PUTRAJAYA, 31 October 2017 – The Malaysian Gas Association (MGA) concludes the year for its nationwide Energy Efficiency Program (EEP) with the successful execution of the program at 10 schools located in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Perak, Terengganu, Sabah and Sarawak.

Marking the completion of the program was a closing ceremony officiated by Puan Norhayati Mustafa, representing the Ministry of Education, which was held at Sekolah Sultan Alam Shah (SAS), Putrajaya today. Also present were MGA President, Encik Hazli Sham Kassim, PETROSAINS’ Director of Programs, Encik Kamaruddin Kassim and the PK Co-Curriculum of SAS, YBhg. Tuan Haji Kamal. SAS is the final school in the 2017 EEP calendar.

The EEP is an educational initiative for schools students, through an interactive, hands-on and fun approach to science education which started in 2014 under a collaboration with PETROSAINS.

The objectives of the program are to raise the level of awareness among the youngsters at secondary school level on the importance of energy conservation and using energy efficiently through behavioral change, which is hoped to impact societal attitudes towards energy efficiency in the long term. The students are also educated on the important role of natural gas in a sustainable energy system.

In his speech to mark the completion of EEP, MGA President, En. Hazli Sham Kassim, said “using fuel efficiently not only reduces the quantity of fuel utilised, but will also help reduce the cost of generating power”.

He also said that “Natural gas is among the cleanest fossil fuel, with the lowest level of carbon dioxide and pollutant emissions. Power generation using natural gas is the most efficient; able to achieve more than 60% efficiency for a combined cycle power plant and over 85% when used in a co-generation application.”

In imparting the knowledge, several innovative 21st century learning approaches were incorporated into the program to maximize the students’ learning and to encourage them to explore and to think creatively.

One such example is the implementation of “parking lot” methodology that encourages students to discuss and participate actively in group discussions as opposed to the traditional “chalk and talk” method.

Another novel approach that was incorporated is the Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) methodology or – as commonly known in the domestic education community – Kemahiran Berfikir Aras Tinggi (KBAT) where the outcomes are not scripted as the students are encouraged to explore and to think creatively to derive the desired results.

The most eagerly awaited segment of the program is the drone workshop. In this hands-on workshop, students assemble sophisticated drones from kits and subsequently test fly them. Besides improving their psychomotor skills, the workshop also provides them with a sense of accomplishment when they successfully fly the drone which they had assembled themselves as well as builds their confidence in tackling technical challenges.