Monday, June 8, has been declared a Day of Remembrance for the victims of the Sabah earthquake.
Six pupils and one teacher from Tanjong Katong Primary School are confirmed to have died. The Singaporean adventure guide who was with them on a school field trip also died.
Source: www.straitstimes.com
It is with a very heavy heart as I write this.
My younger son graduated from Tanjong Katong Primary School last year. And yes, he was among the privileged group of leaders selected for the Omega Challenge Mt K Expedition last year. It is a trip for selected leaders from the various CCAs in school for the graduating batch and the school has been running the programme for years.
It is a simple trip, go to KK, stay a night. Climb Mt K, stay at Pendant Hut. Go Via Ferrata for some fun but challenging activities, go back Pendant Hut to rest. Next morning do summit climb, descend the mountain, stay a night. Home sweet home. No sight seeing, no shopping, no luxurious hotels, no great food. Yet my son had set his heart for the trip for years and actually consciously worked for it by getting into the school prefectorial board.
Prior to the trip, the school scheduled for training sessions which included serious stairs climbing. Students were also encouraged to do their own training daily which many enthusiastically did.
What did the students learned from such a trip? They learned to be prepared by building up their physical. They learned to look out for each other and cheered each other on when the going gets tough. They learned that they could have an enjoyable afternoon without mobile phones, iPads and other electronic gadgets by just chilling and playing board games with friends. They learned to make their own decisions, my boy did not feel too well when he reached Pendant Hut and he decided to forgo the next morning’s Via Ferrata’s activity so that he could be fully rested and ready for the summit climb the following day. He made the decision on his own, we only knew about it when he came back and recounted to us. They learned to accept setbacks, the whole team did not make it to the summit as the weather was unfavourable and the teacher made a decision to halt the climb. Some cried at the moment. So did they come back depressed and disappointed? No, they came back in high spirits for they had been through a valuable experience.
Does the school have the full support of parents for this programme? I can’t speak for others, but they have mine.
Would the school have the courage to continue with programmes that is beneficial for students after this incident? I do hope so.
Why am I writing this now? I just feel that at times like this when many families are still anxiously waiting for news of their loved ones, if we cannot say or do anything positive, let’s at least not make things worse.
Source: Loh Kat Teng
As the Ministry of Education confirmed the identity of the Singaporean student who died in the 6.0-magnitude quake that hit Sabah on Friday (June 5), the wait for other Singaporeans anxiously awaiting news of their still-unaccounted for loved ones looked set to lengthen into a third day.
This as the Malaysian authorities recovered more bodies on Mount Kinabalu yesterday.
Six of Tanjong Katong Primary School students and two teachers who were on a school trip remain unaccounted for. Confirming the identify of the student who died – 12-year-old Peony Wee Ying Ping – the ministry said in an update around 11pm the identities of other bodies found could not be verified.
At around 7pm, Sabah’s Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Masidi Manjun tweeted that nine bodies have been retrieved and flown to Kota Kinabalu by helicopter, while another was being carried down the mountain. At least 11 have been killed in the quake.
In a Facebook post at 11.55pm yesterday, Education Minister Heng Swee Keat said: “My heart is heavy to learn that several bodies have been recovered. We’re not able to confirm if they are our students and teachers – but whether they are our students and teachers or not, they are loved and missed by their families.”
He added that he had spoken to Mr Manjun to thank him for “his leadership and the strong support that his team has given us”. “Minister Masidi assured me of continued assistance and close cooperation,” Mr Heng added in his post.
Among the 29 TKPS students — mostly athletes and student leaders — and eight teachers who went on the annual school expedition known as the Omega Challenge, 19 students and two teachers returned yesterday.
Family members of the missing students and teachers left for Kota Kinabalu in the morning on a Republic of Singapore Air force plane, but most remained in the dark about the whereabouts of their loved ones for much of the day.
Mr Heng was present at Changi Airport to receive those who made it back to Singapore safely. Speaking to reporters, the Minister said search and rescue operations on the ground are in full swing.
“We are in close touch with the parents who have also flown in with us, to provide support to the parents. Our officials are working very closely with Malaysian authorities, to do our very best to locate the children and teachers who are missing,” he said.
A team led by the ministry comprising counsellors, officials from the Singapore Police Force, Singapore Civil Defence Force and the Transport Ministry went to Kota Kinabalu on the same flight as the relatives of the missing individuals.
As updates came in from the Malaysian news outlets and social media over the day, MOE stressed that they will not release names of students who are unaccounted for “until the next-of-kin have identified their loved ones”.
“Our team has been in Kota Kinabalu since early afternoon, and is working closely with the Malaysian authorities. Our priority now is to provide support to the next-of-kin in this difficult time,” said the ministry’s spokesperson.
TKPS students who returned yesterday were visibly distraught, many in tears as they were reunited with their loved ones at Changi Airport. Some of them had their arms in slings and one boy was in a wheelchair.
Mr Heng said the students are “a bit shaken, but otherwise they are fine”, adding that the MOE has arranged for follow-up care for them and their family members.
At least 50 people, including parent volunteers of the school, also showed up at Terminal 2 to support those who returned.
Among them were Mr Hafiz Ahmad, who was there to receive his niece Amal Ashley Lim. Speaking to the media, Mr Hafiz said Amal’s mother, his sister-in-law, told him that one of the teachers had shielded Amal and another student under an overhang when the quake happened. Amal was later helped down by a mountain guide, he said.
He added: “It’s been quite unbearable (to be waiting) here. We have had to synchronise what we hear from the press and others…but we understand the limitations, that crisis management involves difficulties.”
