GETTING A HELPING HAND ALL THE WAY

                     

KEEN....Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chai together with Chairman of S P Setia Foundation, Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye posing for a group photo with the "Anak Angkat Setia" from six primary schools in Kota Kinabalu.

By : TRYPHENA CHIN

"Our children are our country's hope for the future and they should not be deprived of their education because of poverty," says Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, Chairman of S P Setia.

Founded in year 2000 to help provide educational assistance to underprivileged students, S P Setia Foundation has since aided 7,800 students in Peninsular Malaysia through the Setia Adoption Program.

The same program is launched in Kota Kinabalu on Friday to help the first batch of 200 primary school pupils who need help, thus bringing the total number of Setia Adopted Children to 2,500 throughout the country.

The selected schools from Kota Kinabalu are SK Tanjung Aru1, SK Kepayan, SK Sacred Heart, SJK(C) Chung Hwa KK, SK Stella Maris and SJK(C) Yick Nam. Each pupil received school bags and stationary items during the launching.

The Setia Adoption Program is a core project under the S P Setia Foundation. They started out by adopting only 79 primary school children in Klang Valley. This rapidly expanded to 2,300 pupils of different races in121 schools in seven states, including Perlis, Kedah, Pulau Pinang, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor and Pahang.

Each pupil under the program receives funds worth RM1,000 every year for their school fees, textbooks, school bags, tuition fees, stationary, uniforms and canteen meals until they reach Primary 6.

In addition to that, Setia Adopted Children who achieved good results in their UPSR will receive similar funding worth RM1,200 in secondary education. Beyond that, they are also eligible for educational assistance from the foundation to help them through their studies in any Institution of Higher Education (IPTA) in the country.

To date, ten of these students are pursuing their tertiary education, while 400 are in secondary schools. The Foundation has been supporting them since they were in primary schools.

To provide encouragement and motivation for the students to excel in their studies, educational and fun activities such as UPSR Camps, Holiday Camps are held throughout the year, along with Excellence Awards Night to honour high achievers.

Lee urged the beneficiaries to appreciate the assistance that they receive and he reminded them to study diligently to improve their academic performance as the funding privileges can be withdrawn if they are found showing no interest in their studies.

Tan Sri Lee said the attention and the support of the parents and teachers are crucial for the success of this program, reminding them that it is the Foundation's hope that the Setia Adopted Children will grow up to be responsible and disciplined individuals.

Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Resource Development and Information Technology, Datuk Dr. Yee Moh Chai commended the Foundation for the good work done and urged more cooperate bodies to follow their footsteps.

He said, "The Setia Adoption Program is the most holistic programme I have seen, It has been successfully carried out in Peninsular Malaysia. I believe, we in Sabah can help to ensure similar success of this program in Sabah." (Insight Sabah)