On 11 July 2018, Malakoff Corporation Berhad (Malakoff), sponsored the Switching on Green Technology programme, which was launched at Dewan Astaka, University Malaysia Pahang (UMP), Gambang campus as part of UMP’s STEM (Science Technology Energy and Mathematics) Programme. STEM is an educational initiative for students all over Pahang that empowers them by raising their awareness and educating them on Renewable Energy (RE). UNESCO, Department of Water and Irrigation, and Pahang State Education Department also supported the programme.

The programme was a 2-day camp, where students from various schools around Pahang boarded at UMP’s hostel and attended various classes regarding solar power, as well as the technical aspects of setting up and running a solar based power source.

On the second day, the students built solar-powered cars, which were put to the test in the form of a competition. This competition displayed their understanding and application of the knowledge they had accumulated throughout the entire programme.

Speaking about the programme, En. Hairol Azizi Tajudin, Vice President of the Special Projects and Renewable Energy Division who represented Malakoff at the event, highlighted the organisation’s efforts at penetrating into the RE sector especially in Malaysia and hopes that the programme would leave a positive impact by preparing the students to contribute to the RE sector in the future. “RE is the way forward in the energy sector and is one of the initiatives currently being pursued by the Government. Hence, this is one of our contributions towards realising the Government’s initiatives,” he added.

Prof. Dr. Jamil bin Ismail, the Assistant Vice Chancellor, Industry Partnership & Community Relation, in his speech talked about UMP’s approach to “Communitising Green Technology”. He explained the need of raising awareness about RE as fossil fuel is quickly depleting and warned on the dangers of being dependent on it in the long run. Therefore, he expressed his hope for the students who attended the programme to be at the forefront of RE in Malaysia, in particular solar energy, in the future.