ASAJAYA: SJK (C) Chung Hua Sambir’s 100-year journey reflects how education has long served as common ground for generations of different communities in Asajaya.
Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the school had played an important role in educating the local community since its establishment in 1926.
He said its contribution was particularly significant considering that Sambir was difficult to access a century ago, when road and transport links were virtually non-existent.
“Those who started the school were very forward-looking in understanding the importance of education for the local community.
“One hundred years is a very long time. If a school can survive for 100 years, it shows that the institution has gone through a long journey and has been well looked after,” he said at SJK (C) Chung Hua Sambir’s 100th Anniversary celebration here on Friday night (Sept. 25).
Abdul Karim said Chung Hua schools were already providing education in the area before the expansion of government schools following the formation of Malaysia in 1963.
He noted that their classrooms were not confined to the Chinese community, with generations of Chinese, Malay and Iban children receiving their early education at such schools.
He said this legacy remained visible today, pointing to a cultural performance during the celebration featuring pupils from different ethnic backgrounds.
“This is the kind of unity we want to see in Asajaya – everyone progressing, developing themselves and bringing the community to a higher level,” he said.
Meanwhile, Abdul Karim announced RM120,000 from his Minor Rural Project (MRP) allocation towards the school’s proposed RM1.2-million basketball court, representing 10 per cent of the estimated project cost.
He said further funding could be explored through the Rural Transformation Project (RTP) in collaboration with the school management.
Abdul Karim, who is also Asajaya assemblyman, hoped the facility could be completed within a year while the school continues educating and nurturing future generations.
