The school’s project on reducing carbon emission impressed the judges at Yayasan PETRONAS’ Sentuhan Harapan
Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Tun Habab represented Johor at the final of the national level championship of Yayasan PETRONAS’ Sentuhan Harapan – All About Youth (AAY 2019) after beating nine other schools from the state.
The school’s project, called PELTZ, an air conditioner that conserves up to 15% electricity, impressed the judges as it addressed the AAY 2019 theme on “Reducing Carbon Emissions for a Better Future”.
Two hundred students from 10 schools in Form 2 and Form 4 in Johor spent the last three months developing solutions based on the theme, aiming to benefit the community and the environment.
“We are thrilled to make Johor proud at the National Finals, shared team member, Syalabiah Bt Omar Syariff, 16.
“It was heartening to see the students working together and pushing themselves out of their comfort zones to deliver strong solutions,” said school teacher, Mohd Nor Akmal B Salleh, who coached the team from the school.
CEO Yayasan PETRONAS, Lita Osman said, “PETRONAS aims to spark conversations on climate change amongst students and inspire them to think creatively and develop innovative solutions including applying STEM to address the issue on a sustainable future. AAY visions to spur social innovation and support the Government’s 60:40 target ratio of STEM-Arts enrolment as well as the country’s aspiration to reduce carbon emissions”.
Since 2014, AAY has reached more than 200 schools and 4,600 students. More than 150 PETRONAS volunteers or ‘buddies’ have nurtured, tutored and motivated participants. 200 impactful community projects have been successfully developed, including a flood alert system to warn pedestrians and motorists not to cross the bridge when it is deemed unsafe, an eco-friendly toilet installed at school that saves energy and water.
AAY is supported by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change.
This year, 50 schools in five states – Sabah, Sarawak, Terengganu, Melaka and Johor competed in AAY 2019. Each team received RM1,000 seed funding, a Technology Toolbox worth RM1,250 and mentoring by PETRONAS volunteers to develop their project over three months.
Apart from the National Finals, five schools with projects identified by the judges to have high impact solutions and potential commercial value will have another 15 weeks to enhance their project. The schools will compete for the Chairman’s Circle championship in December, that offers a grand prize of RM30,000.
