Cepatwawasan Humana Education Resource Centre (CHERC)
Cepatwawasan Group Berhad
CHERC’s current enrolment is 200. Most of all, the children continue to complete primary 6 and the dropout rate is negligible.
INTRODUCTION
Hundreds of under privileged children in Sabah have access to preschool and primary education via Cepatwawasan Group Bhd’s (CGB) corporate social responsibility project – Cepatwawasan Humana Education Resource Centre (CHERC). CHERC is a partnership between CGB and Humana Child Aid Society Sabah (an NGO) to reach out to these children in very remote areas like plantations far away from schools. Some of them are migrant workers’ children who are classified as “stateless” and thus not entitled to attend public schools.CHERC is all for education to empower the people. A good primary education will pave the way for the underprivileged children to attend secondary and tertiary education. They can secure a brighter future via education and contribute to society. The RM1mil CHERC centre in Segaliud, Kinabatangan, Sabah opened doors with its first intake of 50 pupils in 2009. Its current enrolment is 200, and more than 300 pupils from preschool and primary have graduated so far. Humana centres are licensed by the Malaysian Education Ministry, and there are over 12,000 children studying in its 132 centres as of 2013.
FRAMEWORK AND STRATEGY
The building for CHERC was completed in 6 months under the monitoring of CGB’s senior plantation and plant managers in 2009. CGB forged a partnership with Humana Child Aid Society Sabah which has the expertise and experience to provide preschool and primary education. The RM1mil CHERC, built on a two-acre land, is equipped with an amphitheatre, library, computer room, study rooms, a play corner, outdoor playground, a field and teacher quarters. CHERC is located within CGB’s WTJ Plantation in Segaliud, Kinabatangan in Sabah where the company’s – Mill, Biogas and Biomass Power Plant – are also located.The planning, construction and operations of CHERC were undertaken by a team comprising general manager, senior administration manager, senior Biomass plant manager and Humana project director to ensure the project’s sustainability. CGB took pride in the support for and cooperation with Humana to provide preschool and primary education to thousands of children in Sabah. The partnership optimises their natural synergy to achieve a common mission and vision for the society.
ACHIEVEMENT AND IMPACT
The response to CHERC has been most encouraging since its inception in 2009. Its current enrolment is 200. Most of all, the children continue to complete primary 6 and the dropout rate is negligible. More than 300 children from preschool and primary level have graduated to date. This has spurred CHERC to reach out to more children in need, and constantly upgrade the quality of teaching. Some 100 teachers from other Humana centres had also attended seminars at CHERC. CHERC, the biggest among the Humana centres, is a model centre and benchmark for the rest. It has attracted visitors from the UNICEF, foreign embassies and local and foreign institutions.FUTURE DIRECTION
CGB will continue to provide financially assisted preschool and primary education for the underprivileged because there is always a need for it. The success of CHERC is another reason for CGB to set up similar centres in the near future. CGB’s holding company – MHC Plantations Bhd has also donated another edutcation resource centre in Simpang Pulai, Perak. The centre is for the orang asli community staying along the way to Cameron Highlands.
Cepatwawasan Group Berhad (CGB) is a public listed investment holding company in Malaysia. Owning and operating of oil palm plantations in Sabah, CGB’s core business also includes milling, renewable power generation and quarrying. CGB’s registered office is in Sandakan, Sabah.
