By: Aisyah Syahirah Sawal
PORT DICKSON – Putra Bakti Jom Sains Outreach programme under the purview of the Science Students' Association (FaSSA), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), organised the "Outreach Jom Sains!” programme to foster interest in science among rural students at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bukit Saujana, here.
The programme was led by FaSSA advisor, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yap Wing Fen, and 33 FaSSA members who took part in developing a new module to allow the Outreach Jom Sains! programme to be brought to the community.
"This approach provides the students in the school with an opportunity to learn science in a more effective manner and at the same time, allows them to escape the stressful classroom environment," he said.
He said a hands-on approach in explaining a science concept would facilitate a better understanding of the subject.
The programme received encouraging responses from teachers and students.
The Senior Assistant of the Student Affairs of the school, Muhammad Wahid, who is also an alumnus of UPM, said he was honoured that UPM students accepted the school's invitation to organise such a high-impact programme.
“Our school is located at a suburban area, and this makes it very difficult to organise any programme that allows students to utilise their new knowledge as what has been done by FaSSA,” he said.
The programme exposed the students to science concepts in a more exciting way. For example, the concept of material density can be explained more easily using engaging activities.
One of the students, Fatin Umairah Ahmad Rizal, said approaches used in the programme such as experiments and games helped her and her friends to master a science concept more easily and quickly.
"This type of learning approach is fun as it reduces stress in learning the subject," she said.
FaSSA has not only exposed its members to leadership and organisational skills, but has also allowed them to gain knowledge about the local communities. The programme allows students to get to know the local community better and improves their soft skills.
Head of the Outreach Jom Sains! programme, Aini Nazihah Hasin who is currently undertaking a bachelor of Physics with Honours at the Faculty of Science, UPM, said the programme provided her with the opportunity to reach out to the rural community.
“We were able to help rural area communities who do not have much opportunity to learn science using a simpler approach. The programme also helped us to improve our communication skills,” she said. - UPM
