By DayakDaily Team
ON registration day at SMK Pusa’s boarding dormitories, some parents used to arrive carrying more than their children’s luggage.
Alongside bags of clothes and bedding, they brought hammers, screwdrivers and other simple repair tools. Before saying goodbye, they would quietly tighten loose fittings, mend worn furniture and make small improvements around the dormitories, hoping to make the space a little more comfortable for their children.
For Senior Assistant of Student Affairs (PK HEM) Ramli Ayong, 57, those moments reflected the determination of rural families who would do whatever they could to support their children’s education.
Today, such scenes have become a thing of the past.
Through the MLNG Bestari Outreach Programme under PETRONAS’ Powering Knowledge pillar, four dormitory blocks at SMK Pusa have been transformed into safer, more comfortable and conducive living spaces for students.
The upgrading works included improvements to electrical wiring, the installation of ceiling fans and window netting, as well as the provision of washing machines and ironing facilities to support students’ daily needs.
PETRONAS also contributed 300 bed frames, mattresses and lockers, ensuring every student has a proper place to sleep and keep their belongings.
children to the school.
For Ramli, the changes have transformed students’ perceptions of dormitory life.
“Previously, many students did not want to stay because the facilities were old and inadequate. Now, they come to my office asking if they can move into the dorms because everything is new and comfortable,” he said.
The impact has been particularly evident among Form Five students, many of whom now choose to remain in the dormitories for evening study sessions as they prepare for their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.
Having served at SMK Pusa for nearly three decades, Ramli has witnessed first-hand how circumstances outside the classroom can shape a student’s educational journey.
Over the years, he has visited countless homes in efforts to prevent students from dropping out of school.
Some families lived in overcrowded wooden houses with barely enough space to sleep. Others struggled to put food on the table, with some children arriving at school after going days without proper meals.
In many such cases, encouraging students to stay in the dormitories has become an important step towards providing them with stability, regular meals and a supportive environment where they could focus on their studies.
“Sometimes, what prevents a child from succeeding is not a lack of ability,” he said.
Chief warden Nazri Maluhi, 39, has also witnessed changes that go beyond improved facilities.
Before the upgrading works, ageing facilities often affected students’ morale and daily routines. Today, he sees students who are happier, more responsible and more willing to take ownership of their surroundings.
“When students are comfortable, they become calmer. They take better care of the facilities, follow routines more willingly and can focus better on their studies,” he said.
pursue their dreams and realise their full potential.
Principal Saini Bakar believes the improvements are helping to create the right conditions for students to thrive.
“Students spend most of their time in the dorms. If they are comfortable there, they can focus better on their studies,” he said.
The improvements have come at an important time for the school’s boarding facilities.
Although the dormitories were originally designed to accommodate 300 students, capacity has since been reduced to 244 after double-decker beds were replaced with single beds to improve safety. Today, about 230 students live in the dormitories.
The positive impact is already becoming evident, with student attendance increasing from 96.67 per cent in 2025 to 97.85 per cent this year.
Saini hopes the dormitories will one day achieve national recognition through the Anugerah Seri Asrama Terbilang, where infrastructure is among the key assessment criteria.
More importantly, however, he sees every improvement as an investment in the students’ future.
“When we give our children the best environment to learn, we give them the best opportunity to succeed,” he said during the recent officiation of the PETRONAS Powering Knowledge: MLNG Bestari Outreach Programme at SMK Pusa.
officiation of the MLNG Bestari Outreach Programme at SMK Pusa.
Also present were Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation and Talent Development Sarawak Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee and Malaysia LNG Group of Companies managing director and chief executive officer Abang Jimmy Abang Mordian.
At SMK Pusa, the dormitory is no longer simply a place where students sleep. It has become a space where they build confidence, develop discipline and discover possibilities beyond the circumstances into which they were born.
The tools once carried by parents were a symbol of their determination to create a better home away from home for their children.
Today, the upgraded dormitories have become that home in giving students the stability, comfort and confidence they need to learn, grow and pursue their ambitions. — DayakDaily
