80pc of works were from Sabah students
Published on: Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Kota Kinabalu: Sabah schools contributed more than 80 per cent of the total artworks submitted for The Art of Nation Building (TANB) 2017, a nationwide drawing competition. For this year, its third installment is themed "Hari Jadi Malaysia" (Malaysia's Birthday) with its slogan "Celebrating Diversity" which ran throughout the months of June and July. The TANB, which started in 2015, is Society Empowerment and Economic Development of Sabah's (SEEDS) flagship community engagement programme, aiming at inculcating a sense of belonging among the students and instilling in them the spirit of unity in diversity.
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The results were finalised on 10 August 2017.Apart from that, there is also a significant participation amongst schools from Peninsula Malaysia recorded at 1,718 entries from ten states and Federal Territories including Labuan compared to only five states last year. Additionally, the organising committee received 26 drawings from students with various disabilities such as autism, Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy and speech and hearing impediments. Nor Hatiesyam Redzuan, the coordinator for the students with special needs at SMK Lundu Sarawak, encouraged his students to participate in the competition to build their self-confidence and unleash their artistic talent.
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"This is also a chance for my students to prove that they can do what students without disabilities can", he said. Overall, the total number of participants had a remarkable increase from 5,189 in 2015, its inaugural year to 10033 this year nationwide.
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Through an exciting period of a nationwide drawing competition, the young generation are told to observe the significance of the formation of Malaysia as part of a successful history by Dr Pamela Yong, co-chairperson of TANB and chairperson of Federation of Sabah Chinese Women Associations at a press conference. "We must all reconcile to the fact that the country was formed and born on 16 September 1963. No one can dispute that. And when there is no dispute, there can only be agreement, peace, harmony and ultimately, unity. This is exactly what we want our young people to know through this competition," she said. As a result of the positive growth of participation, SEEDS Chairman Datuk Badil Zaman appeals to corporate sectors and Government-Linked Companies (GLC) to contribute funds for TANB. "We are appealing to corporate sectors and GLC to be part of the nation building in young minds by financially supporting TANB." "We're building a nation. We're building a greater understanding," he added. This programme is supported by the State Education Department under the leadership of its director, Datuk Maimunah Suhaibul and the deputy director Datuk Dr Mohd Kassim, and head of sector Zaini Yanin and Abidin Marjan. Further collaboration is made with the Federation of Sabah Chinese Women Associations, Junior Chamber International Kota Kinabalu (JCI KK), Young Malaysians Movement Tanjung Aru (YMM) and Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) of Sabah division. "Greatest appreciation too to the panel of judges headed by Cikgu Aspurani Ismail who were tested to their limits to identify the winners from the sea of over a 10,000 artworks," Dr Pamela said. The results for the highest participating schools are listed in four categories: Primary School (Urban), Primary School (Rural), Secondary School (Urban) and Secondary School (Rural). Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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