The Star-Pizza Hut's Mag Inc 2011 is back. It was recently launched by Datuk Dr. Wee Ka Siong, Deputy Education Minister. This year theme is 'Speak Out'.
Sunday March 6, 2011
The Sunday Star
The Mag Inc 2011 nationwide mini magazine competition is launched with excitement, anticipation, and pizzas!
CLAD in neatly pressed school blazers and a Powerpoint presentation in hand, five teenagers from SMK Bukit Mewah, Seremban, took to the stage to share their experience from their recent trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia.
The memorable four day-three night trip was the coveted prize for the champions for the lower secondary category of last year’s The Star-Pizza Hut Newspaper-in-Education (NiE) contest.
Team members Amelia Kwan Su Yin, Alyssa Neesha Yau Swee Lynn, Stephany Michelle Rajasingam, Stephanie Liew San San and John Lee Yong Xian impressed judges at the Mag Inc 2010 contest themed “A Better Life” with their entry titled S.H.A.R.E. The entry stressed the importance of doing charity work and voluntary services for the needy.
Can’t wait to ‘Speak Out!’: Students with Jamaludin and Yeoh holding up Pizza Hut vouchers and last year’s entries at the launch event. Putting those words into action, the team told the audience that their visit to the Little Angels orphanage was the highlight of their experience there, while showing photographs of their trip.
Although they were initially very excited at the thought of their impending trip to Cambodia, the altruistic youngsters wanted to do something more.
That was how the idea of visiting and donating items at a local orphanage was mooted. They went to great lengths, from doing household chores to participating in a church charity drive, to raise money to buy the items.
When asked what they remembered most about the trip, Stephany said she would never forget the state of poverty that the Cambodian people had to live with every day. However, she was quick to add that despite this, they were warm and friendly.
Alyssa too said that she had a wonderful experience in Cambodia.
Speaking about a wheelchair-bound orphan who was almost her age, Alyssa said, “It was extremely disheartening to see him struggling.”
Tasty treat: Students from SMK Lembah Bujang enjoying their pizzas at the event. Such encounters, she said, reminded her to count her blessings time and time again.
For team member John, it was seeing the floating markets and floating basketball courts on Tonle Sap Lake which was an “out of this world” experience for him.
Learning the fun way
At the launch of Mag Inc 2011 themed “Speak Out!” held at the Pizza Hut restaurant in Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya, Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong who officiated the event said, “By learning to express their opinions and ideas objectively, students develop critical thinking skills.”
During the event, Dr Wee who tweets as weekasiongmp, said: “At the launch of Mag Inc 2011, a project jointly organised by The Star and Pizza Hut. Last year, 122,000 from 428 schools participated in this contest. Well done.”
QSR Brands Bhd managing director Jamaludin Md Ali said he hoped to see more schools participating in the contest this year.
“This year we hope to see participation from over 500 schools. This contest is a fun and stimulating way to learn English, and of course, there are always attractive prizes to be won.”
He added that apart from honing their writing skills, the competition can help students learn how to work as a team, and form better relationships among their peers.
Increasing their scholarship prizes this year for the upper-secondary category champions, Taylor’s Education Group corporate marketing chief marketing officer Lydia Wang said that the quality of entries last year were very impressive.
“The students demonstrated passion in their work and in what they believe in, and this is something that is very important and close to us at Taylor’s, as we are always working closely with the youth and youth development,” she said.
Winners of the upper-secondary category will receive scholarships of RM150,000 for Foundation, Diploma and Degree courses from Taylor’s University or scholarships of RM100,000 for Pre-University studies from Taylor’s College.
Education Ministry Co-curriculum and Arts Division principal assistant director Roslina Mohd Roslin, who was one of the judges for last year’s contest, said that she was very impressed by the standard of entries.
“There were a lot more entries last year compared to the year before that, and I think with stiff competition, we get the best crop.”
She added that the judges looked for a creative entry, and one that displayed maturity of thought.
“This is one way we can look into the minds of teenagers, and how they view issues that are so relevant to us today,” she said.
Taylor’s University School of Communication dean Josephine Tan, who has been on the panel of judges for the past two years, said “Speak Out!” would give a voice to the younger generation who were already making their thoughts and opinions heard through new media and social networking.
“The difference here is that they have the opportunity to reach a larger audience, rather than confine themselves to a circle of friends, like on Facebook.”
