Tuaran: Qhazanah Sabah Berhad (QSB) aims to produce more writers and book publishers as part of efforts to strengthen and develop Sabah’s book industry through the “Jom Tulis dan Terbit Buku” (Let’s Write and Publish Books) programme.
The programme is jointly organised by the District Education Office (PPD) Collaboration Association and Smart Work Publishing, with QSB serving as a strategic partner.
Tuaran District Education Office Collaboration Association chairman Datuk George Teo said the initiative is designed to nurture new talents while empowering the local publishing ecosystem.
“This program will be implemented statewide for three years through 24 District Education Offices (PPD) and we are targeting 1,200 participants including teachers, district education officers, students and individuals interested in writing and publishing books.
“We are working closely with QSB and we thank its Chairman Tan Sri Anifah Aman for his full support and aspires for this program to be success as the book industry is an important sector that brings in revenue of billions of Ringgit to the country,” he said.
George said this in his speech when opening the ‘Jom Tulis dan Terbit Buku (Let’s Write and Publish Books) programme at the Tuaran District Education Office with the participation of 50 attendees on Wednesday.
He said the programme is aligned with the state government’s Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) development agenda, which focuses on strengthening human capital through education.
“It does not only train participants to write and publish books, but also develops confidence, critical thinking and creativity. It helps build a reading culture, creates opportunities in the publishing industry and nurtures more local writers who can tell Sabah’s stories.
“In the long run, it will strengthen human capital and contribute to the growth of our state’s education and book ecosystem,” he said.
George said the book industry forms part of Malaysia’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) sector and plays a significant economic role, contributing RM4.9 billion to the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2021.
“The participants are fortunate as they will learn and acquire additional and long lasting skills to become good writers and authors that can be another source of income to them even after retirement,” he added.
George hoped that the effort would produce more writers and publishers while fostering reading habits and helping to build a knowledgeable society.
Meanwhile, the Programme coordinator Farrawati Sabli, who is also a writer and publisher, said the initiative was inspired by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, who recently published two books, ‘My Journey’ and ‘Menuju Sabah Maju Jaya’.
She said the initiative also supports the National Reading Decade (DMK) 2021–2030 campaign under the #MalaysiaMembaca slogan, which aims to cultivate a reading culture and build a knowledgeable, world-class society.
Also present were PPD Tuaran Deputy head Madslin Madlasim, Focal Person in PPD, Roslani Abdullah and QSB Corporate and Media Communication head Grace Prudente.
