By Brad Rantayy
MIRI, 6 Oct: The Environmental-Friendly School Award Presentation or ‘Anugerah Sekolah Rakan Alam Sekitar’ (SERASI) serves as a crucial platform to enrich students’ knowledge and strengthen their awareness regarding environmental protection, says Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.
Having said this, Tengah who is also Second Minister of Urban Development and Natural Resources (II), programmes like SERASI can help build future environmental ambassador amongst youths in schools.
SERASI is jointly hosted by Shell MDS (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, the Natural Resources of Environment Board (NREB) Sarawak and Tengah’s Ministry (Ministry of Urban Development and Natural Resources or MUDeNR).
Speaking at the 9th edition of SERASI held in Miri on Tuesday, Tengah commended the organisers of the establishment of the SERASI Award for schools in the state as he described schools play a large role in influencing and nurturing younsters to cherish and take care of the environment.
For this edition (2018/2019) , 608 schools statewide, comprising 85 secondary and 523 primary schools competed in six categories.
Those categories are – Star Special Award, Gold , Silver and Bronze Awards and Teacher’s Award , in additioj to three new awards introduced -the ‘Hope Award’, ‘Student Icon Award’ and ‘Project Award”.
“The programme offers opportunities and creative engagement and expriences for youth to practice their skills and sustainability competencies via learning on preserving the nature, ” he said.
Tengah added, Sarawak is committed towards balancing conserving environmental resources and development.
“This have been proven with policies that we (the State) implemenyed to protect nature for continuous growth towards a better future…because we want to have the balance betwenn conserving the environment and development,” he said.
Tengah said that the state government is planning to gazette one million hectares of land as totally protected areas by 2020.
Under the State Land Use Policy for example, the forestry sector is allocated with six million hectares for the phrpose of Permanent Forest Estates.
Also present were Assistant Minister of Urban Planning,Land Adminsitration and Environment; Controller of NREB Justine Jok Emang;Kenny Poon of MUDeNR; Jill Chieng General Manager of Sarawak Shell Berhad (on behalf of Amir Bakar , Managing Director Shell (MDS) (M) Sdn Bhd, Muhammad Syahmi Tan Abdullah and Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusuf, Acting Miri Resident. — DayakDaily
