Kuala Lumpur: The Eco World Foundation held its 2018 Excellence Awards Ceremony today at the EcoWorld Gallery @ Bukit Bintang City Centre to celebrate the success of top-scoring students under its Students Aid Programme (SAP) in the 2018 UPSR and PT3 examinations. This is the first of four (4) such ceremonies scheduled for this year in the Central, Southern, Northern and Eastern (Sabah) regions.

At the ceremony, Eco World Foundation Chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye commended the tremendous effort and focus invested by the forty-five (45) UPSR students and seven (7) PT3 students which have resulted in their excellent performance.

Nine (9) UPSR students and two (2) PT3 students received awards in the Excellence Awards category; twenty-five (25) UPSR students and one (1) PT3 student received awards in the Outstanding Awards category; and eleven (11) UPSR and four (4) PT3 students received awards in the Most Improved Awards category.

The UPSR students also received a Malay-English dictionary each and copies of a motivational book titled “A+B=C Attitude + Behaviour = Character” along with cash prizes of RM200, RM150 and RM100, according to the categories. The PT3 students received cash prizes of RM500, RM400 and RM250, according to the categories.

Eight (8) teachers from the Central zone – four (4) from Selangor, two (2) from Kuala Lumpur and two (2) from Pahang – were presented with the special Teachers’ Awards in recognition of their commitment in guiding the students towards academic excellence. Sekolah Kebangsaan Ahmad from Pekan, Pahang received the Best School Award which comes with a cash prize of RM10,000.

This year, the Foundation introduced a new award category – the Eco World Foundation Award – to honour the school that shows the highest commitment towards the SAP. SJK (C) Sin Ming from Semenyih, Selangor is the first recipient of this inaugural award.

“The UPSR and PT3 Excellence Awards are held annually to reward and recognise the students for working hard to overcome the odds and excel in their UPSR and PT3 exams. We are proud of their achievements, and this spurs the Foundation further in its commitment to providing access to education for those in need,” said Lee.

Lee also said that the main focus of the Eco World Foundation is to render assistance to students in need and provide them the opportunity of a brighter future regardless of race or creed.

The SAP takes a holistic approach in providing for each student’s educational needs, from equipping them for the new school year and arranging meals in schools, to paying their school and tuition fees. Students from primary and secondary school levels receive financial assistance of between RM1,000 to RM1,500 per year whereas tertiary level students receive between RM5,000 to RM20,000, depending on their courses.

Lee said that through the SAP, the Foundation has so far helped fifty-nine (59) students pursue tertiary education. Twenty (20) of the tertiary level students have graduated with degrees from institutions of higher learning and have joined the workforce while the remaining thirty-nine (39) students are currently pursuing their studies in local universities.

“Education is the most important form of investment. By investing in our children, we are investing in the future. To me, the Eco World Foundation is a passion project and it is my hope that we will be able to empower more children through education. To that end, we have also teamed up with the SUKA Society in the Empowered2Teach project to provide opportunities for education to Orang Asli children,” added Lee.

As part of the SAP, the Eco World Foundation also provides motivation and support to both students and their parents. UPSR Motivational Camps are organised for students to prepare themselves mentally for their examinations. Parents are invited to attend dialogue sessions to help them cope with the stress of raising a family and learn to encourage their children in their pursuit of education. At these sessions, parents also have the opportunity to provide suggestions to fine-tune the Foundation’s programme.

Lee said it was important to get the buy-in of parents to ensure the success of the SAP. “Parents are instrumental in a child’s development, and if we have their support, we are confident that we will be able to mould the children into future leaders,” he said.

Today’s awards ceremony was also attended by Eco World Development Group Berhad (EcoWorld Malaysia) Executive Director Dato’ Voon Tin Yow and Eco World Malaysia President & CEO Dato’ Chang Khim Wah.