Last Sunday’s trip to Kampung Ulu Tual was another of those on-the-spur things. Banie from Tonibung-Sabah, who was here with his team to complete the micro-hydro project at Sungei Relang in Gombak, was heading for Sarawak the next day and wanted to check out the Ulu Tual project. This was in response to our call to him to look into the possibility of setting up a micro-hydro installation there.
Ulu Tual is the site of the Cenwey Penaney Community Learning Center (Pusat Didikan Komuniti Cenwey Penaney). This is the initiative of Jenita Engi and Ewok Perai with the Ulu Tual community in Pos Sinderut, Pahang.
Basically, PDK Cenwey Penaney seeks to bridge the gap between mainstream education and indigenous knowledge, by developing a curriculum which incorporates elements of both methods of pedagogy, especially in the early stages of a child’s education.
After several months of community discussions and consensus, the first phase of the project began in January this year. This involved developing the teaching modules, a process which involved working closely with village elders and understanding the indigenous education system.
The second phase involved the construction of the learning centre-cum-community space. Based on the community’s needs and capacity, and several discussions, a design was accepted that would produce a multi-purpose structure. Apart from the ‘classroom’, there would be a stage for the traditional sewang ceremonies as well as facilities for accomodation and an IT centre. The site has since been cleared, the wooden beams chain-sawed from forest trees, and hardware purchased.
Actual construction of the centre got under way last week. An initial grant from SOS-Selangor and the Rotary Club of Shah Alam helped kickstart the project. More funds are still needed but the community is not about to slowdown the pace of the project development just because of this shortfall (which puts those responsible for fund-raising in a migraine-inducing situation).
A fuller report and more information on the project will be given in another note. This note is about last Sunday’s flash visit – which invariably ended in the river (as most of our other visits often do).
CN-COAC | 11 May 2014
After three days of gotong-royong, the basic structure is up. The area is big enough to accommodate a playing field. And more.
All the wooden beams were chainsaw-ed from two medium-sized trees. The trees were felled last year to clear a plot for hillrice cultivation.
The kids who tagged along for the site visit, made their own site visit. However, the real object of them joining us was to jump in the river.
The heat that day was unbearable. Any shade was quickly sought. The community is deciding on the type of trees, mainly fruit trees, to be planted here.
Natural umbrellas. Anything to beat the heat.
The Ranger was loaded with kids, all of whom just couldn’t wait to get to the river.
Sungai Tual. The scene of many a splashing time.
Making soap bubbles, the inexpensive way.
Everyone was eventually cold enough to head home.
Result of a group photo portraiture training for Ricklend. Grab-shot style.
Downloading … at the home base, which is just a 8-minute (short-cut) walk to the river. Or a 4-minute fun-ride detour by 4WD.