KOTA BHARU, April 10 (Bernama) -- 29 students from six schools¹ in the state of Kelantan earned their leadership stripes today as they graduated from the Danajamin100 Leadership Programme. The programme is a flagship Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative by Danajamin Nasional Berhad (Danajamin), in partnership with PINTAR Foundation (PINTAR).
 
The ceremony was attended by parents and several society leaders including the Director of Jabatan Pendidikan Negeri (JPN) Kelantan, Muhammad Zahari bin Othman; Malaysia’s celebrated orthopaedic surgeon and the first astronaut, Dato’ Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor and representatives from Danajamin and PINTAR.
 
“The greatness of a nation depends on the greatness of its people. The greatness of its people is assessed on the general well-being of its people, a strong work ethics with willingness to work hard and persevere to improve oneself, a set of core values that emphasises on integrity, good manners, mutual respect and sense of social responsibility. And the spirit of love for the country,” commented Dato’ Mohammed Hussein, Chairman of Danajamin Nasional Berhad.
 
“As Malaysia’s first and only financial guarantee insurer, our role is not confined to our day-to-day business in serving clients or educating the society on financial inclusion. Every organisation should play a pivotal role by taking time off business and serve the society. It is hard to achieve sustainability in CSR because it requires financial resources and time to be invested into a project. For us, Danajamin100 is not a project, it runs parallel with our business. It is purely managed by our talents with the guidance of PINTAR. What students will experience is a transfer of life lessons and knowledge from the mentors while the Danajamin team in turn, acquires skills to nurture and groom,” said Mohamed Nazri Omar, Chief Executive Officer of Danajamin.
 
Since its inception in 2014, the 18-month programme has seen sixty students completing this holistic learning process that goes beyond academic achievements. Guided by its three main elements – character building, leadership and professional skills – through a variety of well-designed engagements, Danajamin100 will optimize the students’ leadership traits and maximize their potential to the fullest.
 
This is the first time that the graduation ceremony is held in Kelantan, involving schools in the state.
 
“Being a secondary school student, I was nervous as we are nearing our university days and soon, the workforce. Danajamin100 has taught me many values, not only to ensure that I score for my papers but also develop positive attitude and integrity. I believe this experience will bring me far and of course, I wish to pay it forward in the future,” enthused Nik Ahmad Farid Bin Nik Pahaimi, from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Ketereh, Kelantan.
 
Puan Hasiah Mustapha, a teacher to the graduates from SMK Long Ghafar 2 commented, “I see a big change in my students after their participation in Danajamin100. They understand that to be successful, they have to not only develop themselves academically, but to be an all-rounder. It is competitive out there, whether for studies or jobs, this truly helps to prepare them for the future. It brings out the leader in them, hence I thank Danajamin and PINTAR Foundation for their thoughtful movement”.
 
Based on feedback by students, one of the inspirational figure that they were highly interested to meet for a sharing session was Dato’ Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor. Dato’ Dr. Sheikh, who made an appearance as a keynote speaker gave students an uplifting talk, relating to his personal journey and achievements.
 
“As a public figure, we must do our integral part in passing on the torch. Leadership is a light in every one of these students, only waiting to be ignited. It is truly a pleasure for me to be part of this and I wish for more corporates out there to immerse themselves in initiatives such as Danajamin100”.
 
Currently, the programme runs for the fourth batch, involving 30 students from the states of Malacca and Negeri Sembilan. The fourth batch is slated for graduation by 2019.
 
For more information about Danajamin or Danajamin100, kindly visit our website at www.danajamin.com
 
¹For full list of schools, kindly refer to end of press release
 
List of Participating Schools
1.      SMK Kuala Balah
2.      SMK Long Ghafar 2
3.      SMK Padang Enggang
4.      SMK Sungai Petai
5.      SMK Ketereh
6.      SMK Penambang
 

SOURCE : Danajamin Nasional Berhad (Danajamin)

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Name : Ain Zubaidah Zulkifli