been consistent since Petronas started with the programme 18 years ago. We want to reduce one of the barriers that families from low-income households often experience which is the cost of school supplies, a factor linked to dropout rates.
“This year, we are taking additional steps by providing personal hygiene kits so that pupils can stay safe and acclimatise to the new normal as they resume school,” Nelly said.
Nelly added that the programme will run until the end of the month nationwide with the support of Petronas staff.
“We also want to ensure we imbue two important factors which are the pivotal role of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in preparing our children for the future and the enduring role teachers play in inspiring their pupils.
“We released a three-episode video on the science of personal hygiene featuring ‘STEM Man’ and it reminds parents, children as well as the community on the importance and responsibility of practising safe habits so that schools will not be affected by an outbreak,” Nelly said.
Meanwhile, Angela Joseph, a Labuan-based teacher who designed the science lesson plans expressed her enthusiasm on being able to be part of the Yayasan Petronas’ team.
“I’m so glad that Yayasan Petronas gave me the opportunity to share information on the science behind Covid-19 in a fun way with underprivileged pupils who are otherwise may not have access to information.
“As part of the first cohort of teachers in Yayasan Petronas’ ‘Program Duta Guru’, I prepared supplementary lesson plans and provided instruction sheets for teachers to record and share them online,” Angela said.
Among the items which the students will receive are two three-layer reusable face masks, a small towel, a box of paper soap, a school bag, a tumbler, a student activity notebook, a pencil case and stationery items, as well as two sets of school uniforms and a pair of socks and shoes.
The pupils will also receive activity notebooks which include several simple science experiments on personal hygiene, health infographics and stickers, designed to spark interest amongst them and help them to understand science and its application in real life.
