Kota Samarahan, 23 May 2025 – With the theme “Waste Management Training for Schools in Kota
Samarahan,” a second-year student in the chemistry program at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), Faculty of Resource Science and Technology (FSTS), successfully carried out a SULAM (Service Learning Malaysia – University for Society) community engagement project under the course STK2983: Waste Management and Toxicology.
A total of 103 UNIMAS students participated in this impactful program, which reached out to five schools in Kota Samarahan, namely SK Merdang, SK Jalan Muara Tuang, SK (A) Ibnu Khaldun, SMK Jalan Muara Tuang (on 21 May), and SMK Kota Samarahan (on 22 May). The initiative was conducted under the guidance of course lecturers Associate Professor Dr. Rafeah Wahi, Dr. Muhammad Abdurrahman Munir, and Dr. Junidah Lamaming, and was carried out in collaboration with the Samarahan Municipal Council (MPKS) through its Healthy City initiative.
Throughout the two-day program, 320 school students participated in a series of interactive and hands-on activities specially designed by the Chemistry undergraduates. The training focused on raising awareness of the 3R principles—Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle—while equipping the participants with practical knowledge and skills to implement sustainable waste management practices in their schools.
Among the highlights of the program were the 3R Checkpoint Game, Scavenger Hunt, Mini Expo, Gardening Workshop, and Film Festival Showcase, which made learning about sustainability fun and memorable. To support long-term impact, each school was presented with a customized 3R Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) booklet to help them kickstart or strengthen their own 3R programs.
The SULAM project not only strengthened the chemistry students’ understanding of waste management concepts through real-world application but also empowered the school communities to become change agents in environmental conservation. It successfully promoted environmental awareness, encouraged schools to participate in district and state-level 3R competitions, and contributed directly to MPKS’s broader vision for a Healthy City. This initiative stands as a testament to the effectiveness of university-community collaboration in driving meaningful and sustainable change.
This SULAM program aligns with the aspirations of the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) under the MOHE Inspirational Focus Program 3: Knowledge Transfer and Sharing, as outlined in the Hala Tuju Pendidikan Tinggi 2025 (HTPT 2025) – Sejahtera MADANI. It also supports the ‘1 IPT : 1 Daerah’ initiative, which emphasizes the role of higher education institutions in community development, in line with UNIMAS’s UniversCities agenda. This initiative also directly contributes to SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, and SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, while strengthening collaborative networks between academia, industry, and the community.
