Kuala Lumpur: CIMB Foundation today celebrated the students from 10 rural schools for their outstanding achievements in the 2009 UPSR examination. The schools, which are adopted by the Foundation under the auspices of the PINTAR programme recorded a 92% increase in the number of students scoring 5As and 26% increase in the overall passing rate.

“We are extremely proud of the schools’ achievement in the UPSR examination. Under the Foundation’s PINTAR programme, the headmasters, teachers and students have shown great commitment and hard work in order for the students to excel in both academic and co-curricular,” said Dato’ Mohd Shukri Hussin, Chief Executive Officer, CIMB Foundation. “The Foundation aims to empower all beneficiaries with the necessary resources and programmes to facilitate access to knowledge and learning, and we are happy to note from this year’s UPSR performance that we are on the right track,” Dato’ Mohd Shukri added.

The 10 adopted schools currently under CIMB Foundation are:

• Sekolah Kebangsaan Pulau Betong, Penang
• Sekolah Kebangsaan Jelutong, Penang
• Sekolah Kebangsaan Pauh Lima, Kelantan
• Sekolah Kebangsaan Pulau Kundor, Kelantan
• Sekolah Kebangsaan Ayer Puteh, Perak
• Sekolah Kebangsaan Changkat Ibul, Perak
• Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina) Ken Boon, Johor
• Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri Lagenda, Langkawi
• Sekolah Kebangsaan Sri Pinang, Kedah
• Sekolah Kebangsaan Utan Aji, Perlis

At the gala night to celebrate the students, various awards were given out. The 48 students who scored 5As received RM500 each. Meanwhile, 57 students with 4As and 1B walked away with RM200 each and 10 students with the most improved academic excellence were rewarded RM100 each. The top three most active students in sports were also rewarded with sports paraphernalia.

In addition to the students’ awards, 10 teachers were recognised for their role in their schools’ achievements. The three schools which recorded 100% student attendance in 2009 received RM1,000 each and the top three schools with best overall UPSR results were also rewarded with RM30,000, RM20,000 and RM10,000 respectively to upgrade the school’s facilities.

The awards were presented by Tan Sri Siti Norma Yaakob, Chairperson of CIMB Foundation along with other members of CIMB Foundation’s Board of Trustees. The gala night, which was attended by over 300 students and teachers from the adopted schools, also saw performances put up by the respective schools.