The Perak team was adjudged the best company at the national-level Tunas Niaga Programme (Young Entrepreneur Programme) 2015, held at Casuarina@Meru recently.
The team, comprising of five schools in Perak, defeated 42 other teams that participated in the convention. It scored 870 out of a possible 1000 points. It won RM1500, a trophy and a certificate during the highlight of the convention, which was officiated by Dato’ Samsudin Abu Hassan, Executive Councillor for Consumer Affairs, Entrepreneur Development, Cooperative, NGO and Civil Society. Present at the event was the Deputy Chief Executive (Corporate Services) of the Perak State Development Corporation, Sayed Shariffuddin Sayed Shamsuddin.
Second place went to the Pahang team with 847 points while the Malacca team came in third with 814 points.
The Perak team was represented by students from SMKA Kerian, Madrasah Idrisiah, SMKA Slim River, SMKA Sultan Abdullah and SM Sains Raja Tun Azlan Shah.
In his speech, Samsudin said that additional budget should be allocated for the programme to realise the country’s hope in producing one entrepreneur per family, as encouraged by Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
He added that the event is capable of producing at least 50 successful entrepreneurs from 250 participants.
“We can see the effectiveness of this programme based on feedback received. It should, therefore, be supported with a better budget allocation and other improvements in future. Today, we see the involvement of 1000 students from 42 secondary schools from around the country in the three-day convention. This is a record of sorts,” he added.
The revamped entrepreneurial programme, first introduced in 1989, was initially under the supervision of the Coordination Unit of the Prime Minister’s Department. Beginning 2014 it is being jointly sponsored by the Ministry of Financial and the Ministry of Education.
Rosli Mansor
