KUALA LUMPUR: EDRAPower Holdings Sdn Bhd’s ‘Sokongan Didikan’ programme is a community-based project aimed at helping the government to improve student achievement and bring about a positive change in the education sector.
Its deputy chief operation officer Anbarasan Sellappan said the programme was in line with the government’s goal of providing quality education to children.
“The Edra Group wants to play a role in generating knowledgeable, highly skilled, creative, innovative and competitive human capital. It is this human capital that will drive our country and state to greater heights.”
Via this programme, the Edra Group contributes school items and financial assitance to selected primary schools in Melaka, Negri Sembilan and Selangor, where its power stations are located, as well as in Kedah near the Edra solar farm in Kuala Ketil which began operations early this year.
Anbarasan said the company has always played an important role to support the local community in areas which it operates.
“It is our commitment to support the local community. In this programme, we are providing support to schools to create a conducive environment for students. The programme also helps to create better infrastructure for the schools and helps motivate students to be better students,” he said.
“Education is a stepping stone for the students, who are future leaders of Malaysia. This programme ensures that schools are looked after, and this also contributes to the student’s learning experience and success of the initiative,” he added.
The total allocation for the implementation of the ‘Sokongan Didikan’ programme for 2019 in the four states reached over RM550,000, which is an increase of 50 per cent over the previous year.
The assistance provided to the schools is in the form of financial assistance in the range of RM3,000 to RM5,000. In addition to helping the schools to revitalise and upgrade existing buildings and facilities, this contribution also aims to create a comfortable, attractive and conducive environment to instil a sense of learning among students.
Students also received contributions in the form of RM120 Bata vouchers and a school bag each. This involved 2,215 students from Year Five of the 34 schools in the four states that will attend the UPSR examinations next year.
Melaka was the highest recipient of the programme, receiving RM290,000, followed by Selangor (RM145,000), Kedah (RM64,000) and Negri Sembilan (RM58,0000.
The programme in Melaka was implemented near Edra’s Power Stations in Teluk Gong and Tanjung Kling, benefitting 1,181 students from 18 schools. Meanwhile, in Kuala Langat, Selangor, the programme benefited 654 students from six schools nearby the Kuala Langat Power Station.
In Kuala Ketil, Kedah, 238 students from four schools nearby the vicinity of the Edra Solar Farm received RM64,000 in aid and in Jimah, Negri Sembilan, 178 students from six schools in the vicinity of the Jimah Power Plant received RM58,000 worth of aid.
According to Anbarasan, Edra believes that providing better infrastructure for schools can help students improve their learning and self-management skills and motivate them to excel.
He also hopes that the contributions to students will help to ease the burden of parents, especially with the preparations for the new school year, and energise the students to look forward to the upcoming school year.