Petaling Jaya, 15 July 2017 - There is a saying ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’, 40 school children aged between 15 to 17 from SMK Seksyen 4, Kota Damansara and 4 teachers were invited by Salcon Berhad for a day of interactive, educational and fun outdoor activities during the Salcon Smart Water Programme (SSWP) at the Lembah Kiara, Taman Tun Dr Ismail today.
SSWP is a bi-monthly corporate responsibility programme initiated by Salcon Berhad in collaboration with Water Watch Penang (WWP) as part of the company’s continuous effort in inculcating love for our rivers among students via a hands-on approach. The programme which started in 2010, provides a great platform for the students to experience the great outdoors rather than being just cooped up in the classroom.
Salcon Berhad General Manager - Corporate, Ms Chern Meng Gaik said the programme aims to promote awareness on the importance of good quality water supplies in sustaining a community and its development.
According to Ms Chern, “The children are given a hands-on opportunity to conduct the various tests themselves. This piques their interest and enhances their learning experience.” she said.
Schools around Klang valley are invited to participate in the SSWP and to date, the programme has benefitted more than 40 schools and 1,800 children since its inception and has garnered good support and response from teachers and students. Under the guidance of WWP facilitators, students mastered the skills and technique of conducting river and water testing. They were briefed by facilitators before commencing the experiments themselves.
“I am glad to be able to join the programme today as I am able to gain valuable knowledge about importance of river as well as the creatures that live in it through fun activities,” said Kong Yee Yuan, 17 years old from SMK Seksyen 4 Kota Damansara.
Meanwhile, Puan Noraziera Binti Amran, teacher of SMK Seksyen 4 Kota Damansara said, “We are impressed with the concepts and approach that Salcon and WWP brings to our students and hope that they will adapt and practice in schools and also in their everyday life”. She also added that, “The programme not only teaches students in the scope of sciences but also trains students working in a group to complete their tasks. We sincerely hope that we could organize the programme again with different groups of students.
The SSWP is packed with a series of water education activities, aimed at promoting awareness on the importance of good quality water supplies in sustaining a community and its development. SMK Damansara Jaya students get the chance to conduct hands-on water experiments at Sg Penchala in Lembah Kiara, Taman Tun Dr Ismail. Amongst the interactive activities carried out is physical water testing, which is the process of monitoring the water flow rate, clarity, color and smell.
Apart from that, throughout the programme, students get to apply various scientific theories which they had learned back at school. For example, the chemical experiment where students were guided on monitoring the alkaline and acidic levels within the river water and identifying different kinds of organisms living in the river which is an indicator of the river’s health level.
Salcon measures the effectiveness of the programme through a pre and post water knowledge evaluation. The evaluation result has shown that the students’ understanding on water knowledge has increased significantly after conducting the activities by themselves.