Ting (far right) handing over the mock cheque to SJK (C) Sin Min Tronoh Mines Parents-Teachers Association Chairman Ng Sam while (from left) Dr Cheah, Tuan Khairul Amir and Yee look on
Ting Zhong Yee, the main Campaign Director of UTAR Faculty of Arts and Social Science’s (FAS) Public Relations Educational Community Service Event (PRECSE) 2013-2014, was beaming from ear to ear as he enthusiastically related the invaluable lessons learnt through community engagement at the Tronoh Mines New Village in Kampar, Perak. He said, “Engaging in UTAR PRECSE at the Tronoh Mines has opened my eyes to the value of community service in improving people’s lives. The journey has instilled a sense of responsibility and sympathy for the poor and the deprived and sharpened my understanding of humanitarian issues.”
Launched on 1 March 2014, the UTAR PRECSE 2013-2014’s main objective was to reach out to the community in support of voluntary services. PRECSE members organised a series of community engagement activities which were part of the UTAR FAS Public Relations (PR) students’ coursework projects to gain hands-on practical experiences on volunteerism, social responsibility and event management. Among the activities done by PRECSE members at the launch were four English workshops focusing on fundamental skills of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing for Chinese Independent High Schools in Perak namely Sekolah Menengah Pei Yuan Kampar, Sekolah Menengah Shen Jai Ipoh and Sekolah Menengah Poi Lam (SUWA). PRECSE also worked together with Teach For Malaysia (TFM) to assist in recruiting fellows, support corps members, volunteers and campus leaders to promote education equality.
PRECSE members working together during the gotong-royong
PRECSE focused outreach activities such as eradicating Aedes breeding hotspots, refurnishing the Dewan Orang Ramai and beautifying the new village by planting trees. At SJK(C) Sin Min Tronoh Mines the students took the extra effort to set-up an English corner in each of the total six classrooms in addition to re-building the long jump track. Such community projects to uplift the lives of school children and the new villagers are experiential service programmes to inspire students to be more caring for the community and to equip them with key skills in planning and managing relational events.
The highlight of PRECSE was the cheque presentation ceremony held on 15 March at Dewan Orang Ramai, Tronoh Mines. A donation of RM40,000 was given to SJK (C) Sin Min Tronoh Mines with RM30,000 in cash and the remaining RM10,000 in school physical facilities and equipment. This amount was raised at the UTAR PRECSE 2013-2014 Colour Divine Run which was organised earlier on with support from sponsors.
The Guest of Honour for the PRECSE cheque presentation ceremony was Kampar District Council President Tuan Khairul Amir Bin Mohamad Zubir who thanked the UTAR PRECSE team for the contribution and he expressed appreciation for UTAR’s continuous efforts in organising the community service projects. Also present at the ceremony were the Secretary of Kampar District Council Nor Akmal bin Yang Ghazali, Tronoh Mines New Village Head Cheah Ah Low, Headmaster of the SJK (C) Sin Min Tronoh Mines Yee Chun Weng, Chairman of the Parents-Teachers Association of SJK (C) Sin Min Tronoh Mines Ng Sam, UTAR Faculty of Arts and Social Science Dean Dr Cheah Phaik Kin and Head of Public Relations Department Ng Eng Kiat.
Organised by the FAS Public Relations undergraduates, PRECSE is a community service themed event focusing on English education and community services. Among the main sponsors were Generasi Nirwana Sdn Bhd, PEUGEOT, Aneka Jaring Sdn Bhd, UNI Machinery Supply & Trading Sdn Bhd, Tac-Tools Sdn Bhd, ST Glass Trading, VSL Engineers (M) Sdn Bhd, KiS Concepts Sdn Bhd, NorthernPlas Healthcare Sdn Bhd, Nania Childhood Development for Life, Puncak Kampar, Gaharu Technologies, T-ST (M) Sdn Bhd and Jurutera Perunding RIZ Sdn Bhd.
Ting (fifth from right) handing over a desktop computer to Yee while others (from left) Cheah, Ng, Nor Akmal, Dr Cheah, Tuan Khairul Amir, Ng Sam and sub-directors look on
A student from SJK Sin Min (C) Tronoh Mines trying a long jump at newly rebuilt long jump track by PRECSE members
All smiles for a group photograph after the closing ceremony
