TVET EDUCATION
KUCHING: Being accepted into a polytechnic is a big deal for students who are not academically inclined, so the excitement of the latest batch of students of Politeknik Kuching Sarawak (PKS) is understandable.
In addition, they got an extra reason to be glad and excited when at the closing of their orientation yesterday, the institution was given a new school bus.
Izziyatul Iziani, a general engineering student, said she was delighted that she had officially become a student of the polytechnic.
“I feel proud that I’ve become part of PKS. It is an honour to study here as PKS offers a good technical and practical syllabus.
“My college hostel is quite far from the faculty, so the new bus would help those of us who need regular transportation to go to school,” she said.
Izziyatul added that it was her first time apart from her family as she is from Bintagor.
“The bus would ease the worries of students from outside of Kuching,” she said.
Another newbie, Nurul Syazwani Annisa, who is also a general engineering student, said that she was proud like Izziyatul, and she felt motivated after attending a sharing session conducted by Datuk Dr Mohd Abdul Karim Abdullah.
“The sharing session about TVET and the contribution of engineering has motivated me to study hard and be the best that I can even after I have completed my studies.
“TVET and the Industrial Revolution 4.0 are important for students from any kind of study fields to understand and get their hands on current technological advancement. It drives me to study harder,” she said.
Abang Mohd Syukri, a new business student, thought the bus would make it convenient for students to attend outdoor programmes or activities as they would not have to rely on personal vehicles.
“The students no longer have to worry about transportation, especially if we want to do outside programmes. Many of us don’t have personal vehicles,” he said.
Jap Jek Yuan, another business student, said that even though he is from Kuching, the bus would ease his transportation problems in campus to get from one place to another.
“As you can see, the PKS campus is big and the faculties are quite far from each other. As most of us are staying in college hostels, the bus would be very useful,” he said.
On whether they are ready for the Industrial Revolution 4.0 and TVET, both Syukri and Jek Yuan said that hopefully it could equip them to face various digital challenges in the future.
“We know that the advancement of technology is on the rise in Sarawak, and with PKS’ practical and technical syllabus, we hope to be able to handle the IR 4.0 well,” they said.