KUALA LUMPUR – Students from SMK Seri Ampangan, Seremban emerged champions at the ‘DIY Made Simple 2020 - Green School-Vertical Garden’ competition, jointly organised by University of Malaya’s Community & Sustainability Centre (also known as UMCares) and Malaysia’s home improvement retailer, Mr DIY Group (M) Bhd (Mr DIY).
Now in its fourth year, this annual initiative calls for secondary school students to find ways to improve their schools’ facilities through do-it-yourself projects using recycled materials.
The 10-member team from SMK Seri Ampangan took home the Gold prize of RM4,500 cash for their ‘Green Blinds’ project, while teams representing Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sultan Abdul Samad, Petaling Jaya and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Maahad Hamidiah, Kajang tied in second place to win the Silver Prize of RM3,000 each. Aside from cash prizes, trophies, and certificates, each of the three teams also received RM1,500 in Mr DIY vouchers.
The competition was held in two phases. In Phase 1, conducted in January 2020, a total of 75 schools submitted videos of their proposed ideas. A panel of judges made up of representatives from UMCares and Mr DIY, then shortlisted eight teams to advance into Phase 2, during which the teams worked with lecturers from the university’s Faculty of Built Environment, who mentored the students through the journey of transforming their ideas into reality at their respective schools.
Speaking at the prize-giving ceremony held at University Malaya last Wednesday, Mr DIY group chairman Datuk Azlam Shah Alias said: “The Mr DIY ethos is about helping communities create a well-equipped home and work environments that provide comfort and inspire creativity, at affordable, accessible prices, very much in line with our promise of ‘Always Low Prices’. Our collaboration with UMCares over the past four years to foster creativity and motivate students to improve their surroundings through do-it-yourself projects has been a very gratifying one”.
“The 2020 competition theme of ‘Green School-Vertical Garden’ required students to recycle and upcycle materials to breathe new life to the garden facilities in their respective schools. Despite being physically away from their schools for most of the year, I’m very impressed by the ideas and teamwork demonstrated by the students from these 8 schools. They have really captured the spirit behind cultivating a DIY culture,” he added.
DIY Made Simple is an annual competition supported by the Ministry of Education that challenges students’ creativity and innovative thinking skills while encouraging the development of soft skills such as communication, teamwork, and leadership.
At the event, the organisers also announced the 28 teams who have advanced into Phase 2 of 'DIY Made Simple 2021- Green School Reimagining Plastic Waste For the 21st Century Classroom' competition, after beating 104 schools in Phase 1 of the competition. – The Vibes, April 14, 2021
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