Published: Jun 15, 2007
KOTA KINABALU: Coming from a poor family, Beberino Albert does not get pocket money when he goes to school.
When he needed to buy books, he would have to beg for money from his parents, both farmers, who have to dig deep in their pockets.
Yesterday, the 17-year-old Form Five student of SMK Tambunan, about 90km from here, was beaming. He was among 200 secondary school students who received a bursary of RM750 from Shell Malaysia.
“It is a relief as it will greatly ease the burden of my parents to pay for my school needs,” said Beberino who aspires to be an archaeologist.
He can now focus on his studies for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination.
“Instead of tapping rubber with my parents, I can now spend my weekends studying.” Despite the hardship, Beberino did very well in the Peperiksaan Menengah Rendah, scoring 6As and 1B, and he hopes to do even better in the SPM examination.
Elizabeth Jumin, another bursary recipient, was the toast of her school, SMK Pinggan-Pinggan in Pitas, about 160km from here.
The Form Four student was the first from the school to be awarded the bursary.
“The bursary will spur me to achieve my dream of becoming a microbiologist.” Shell Malaysia chairman Saw Choo Boon said education continues to be a key thrust of the company’s corporate social responsibility programme.