By Adrian Lim
KUCHING, June 20: Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Bhd (Carlsberg) has come to the aid of vernacular schools in Sarawak by donating thermometers and disinfection services as part of its safer schools campaign to curb Covid-19.
The safer school initiative by Carlsberg was conducted in partnership with the Federation of Chinese Associations Sarawak (FCAS).
Carlsberg’s senior sales manager in Kuching, Aylmer Wee said the company donated thermometers to 186 vernacular schools which will each receive two thermometers as an added level of assurance to parents, teachers and students when secondary schools classes resume next week.
He asserted that from that number, 21 schools have been selected to receive additional disinfection services when classes resume due to their location in the high-risk area for Covid-19 infection.
“In these trying times, we believe our initiative for safer school environments is a timely and invaluable contribution.
“We are appreciative of the support of our customers and communities in Sarawak.
“Carlsberg’s safer schools contribution, announced in early April was extended to accommodate all applications throughout Malaysia.
“We have raised the total number of donated thermometers to 3,600 units and increasing disinfection services to cover 8.4 million square feet within school compounds, providing peace of mind to around 1,440 schools,” he said.
At the same time, Carlsberg in a press statement said the safer schools initiative is part of the company’s extraordinary measures during the Covid-19 pandemic for its customers, consumers and local communities, collectively named safer together.
It disclosed that total donation for the thermometer and disinfection services for vernacular schools in Sarawak was valued at RM113,000 benefiting 96,000 students.
Meanwhile, FCAS president Datuk Richard Wee commended Carlsberg’s effort to provide thermometers and disinfection services to the vernacular schools.
He hoped that more corporate organisations would come forward to support vernacular schools in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic as schools pose a high risk of infection from mass gathering.
“In conjunction with the reopening of schools next Wednesday, our main concern would be the students’ safety during this time of crisis.
“We are very delighted to learn from Carlsberg that under their safer school campaign, the company is donating thermometers to the vernacular schools to help monitor the students and teachers’ body temperature once schools reopen as part of the standard operating procedures (SOP) by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in schools.
“Their contribution would provide a safer learning environment for students and reduce the financial burden of primary schools to provide those equipment.
“The Sarawak safer school campaign is in line with the partnership between Federation of Chinese Associations of Malaysia and Carlsberg.
“In Sarawak, the FCAS will assist to distribute the thermometers to the schools, both primary and secondary, throughout the state of Sarawak,” said Wee, who is Federation of the Chinese Associations of Kuching, Samarahan and Serian division president.
Meanwhile, the donation of thermometers by Carlsberg was conducted at the Federation of the Chinese Associations of Kuching, Samarahan and Serian division’s headquarters here today.
Among those present at the thermometers donation handover ceremony were principals, teachers and representatives of the recipient schools.  —DayakDaily
