SCANIA MALAYSIA SUPPORTS FIRST SUSTAINABILITY GALLERY IN SARAWAK PRIMARY SCHOOL

21 November 2019, SARAWAK – Scania Malaysia through its Master Sustainability fund contributed to the first Sustainability Gallery at Sekolah Kebangsaan Nanga Ajau in Betong, Sarawak, further emphasising Scania Malaysia’s commitment towards nurturing future leaders in sustainability.

Scania Southeast Asia’s Business Director Ian Tan launched the Sustainability Gallery with the school’s Headmaster, Fadreen Jingan Anak Beriak in the presence of the entire student body and teachers. The Gallery is the continuation of the school’s effort to instil a sustainability mindset amongst the students, which is in line with the objectives of Master Sustainability fund. Sekolah Nanga Ajau has been placing sustainability high on the school’s agenda for many years with their most prominent campaign to date being maintaining the school as zero rubbish zone.

The Gallery features several sections including one on how to preserve the forest and its habitat, recycling, and a section on sustainable living. Students and teachers of the school as well as parents, Sarawak Biodiversity Centre, International College of Advance Technology Sarawak, and the Forest Department of Sarawak contributed to the contents of the gallery, and will continue to refresh the content to ensure that it remains relevant and updated. In addition, the Betong community came forward and planted a green botanical garden as part of the opened and roofed Gallery.

“The people of Sarawak draw their inspiration, sustenance and power from nature for many generations. For the natural resources to continue to nourish the people, the future generations must be prepared to lead and continue a sustainable way of life, also to spread the knowledge everywhere. The Sustainability Gallery in Sekolah Kebangsaan Nanga Ajau serves to do that, especially being a rural school in the heart of where flora and fauna strives,” commented Ian.

The “Master Sustainability by Scania” fund was launched last year to motivate and assist local primary schools to start up curricular and extra-curricular activities or projects that focus on sustainability. Aside from Sekolah Kebangsaan Nanga Ajau, two other schools, Sekolah Kebangsaan Dato’ Keramat in Penang and Sekolah Kebangsaan Perdana Jaya in Subang Jaya have received funds for their sustainability projects.

“Sustainability continues to be at the heart of Scania’s operations and as a responsible business, we will continue to nurture the younger generation so they can grow to become future sustainability leaders,” added Ian.

“Having the sustainability gallery is the first step towards having a more proactive and permanent education tool on sustainability at our school. I am very thankful for Scania’s support as it provided us with a platform to conduct activities and create further awareness on the importance of sustainability,” commented Fadreen.

First opened in 1947, Sekolah Kebangsaan Nanga Ajau was initially built using timber donated by nearby longhouse residents as well as the assistance of the District Council and was only accessible only through the river. Today, the school is easily accessible and has a five-block dormitory, enjoys electricity 24 hours a day and treated water supply to cater for the 250 students and 30 staff.

With the creation of the Gallery, the school intends to organise activities such as a sustainability contest with other schools in the near future as part of their efforts to spread the importance of preserving the environmental message and sustainability amongst the greater Sarawak community.

The “Master Sustainability By Scania” Fund by Scania Malaysia is sustained by a portion of the company’s vehicle sales revenue. Schools are invited to submit their sustainability project and / or activity ideas by emailing Scania Malaysia at smyenquries@scania.com.