| Ishan Ibrahim |
YEAR 6 pupils of Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (YSHHB) Primary School took part in the school’s Yayasan School Reforestation Project (YSRP) tree planting activity recently.
The project, organised by the school’s Science Department and supported by the Forestry Department, was carried out to instil among the pupils a sense of responsibility, respect and love towards nature which has been badly affected by deforestation and other human activities.
It is one of the key activities of YSHHB Primary School, which has adopted a ‘Giving Back to the Earth’ stance ever since its foundation.
Officiating the ceremony was Nagma M Mallick, the High Commissioner of India to Brunei Darussalam, who donated five saplings. She was accompanied by Noorhaizamdin bin Haji Mohd Mosbi, the Chief Executive Officer of YSHHB School, and Hajah Mariam binti Haji Ladi, YSHHB Primary School Principal.
In her welcoming address, Hajah Mariam emphasised the importance of educating the young students on the disastrous effects of deforestation and the significance of protecting the environment. “The tree planting programme will help instil a sense of responsibility as well as respect and love towards nature within the students,” she said.
The activity is periodically organised and monitored by Shanju Najumunniza Ammal, Head of the school’s Science Department.
One of the students planted an agathis borneensis sapling – known locally as tolong – on the partially barren hill slopes of the school’s football field, which is showing signs of erosion due to deforestation.
His peers, meanwhile, planted 51 saplings of different species, such as casuarina, baru baru (hibiscus tiliaceus), tabebuia chrysantha, yellow palm (dypsis lutescens), karamunting (rhodomyrtus tomentosa), melawaring red palm (cyrtostachys lakka), ru runang (gymnostoma nobile) and syzygium.
The saplings were donated by the Forestry Department under the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism.
Zulkifli bin Abdullah, an officer from the Forestry Department, led the tree planting, advising the students where to plant the saplings according to the soil quality on the hill slopes.
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