ASTRO Kasih is raising awareness on education inequality in the country by organising the Walk for Education on May 28, 2022, a 5km walk where participants will carry backpacks through a specially designed trail in Taman Wetland Putrajaya to simulate a student’s journey to school in the remote areas of Sabah and Sarawak every day.
Astro Group CEO Henry Tan explained: “At Astro, we believe that every child has the right to education, and we are committed to use our platform, reach, content and resources to give our children equal access to education for all.”
The walk is inspired by the journey of students living in the interiors of Malaysia, who wake up before sunrise and begin their journey to school on foot. Some even remove their shoes for fear of getting them dirty with mud. Many often leave their school bags behind because they do not want to get them wet when crossing rivers or from any unexpected weather changes.
Helley Jodir, a Bahasa Melayu and Mathematics teacher at SK Magandai in Kota Marudu, Sabah shared some of her students’ morning journey to school.
“Sometimes, I see kids step into the school compound with cuts on their feet and leeches latched onto their skin. Actually, traveling to school on foot is nothing to these students because they are used to it. It only becomes too dangerous for them when it rains. The jungle floor turns slippery and the river rises so the kids have no other choice but to stay at home and miss school.”
Supporting access to education is nothing new for Astro. Astro Kasih, the sustainability arm of Astro Malaysia has been championing education via its Kampus Astro in School programme where over five million students nationwide can access Astro’s learning content.
The Group has also invested over RM126 million since the launch of the programme, to create quality learning programmes such as Tutor TV SK, Tutor TV SMK, SPM Pro+ and more to ensure every child has equal access to education.
Tan said: “We embarked on our journey over 10 years ago, to equip every school with a decoder and TV so that every student would have access to our learning content. Since then, we have built three hostels and last year we worked with Starfish Malaysia Foundation to equip five of their hostels and one youth centre with our services. These hostels have helped the students save over 190,000 hours of daily school commute. Furthermore, whilst staying in the hostels, the children can spend more time on their studies and lesson revisions. We have seen academic improvement of the students in all three hostels with an average increase of 39.4% across all subjects in the UPSR exam from 2010-2019.”
Astro’s unique position gives them the ability to be the voice for good and champion for change and equality for different communities in the country.
Walk for Education promises a fun-filled day for the whole family, including games and activity stalls, as well as mini concerts featuring Timah, Wani Kayrie, Masya Masyitah, Abigail, Irfan Haris, Lil J, Ara Johari and Dem Lepak Boyz.
Besides spreading awareness, the walk also serves to support the students at SK Magandai and SK Malinsau in Sabah; SK Sg Paku in Sarawak; as well as Starfish Malaysia Foundation’s hostels across East Malaysia.
The Walk for Education event takes place at Taman Wetland Putrajaya. Participants can register, collect their kit and walk at their own pace between 6am to 10am on May 28.
Each ticket costs RM63, and families can purchase a combo package for RM226.80, consisting of 2 adult tickets and 2 kids tickets.
All participants will receive a T-shirt, bib number, Astro Kasih bag, drawstring bag and refreshments upon arrival, as well as a finisher medal and e-certificate after the walk.
Spots are limited, so hurry and book your place by May 15, 2022. Registration for the event is through the Ticket2U website.
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