Sunday August 2, 2009
Gift of reading
By SARAH CHEW
IT HAS been 35 years since he left SMK St John’s, but Petra Perdana Berhad executive chairman and chief executive officer Tengku Datuk Ibrahim Petra Tengku Indra Petra has not forgtten his alma mater.
He has many memories of studying hard, playing basketball and fearing teachers who had the autonomy to keep students in check.
“But those days are gone,” he said at the launch of the school’s Library Week last month. “But what has been consistent throughout the years was we were always encouraged to read.”
Believing in the power of reading and wanting to contribute to the school, he returned and sponsored RM25,000 worth of books and equipment for the school library.
Top: Tengku Ibrahim browsing through a book in the school’s library. Looking on is Dr Puvanendran (centre). “Get into the reading habit.as it would not only allow you to achieve academic success but would also enable your minds to mature and think creatively,” he told SMK St John’s students.
“You must make use of the library now, because when you get to university, three quarters of your time will be spent at the library.”
Tengku Ibrahim pointed out that book titles to be bought for the library were suggested by students themselves.
“It’s no point giving them books they won’t read,” he said after the launch. “I used to read Charles Dickens, George Orwell and Shakespeare, but now, they read ghost stories and Transformers!”
The school deputy principal Dr Puvanendran V. Maruthavanar said the school, together with Petra Perdana Berhad and MPH Bookstores Sdn Bhd (MPH), had organised a reading competition for its students where they would sit for tests based on books they have read and stand to win cash prizes.
“We’re hoping that dangling the cash incentive will encourage more students to start reading at the library,” he said.
He added that students who come early to school would be assembled at the concourse area or in an empty classroom and encouraged to read or complete their homework.
“During the Library Week, we also have language games and an MPH book exhibition with discounted prices on books for teachers and students,” he said.
Besides sponsoring prizes, MPH gave the school’s 27 librarians free MPH Reader’s Circle memberships.
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