KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 26: SMK Lutong is among five schools which will face-off at the Petronas All About Youth (AAY) 2017 grand finale in November, after its project was shortlisted from among 50 schools in Terengganu, Kelantan, Melaka, Johor, Sabah and Sarawak.
According to a press release, each of the finalists — SMK Lutong, SMK Paka (Terengganu), SMK Tinggi Melaka (Melaka), SMK Lokman Hakim (Johor) and SMK Sindumin (Sabah) — will be represented by 20 Form Four students who will be flown to Kuala Lumpur to present their respective projects at the final judging.
SMK Lutong’s project, titled ‘Combating the Sand Fly Menace’, is dedicated to solve a daily problem faced by the local community: sand-fly infestation.
“Our school is located near the Lutong Beach and sand-fly infestation has always been a challenge among our community. We were inspired to create a chemical-free repellent using an age-old remedy by the Orang Ulu, which we have further improvised. The key ingredients are none other than our local lemongrass and ginger,” said team leader Chloe Yeo.
Meanwhile, SMK Paka created ‘Acu Paka’, a mobile app that contains useful information on local authorities and service providers.
Team leader Nur Aisya Abd Razak said: “Our app provides a database of useful contact numbers of government offices and private agencies for the convenience of the local community. We hope ‘Acu Paka’ can help enhance the lives and livelihood of its users through the usage of technology.”
Using a similar platform but with a different focus, SMK Tinggi Melaka created a mobile app to help students study the subject of History where they are able to take down notes in the form of mind maps.
SMK Lokman Hakim came up with an affordable venue and facility for neighbouring communities to promote archery as a sport.
Addressing the importance of access to education, SMK Sindumin transformed an abandoned building into a local mini library. Named ‘Junjung Kitani’ which means “Pondok Kita Bersama”, the idea came about when the students realised that the closest public library was located about 40 minutes away.
“We are extremely grateful to represent Sabah in Petronas AAY 2017,” SMK Sindumin team leader Natalie Ellisya Jiponon@Stephen said.
“Now we will work even harder in preparation for the finale in Kula Lumpur, and hopefully win the competition,” she added.
The winning school, to be announced at the finale, will receive a grand prize worth RM50,000 for the purpose of further enhancing their project and refurbishment of their school. In addition, each member of the winning team will receive RM1,000 worth of cash and prizes, while team members in second and third place will receive RM800 and RM500 worth of cash and prizes respectively.
Already in its fourth year, Petronas AAY is a key corporate social investment (CSI) programme for Petronas which aims to nurture and empower well-rounded Malaysian youths to reach out and make a difference in their community in the areas of social development, community wellbeing and environment. — Bernama
