KOTA KINABALU: Students of New York-based Think Global School
have arrived in Sabah for a two-month educational journey on the state's rich
culture and biodiversity.
They comprised
34 international students aged between 15 and 17, from the world's first
travelling high school.
The students
are here to acquire fresh experiences and even possibly incorporate them into
their lives back home.
The school
aims to bring students to live and study in a different country every semester,
engaging in place-based and project-based learning pertinent to the nations
they visit.
The school's principal, Adnan Mackovic, said the goal of their
visit was to help the students and teachers better understand Sabahan culture,
especially its biodiversity.
"I've personally visited Sabah twice to attend conferences. That's how I
became aware of Sabah. We made preparations to travel here with a group of
students right before the Covid-19 pandemic struck.
"We wanted our students to experience what we have learned
and what we know about the cultural and natural diversity in this state.
"We
believe Sabah would be the ideal location for some of them to encounter
cultures that are different from their own and to understand how such a diverse
culture could co-exist," he said.
The students
arrived in the state on July 5, accompanied by 11 Think Global teachers.
The students
hail from various locales such as the Middle East, the United States, Canada,
South Africa, Northern Europe and Asia.
During their
sojourn here, the group have so far visited the Mari-Mari Cultural Village in
Inanam for cultural immersion. They also hiked Mount Trus Madi in Tambunan, the
second highest mountain in Sabah.
They also
participated in activities with local villagers to learn about rice field
cultivation.
In addition,
they also learned how to cook using traditional bamboo and jungle survival
skills such as identifying edible wild plants.
Mackovic said
the students would get to visit the forest reserve, wildlife rehabilitation
centres, and an opportunity to go diving, among others.
Yesterday, the
Sabah Tourism Board hosted a dinner for the Think Global School group. Also
present was its chief marketing officer Tay Shu Lan.
Its chief
executive officer Noredah Othman, in welcoming the group, encouraged the
students to gain as much experience as they could and to share what they had
learnt with their families as well as peers once they return home.
"Think
Global School's presence in Sabah means a great deal to us since it promotes
our state by allowing students to learn about local places, local history, the
many ethnic groups and their way of life.
"While we
continue to promote Sabah as an eco-tourism hotspot, we also want visitors to
see it as a place where they may expand their horizons via education," she
said.
Sabah Tourism
Board supports activities that teach young travellers useful lessons, she
added.
The students'
schedules will include a learning session on blog and content writing with the
Sabah Tourism Board Communications and Digital Unit.
The purpose of
this session is to teach the students how to communicate what they have learnt
and how they may contribute to the promotion of Sabah.
On Aug 30, the
students will deliver presentations at which they will discuss what they have
managed to learn throughout their trip and their individual projects.
The public are
welcome to attend the sharing session at the Sabah State Library in Tanjung
Aru.
-nst online.
