PETALING JAYA, 16 November 2019 – Underpinned by the sustainable and long-term educational awareness programme - Salcon Smart Water Programme (SSWP), Salcon Berhad is building and strengthening the capacity of its river conservation education via Salcon Train-of- Trainers Programme (TOT) at Taman Persiaran Bukit Kiara, TTDI today.
The TOT programme, which is conducted for the seventh year running since 2013, is an extension of the award-winning SSWP organised in the collaboration with non-governmental organization, Water Watch Penang (WWP). The TOT programme is organized with the objective of training teachers to become facilitators by providing the necessary skills and knowledge so that they can run the programme by themselves for their students. This approach will enable more students to benefit from the programme as the message can be delivered deeper, wider and faster.
To date, the TOT programme has reached out to approximately 200 teachers and benefited more than 1,500 students through their own river programme.
A total of 10 teachers from 7 schools in Klang Valley got their feet wet to learn and conduct the river monitoring programme under the guidance of the facilitators from WWP during the half-day programme. The programme covers hands-on physical, chemical and biological river water testing such as observation on river appearance to determine the water flow rate within a certain time frame flow rate, identifying the water pH level, dissolved oxygen, turbidity and gathering the sample of aquatic organism in river for observation.
Mr. Willeam Peter Nadeson, teacher of SMJK Yu Hua said, “The programme has opened my eyes to the techniques of water quality motoring and enlightened me on the importance of river conservation to ensure a healthy river ecosystem.”
“It is always our objective rooted in sustainability and long term value creation, to educate not only the children but empowering the teachers to grow our next generation,” said Ms Chern Meng Gaik, General Manager- Corporate of Salcon Berhad.
“Ever since the TOT programme started in 2013, the number of students benefitting from the programme has more than doubled, from an average of 200 to 440 students per year,” she added.
The company will lend all the testing and monitoring kits for the schools should they decide to conduct their own river programme. This is to encourage and support the teachers to plan the programme easily and readily. Aside from this, Salcon will provide the testing and monitoring kits for free to schools which conduct 4 programmes and above per year.
The President of WWP, Prof. Dr. Chan Ngai Weng, who is also affectionately nicknamed ‘the Malaysia’s Waterman’, together with his team, shared their experience with the participants on how to conduct a successful and sustainable river programme. “We are delighted to see the teachers participating actively on this water conservation education programme. We hope to harness our capabilities and reach out to more students and teachers with no one left behind,” said Prof. Dr. Chan.
The Salcon Smart Water Programme started in 2010 and has benefited more than 3,000 students thus far. It has received two prestigious regional recognitions which are Asia-Pacific Enterprises Leadership Awards - Educational Service Award and Asia Responsible Entrepreneurship Awards 2013 Southeast Asia - Green Leadership Award.