Another TKPS parent, Mr Alec Wing, whose son also returned yesterday, said the school and teachers had gone beyond their calls of duty. “Many of the teachers who were with them (on the trip) put themselves in harm’s way and got injured pretty badly. Their spirit is really admirable,” said the permanent resident from Mauritius, who works in the technology sector.
Back in Singapore, the school’s personnel also tried their utmost to keep parents updated, such as by contacting the relevant ministries, airlines and insurance companies, Mr Wing added.
However, he noted that the communication between government agencies could have been more prompt and better coordinated.
“We were getting dribs and drabs of information, and we were not sure where the sources are, and whether they are credible, he said, adding MOE appeared to not be in contact with the MFA’s crisis response team on Friday . “The disaster happened at 7.15am (on Friday) morning, but it took the Minister coming down at 1am (on Saturday) before things started to get into place,” he said.
Parent volunteer Miyashita Swissdy, whose child completed the Omega Challenge two years ago, was also at the airport. “This is a very meaningful leadership programme. It teachers young children perseverance, to work towards their goals. This is an unfortunate accident…The teachers are very experienced because it is not the first time they are planning something like this,” she said.
MOE said that the two injured students and one teacher, who required more medical attention in Kota Kinabalu, would return tomorrow (June 7).
Parent Sadri Farick, whose son Emyr Uzayr is one of the two students, said he feels “thankful and is very happy to see (Emyr) in one piece”. He had flown to Kota Kinabalu to see his son.
“I feel very sad for my friends and (Emyr’s) friends, it’s very sad to hear him ask me where are his friends who are still missing, and it’s getting dark now,” said Mr Sadri.
In his Facebook post late yesterday, Mr Heng added: “This is also a difficult time for our officers, on the frontline in KK, in TKPS and MOE HQ. Officers are giving their all and feel the pain personally. I really appreciate the officers’ dedication.”
Source: www.todayonline.com
Eight students and two teachers from Tanjong Katong Primary School (TKPS) who were on a school trip to Mount Kinabalu were uncontactable after a 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck Sabah yesterday (June 5).
They were among a total of 29 students and eight teachers from TKPS on the excursion. In a statement issued at about 9pm, a Ministry of Education (MOE) spokesperson said others had been accounted for.
“We are continuing efforts to contact the remaining (students and teachers). Parents have been informed and kept updated on the situation,” the spokesperson said.
Fifty-eight students and eight teachers from two other schools — Fuchun Secondary and Greenridge Secondary — were also on Mount Kinabalu when the quake occurred. They were safe, and arrangements had been made for them to return to Singapore, said the spokesperson. They arrived at Changi Airport after midnight yesterday. MOE officials were at the airport to receive the students and teachers. In a statement issued at about 12.30am, MOE said arrangements were being made to fly the families of students and teachers who were unaccounted for to Kota Kinabalu this morning.
Education Minister Heng Swee Keat told TODAY: “A team of MOE officials and our teachers and counsellors will be together with the team , and will be together with the parents to give our utmost support. We are also working with the Malaysian authorities to give every assistance possible to continue with this operation.”
“It is a very difficult time for the parents and … a very difficult time for everyone.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has despatched a Crisis Response Team (CRT) to Sabah to help Singaporeans there. Singapore’s High Commissioner in Kuala Lumpur has also contacted Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to offer support.
The quake struck near the mountain around 7.15 am yesterday, jolting a wide area of Sabah. Tremors were felt as far as the northern Kudat and Kota Marudu districts, and Beaufort in the south.
Since news of the quake broke yesterday morning, parents and relatives continued to stream in to TKPS throughout the day. The Malaysian media reported that two bodies, believed to be of a local guide and a 12-year-old female Singaporean student, had been recovered from Mount Kinabalu. When TODAY visited TKPS, parents and relatives were seen going in and out of the school premises deep into the night. Some had been there since morning, waiting for updates.
A parent, Mr James Ho, said: “For 12 hours, all we saw were teachers, the principal comforting us (and) giving us food. But beyond the school, we are not seeing any help.”
Another parent, Mr Sadri Farick, said he had been informed that his son Emyr Uzayr, who is in Primary 6, had been found with leg injuries, but there were no details. “We got news from one of the boys that there were boulders dropping in front (of them) and (their path) was cut off. I’m very upset by the information and resources we’re getting.”
Primary 6 student Emyr Uzayr was rescued with leg injuries, according to his father Sadri Farick. The extent of his injuries is not known. Photo: Sadri Farick
Posting on Facebook at about 10.40pm, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said: “We are doing all we can to reach them and I really hope they are alright.” Mr Lee said that the authorities had contacted their Malaysian counterparts yesterday afternoon to offer support and help. “My thoughts are with those affected by the earthquake, and their families,” he added.
About half an hour later, Education Minister Heng Swee Keat also posted on Facebook: “Our hearts and thoughts are with the families of the students and staff of Tanjong Katong Primary School… We will do all we can to find the missing students and teachers in Mount Kinabalu.”
Mr Heng, who visited TKPS at close to 1am, added that MOE staff are in touch with the families of these students and teachers.
Foreign Minister K Shanmugam also took to the social networking site, saying that he had been monitoring the incident. He also outlined the efforts by his ministry to provide assistance to Singaporeans in Sabah. “My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected in the disaster,” he said.
MFA said that there are more than 100 registered Singaporeans in Sabah during the earthquake. As of 7.30pm yesterday, the ministry has contacted the majority of them and they were safe.
Source: www.todayonline.com