04 Apr School teachers urged to set up bowling clubs
KUCHING (Apr 3): Participants of the Abas-SSC-MSNS Basic Tenpin Bowling Course For School Teachers that concluded at Megalanes Sarawak yesterday were urged to put the knowledge gained into practice when they return to their respective stations.
In making the call, Sarawak Sukma coach Angelo Koay, who was one of the speakers at the three-day course, said the first thing the teachers need to do when they return to school is to set up a tenpin bowling club if there is none yet.
After the club is set up with the blessings of the school principal, the teacher in-charge of bowling will contact Sarawak State Sports Council (MSNS) coach Jerusha Chan to arrange for the training schedules, he added.
“Try to bring the students as often as possible in a week. The training per session is one and a half hours and if you bring them here to train once in a week and for one and a half hours, that’s simply not enough.
“For the students to improve faster, they need more time in the training and if you cannot bring them here (Megalanes Sarawak) three or more times a week, at least come twice in a week,” Koay suggested.
He cited a good example of SJK Chung Hua Sungai Tapang Hilir whose teacher Jong Jin Ann, a master instructor, was a very passionate and committed teacher in running the school bowling programme from 2018 until mid-February, this year and had also worked very closely with Jerusha.
Jong has since been transferred to SJK Chung Hua Sungai Tengah as its senior assistant (co-curriculum).
SJK Chung Hua Sungai Tapang Hilir dominated the primary school section of the Centre of Excellence 2nd Inter-School Tenpin Bowling Challenge in 2019 organised by Sarawak Sports Corporation and some of the students are now in the state elite backup and elite training programme.
Meanwhile, first-time course participant Rozalina Saharuddin who is teaching at SMK Matang Hilir in Padawan, said she joined the course because she wanted to know more about bowling in the preparations to teach her students about the sport.
“With me in this course are also first-timer Fuad Samsudin and master instructor William Muge Acheh. After this, we are going to set up a club in the school and try to get the students interested in tenpin bowling.
“We will then embark on the training programme after the Hari Raya holidays,” said the teacher, who is a member of PSKPP which is one of the 12 teams currently competing in this year’s Sarawak Civil Service League.
Hayati Julaihi, who was recently posted to SK Temenggong in Matang as its headmistress, has also targeted to set up a bowling club in her school.
“We want to get more students from the rural area involved in tenpin bowling and at our school, we already have a football club. I want to introduce bowling because l can see vast opportunities for success in this sport.
“The successful bowlers receive the recognition from the government and if the student takes up bowling as eventually make it as a career, they can get good income by winning at regional and international competitions,” she added.
Furthermore, Hayati is encouraged by the fact that all the district education offices, the State Education Department and Ministry of Education fully support the involvement of students in sports in line with the ‘one student, one sport programme’ and the efforts to produce ABC (Anak Baik Cerdik) students.
As for Institute of Teacher Education Batu Lintang Campus (IPGKBL) administration support staff Alexander Tow Ah Lek, the course was not only a good learning experience for him but he was also able to complete the practical for the master instructor certification.
“As the IPGKBL bowling coach, I need to gain more knowledge and certification as master instructor. I brought 10 trainee teachers to attend this course to prepare them to be teacher instructors in the future.
“From this course, we got to know that after Sukma, the athletes are still looked after by the National Sports Council through its Malaysian Athlete Career and Educational (MACE) programme headed by world champion Datin Shalin Zulkifli and also we know more about safe sport,” he said.
The course jointly organised by Sarawak Sports Corporation (SSC) and Amateur Tenpin Bowling Association of Sarawak (Abas) was participated by 117 representatives from schools, district education offices, Sarawak Education Department, Institute of Teacher Education Batu Lintang Campus and the Persatuan Tenpin Boling Negeri Sarawak.
Source : Borneo Post Online