A property company in Nusajaya continues to invest in the community through the sponsorship of educational pullouts
AFTER having won numerous accolades for creating housing and commercial developments and a model township, UEM Sunrise Berhad is establishing itself as a “people developer”.
For the fifth year running, the company (previously known as ‘UEM Land Holdings Berhad’) is sponsoring copies of The Star - NiE pullouts to schools in Nusajaya, Johor, which it has adopted under the Pintar (Promoting Intelligence, Nurturing Talent and Advocating Responsibility) school programme.
Beginning in April and running through to November, the sponsorship of 36,630 copies of the newspaper will also see 11 primary schools and four secondary schools in the area receiving 24 issues of the Star-NiE (Newspaper-in-Education) pullout every Wednesday.
Catering to elementary, intermediate and advanced levels, the 12-page educational pullout offers syllabus-based topics with ready-made exercises designed to make English lessons a relevant, interactive and fun experience for both students and teachers.
In addition, the secondary schools will also receive 24 issues of the stuff@schoolpullout on Mondays under the sponsorship.
Written by students for students, stuff@school provides an avenue for teens to share their views on matters surrounding lifestyles, the school and the community.
English panel head Rashida Ali of SMK Tanjung Adang, a recipient of the company’s sponsorship for the past four years, expressed her gratitude for the continuous support and supply of the newspapers.
The students’ only exposure to English was at school, and apart from their textbooks, it was through the (sponsored) newspapers that they had a chance to read English texts, she said, adding that many of the students in her school lacked the funds to afford their own copies.
With a strong desire to serve the underprivileged in the community within which they operate, the company’s corporate communication head Nik Surina Suria Nik Abdullah said that the collaboration with the schools would be a long one.
“We want the community to benefit from our presence and grow with us. Knowing that the students are gaining (from the sponsorship), encourages us to do more for the community,” she said after a ceremony to mark the sponsorship of the NiE pullouts.
Also present were its corporate communication manager A. Wan Atiqah Wan Abu Bakar, senior executive Mohd Zairiey Che Ridzuan, corporate communication executive Michelle Lim together with Star Publications (M) Bhd executive editor Soo Ewe Jin, and NiE editorial manager Sharon Ovinis.
“Over the years since we adopted the schools, we noticed that the students have become more confident, as can be seen during the choral speaking competition that we organise for them,” she added.
The primary schools benefiting from the sponsorship are SJK (T) Gelang Patah, SK Kampung Pulai, SK Kompleks Sultan Abu Bakar, SK Ladang Pendas, SK Morni Pok, SK Nusantara, SK Sungai Melayu, SK Taman Nusa Perintis 1, SK Tanjung Adang, SK Tanjung Kupang and SK Tiram Duku.
The sponsorship also extends to four secondary schools, which are SMK Gelang Patah, SMK Kompleks Sultan Abu Bakar, SMK Taman Nusajaya and SMK Tanjung Adang.
