THE Penang Island City Council (MBPP) aims to engage 100 schools in the Penang Green School Award competition on the island to raise environmental awareness and nurture a love for nature.
MBPP mayor Datuk A. Rajendran said 19 schools have registered since registration opened on March 15, with the participation deadline set for July 31.
“MBPP emphasises the importance of instilling environmental care from an early age. Through participation in the Penang Green School Award, primary and high school students can learn about waste separation, recycling, pollution prevention, and ecosystem balance.
“The island-level auditing session, scheduled from August to September, will determine the top three schools to represent Penang in the state-level Green School Award Competition,” said Rajendran during the competition launch at Komtar today.
Also present were Cheong Chee Hong, MBPP secretary; Chen Thean Hock, deputy director of Penang State Education Department; Mohd. Fauzi Ilias, deputy director of the Penang Environment Department; Josephine Tan Mei Ling, general manager of Penang Green Council; K. Kanda, advisor of Malaysia Nature Society Penang, and several others.
Five main prizes are up for grabs in this year’s Penang Green School Awards, catering to both primary and secondary schools.
Moreover, four special awards are available: Recycling, Cleanliness and Greening, Innovation and Creativity, and Digital Engagement. Schools also have the opportunity to compete for the Best Video Report category.
Rajendran also announced that MBPP’s collaboration with the Penang TYT Charitable Foundation and the Penang government to plant 150,000 Bougainvillea and Ficus trees along Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway, and 15,000 Acalypha and Murraya trees at Persiaran Karpal Singh in conjunction of Earth Day on April 22, aiming to reduce heat in Penang city.
Story by Nur Syakirah Mohd Basri
Pix by Siti Nuratikah Rahmat