21-05-2025
Tunku Putra-HELP students delve into world of journalism
Ghaz speaks on a day in the life of a journalist to the students during the session.
KUCHING (May 21): Sixty-six students of Tunku Putra-HELP School here were given an insight into the world of journalism as part of the school's third Gala event today.
The hour-long session focused on event reporting and the daily life of a journalist.
Conducted by The Borneo Post senior journalist Jude Peter Toyat and senior news editor Ghaz Ghazali, the session aimed at developing real-world media literacy skills.
Participants were introduced to various aspects of journalism including presentation, photography, writing, and content production.
'They want to learn more about the job scope of a journalist and what journalists do in a day.
'So, event reporting is one of our five focus areas, where students are learning the skills for reporting—whether it's presentation, photo-taking, writing, and all that,' said Assistant Principal (Pastoral) Ida Tan Mei-Erh when met at the event.
This year's Gala 2025 involves approximately 850 students across the school, including those from kindergarten.
It is divided into five focus areas: event reporting, sports, adventure and skills, artistic and creativity, and academic and community engagement.
'For Gala this year, we have five big groups. Sports and adventure are the most popular among the students. However, artistic and creativity has the largest group with around 300 students. We also have more outdoor and off-site activities this time,' Tan added.
Among the activities conducted under the adventure and skill area are shelter-building, backward cooking, and kayaking.
The academic and community group focuses on Sustainable Development Goals, with older students scheduled to go on a food tour at Kuching Waterfront later this week.
The school's Gala programme, which replaces the traditional sports day, began in 2022.
'This is our third Gala. The first was in 2022, then 2024, and now this one. We don't do normal sports day because not everyone is into sports.
'Gala gives students a choice to pursue something they like for two and a half days,' said Tan.
She explained that the event also encourages students from different year levels to mix.
'This time, as long as you're in Primary, you can sign up depending on the activities. For example, wall climbing is open from Primary 5 to Form 5. Students mix with others they usually wouldn't be with,' she added.
The school has also introduced external facilitators to provide new experiences, including a K-pop instructor.
The K-pop dance group, part of the artistic and creativity track, is set to perform during the pop-up show tomorrow.
'Students will perform on Friday. It's not a full concert, more like a pop-up performance—maybe two or three minutes. We will also have a fashion show featuring designs made from recycled materials like newspapers and plastic bottles,' said Tan.
She said feedback from parents has been positive and the school is looking to expand its community engagement further.
'We're close with Unimas (Universiti Malaysia Sarawak) and Sarawak Eco Warriors, a very good NGO. They conduct beach clean-ups and plogging.
'We're also part of a music festival with our sister schools in KL and Johor,' she said.
The Gala 2025 programme continues through the week, culminating in performances and exhibitions showcasing the students' work and experiences across all five areas. Gala event journalism Tunku Putra-HELP School
