By TMR / Pic By TMR

Some 982 students from seven schools in Pontian, Johor, will now get free breakfast at the school canteen, thanks to an initiative by Malakoff Corp Bhd.

“Jom Sarap” aims to address absenteeism and provide students a healthy first meal of the day. To those hailing from the poorer families, this is certainly a welcome gesture.

“By providing the school children with a good start of the day, it is hoped that they will feel energised and will be able to stay focused on their lessons, and eventually improve their grades,” Malakoff CEO Datuk Ahmad Fuaad Mohd Kenali said in a statement.

Malakoff launched the latest corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme at SK Serkat in Pontian last week.

The initiative is aimed not only to provide the school children with a nutritious breakfast to improve their focus in class, but also to encourage them to come early to school, the company said in the statement.

The initiative will benefit students from seven primary schools in Mukim Serkat in Pontian, until the end of the current school year.

The schools are SK Sungai Durian, SK Serkat, SK Andek Mori, SK Permas Kelapa, SK Seri Sinaran Chokoh, SK Sungai Boh and SJK (C) Pei Chiao.

“‘Jom Sarap’ demonstrates our commitment to education, particularly in the local communities where we operate,” said Ahmad Fuaad.

The programme is supported by Kukup state assemblyman Suhaimi Salleh, Mukim Serkat village chief Roslan Bokari, the respective school principals and chairmen of the parent-teacher association.

During the course of “Jom Sarap”, the school canteen operators will serve free breakfast early in the morning in accordance with the guidelines set by the Ministry of Education.

In applauding the programme, Suhaimi said it would go towards lessening the financial burden of families — especially those in the low income group.

On top of that, he said the CSR programme is also time-saving as parents will not need to worry about preparing breakfast, but will instead concentrate on sending their children early to school.

With this, he hopes that the number of late-comers will also decline.

In addition to providing free breakfast, Malakoff also plans to organise a 20-week Science, English and Mathematics tuition classes for 156 UPSR candidates from the same seven schools.

A motivational talk and an examination seminar will also be organised for them next month.

At present, Malakoff has several CSR on education programmes for the local communities where it operates.

The Malakoff Edufund Programme, which was established in 2002, provides financial support to equip its 11 adopted schools in Segari (Perak), Prai (Penang) and Pontian (Johor) with learning tools and better infrastructure.

The other programmes include extending assistance in kind such as school bags, shoes and basic stationery at the start of the school year.

Malakoff Corp is a member of the MMC Group. — TMR