IPOH, Aug 15 (Bernama) -- The Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah, today graced a programme to instil the spirit of loyalty to the Ruler and country in conjunction with the Perak-level 2026 Merdeka Month at Bangunan Perak Darul Ridzuan here tonight.
Also in attendance were the Raja Permaisuri of Perak Tuanku Zara Salim, accompanied by Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad and Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh.
Perak Education Department director Zulkafli Mohamed Mokhtar, in his royal address, said this year’s programme recorded an encouraging turnout, with 214,095 entries involving 83.6 per cent of primary and secondary school students in Perak.
He said this showed that the programme has not only received an overwhelming response but has also continued to grow as an important platform for discovering talent, building self-confidence and developing students’ potential in various fields contested.
“The 15 per cent increase in participation compared with the previous year also proves that the programme is gaining popularity and continues to be a significant platform.
“This programme certainly has a significant impact, not only physically but also on the thinking, values and future of the younger generation, in line with the Malaysia Education Plan 2026-2035,” he said.
He said the initiative is in line with the aspiration of nurturing a generation that excels not only academically but is also morally upright, thinks critically, is patriotic, appreciates the country’s history and heritage, and is capable of becoming credible leaders in the future.
At the event, Sultan Nazrin presented the special award for Best Achievement by District Education Office to the Kinta Utara District Education Office, which received RM20,000 in cash.
His Royal Highness also presented the prize for the champion of the upper secondary Malay Language Public Speaking Competition to Ifwat Arrafi Mohd Amin of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Tun Abd Razak, Bagan Datuk, while E Johnnes Abysia from SMK Sungai Pari, Kinta Utara, won the English public speaking competition.
Sultan Nazrin also presented prizes for the choral speaking, choral recitation, choir and caricature drawing competitions for primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school categories, while Tuanku Zara presented prizes for the essay writing, poetry composition and poster drawing competitions for the same categories.
Their Royal Highnesses later toured the drawing and caricature exhibition before leaving the event.
-- BERNAMA