Students receive 1Malaysia

The government must continue to provide high-quality education to students in the rural areas to enable them to improve their lives. Former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said such opportunities must be given to students living in the rural areas as they had proven to be no less capable than their peers in the cities. He said there were many rural school in Kepala Batas, where he is the member of parliament, that had recorded good performances and proven to be able to compete with other schools in the state. "If given an equal chance in getting high-quality education, children in villages will also yield good academic results. "We appreciate the Education Ministry's efforts in ensuring that rural children are not sidelined," he said, adding that the government must continue such efforts. Abdullah was at the 1Malaysia Netbook presentation ceremony in SMK Datuk Haji Ahmad Badawi here on Sunday, where 450 students received netbooks contributed by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). The students were from SMK Datuk Haji Ahmad Badawi, SMK Datuk Haji Abdul Kadir and SMK Kepala Batas. Abdullah said the use of netbooks as teaching and learning tools were a good way to help increase students' performance. "The netbooks will open doors to various information on the Internet, which will widen the students' knowledge beyond their textbooks," he said. Also present was Pinang Tunggal assemblyman Datuk Roslan Saidin, Bertam assemblyman Zabariah Abdul Wahab and Northern Region MCMC director Hussin Ali.