RANAU: Instead of holding a festive Teacher’s Day celebration, more than 300 teachers, students and staff of SMK Timbua transformed the occasion into a large-scale community cleanup and relief mission for victims of the devastating Labour Day fire in Kampung Timbua.
The May 1 blaze razed 11 semi-permanent shoplots at Timbua Mini Town, destroying grocery stores, coffee shops and a workshop. The fire displaced 54 people and left one person injured.
In response, the school converted its annual Teacher’s Day programme into a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative aimed at helping affected traders and families recover from the disaster.
More than 300 volunteers comprising teachers, school support staff and students took part in the massive cleanup operation, while logistical coordination on the ground was handled by the school’s Prefectorial Board.
Programme director Mohd Firhani Mozainie Marusit said Timbua Mini Town holds deep historical and emotional ties with the school community.
“These shops are an intrinsic part of SMK Timbua’s history, serving generations of our school family. We could not stand by as spectators. This clean-up is reciprocity for decades of community support,” he said.
He added that the Teacher’s Day theme, “Guru Bitara, Nadi Negara” (Exemplary Teachers, Heartbeat of the Nation), should not merely be celebrated ceremonially, but reflected through action during times of hardship.
“The theme means teachers must become pillars of support during a crisis,” he said.
The initiative was officially launched by School Principal Elip @ John Lipun @ Lipon, with teachers and staff personally funding safety equipment and refreshments for volunteers involved in the operation.
The programme concluded with a handover ceremony at the fire site, where Elip, also representing the school’s Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), presented the school community’s collective donation along with a personal contribution from the PTA Vice-President to the affected community.
The emergency financial aid was received by Normawati Juhumat, Chairman of the Timbua shop community, symbolising the school’s solidarity and commitment to stand with the community through difficult times.
