With school scheduled to resume come September, the CSR initiative by nations power supplier Tenaga Nasional Berhad couldn’t have come at a better time. TNB confirms that this year under its various programs for students it will allocate RM15.9 million to sponsor online learning equipment’s, basic school supplies as well as activities such as workshops, tuitions, and exam preparation.
TNB Chairman Datuk Mahdzir Khalid said that since 2013, the company has carried out various programmes at school level to try to ensure no child is left behind in terms of education and it is also to lessen the burden of B40 families especially in rural areas. Beginning with Program Sekolah PINTAR which was inspired by Khazanah Nasional, which saw more than 4088 students from under-served schools hone their talent, excel in the studies and achieve overall in academic.
Mahdzir added that 11 schools in rural areas across the nation have been selected for the same programme this year with RM315,000 allocated for activities such as motivational camps, tuition classes, seminars, and examination workshops. “Our sponsorship provides these students with opportunities to improve their selfdevelopment and academic performance”. Between 2021 and 2023, the activities at all 11 PINTAR adopted schools will be organised with a total cost of RM945,000. Under the Trust School Programme, TNB has spent RM32 million over five years or RM6.4 million a year for educational transformation programmes at eight selected schools in Perak, Terengganu, Selangor, and Kelantan.
The programme which was a collaborative effort between TNB, the Ministry of Education, and Amir Foundation under Khazanah Nasional has benefitted 6,991 students from suburban schools. To help students from urban poor families within the neighbourhood of TNB Headquarters in Bangsar, the company has taken the initiative to give out an allowance of RM1,500 a year for each student since 2018. Up until 2020, RM513,000 had been disbursed to 150 students. This yearly allowance was given for a period of three years since they were in Form Three. For the next three-year cycle starting 2021, another 150 students have received this allowance with an allocation of RM675,000.
Under Tabung Cerdik that was set up by Yayasan Hasanah, 150,000 secondary students will be given laptops, tablets, and internet data services, TNB is one of the main sponsors with a contribution of RM5 million which will benefit 3,165 students. For Ceria Ke Sekolah programme, 30,000 students from B40 families have and will receive school necessities with an allocation of RM3 million this year.
What most of us take for granted, basic necessity like a pair of glasses can impede a child from getting good education, TNB took note of this and has allocated RM395,000 for the Better Brighter Vision which will give spectacles for more than 1,000 primary and secondary school students. “The programme has made it possible for 1,324 students from B40 families to keep up with their studies better since it was first introduced in 2019. Insya Allah, we will continue with the BBV programme once the school session reopens.”
