KUALA LUMPUR: Chevron Malaysia Ltd, the company behind the Caltex brand and service stations in Malaysia, has launched the latest edition of Caltex Fuel Your School, an initiative aimed at revitalising interest in STEM (Science, Technology, English, & Mathematics) among school students.
Beyond its academic focus, the campaign will extend its impact to address community needs, particularly in the vital areas of food security and sustainable agriculture.
The campaign will also empower students with 21st century learning skill sets, while running social impact projects in schools.
As part of the programme, 15 schools across the Muar and Segamat districts in Johor will be adopted by local Caltex service stations.
Each school will be presented with a smart aquaponics setup to grow vegetables and fish through a symbiotic farming ecosystem, complete with delivery, installation, and training.
“Besides enhancing students’ learning of STEM, these smart aquaponics systems will create a sustainable cycle to serve the community in several ways. For example, the produce cultivated can cater to personal consumption of students, especially those in the B40 category. They can also be donated to underprivileged communities or sold to the wider community to contribute to local commerce and economy,” explained Dean Gilbert, country chairman of Chevron Malaysia.
Held in collaboration with the MyKasih Foundation, a non-profit organisation with a mission to help impoverished families and students, the idea behind this latest edition of Caltex Fuel Your School was mooted from the theme of last year’s National Science Challenge 2023 – Ensuring the Nation’s Food Security through Science, Technology, and Innovation.
Taking cue from the Government’s emphasis on food security concerns, Chevron together with MyKasih Foundation started the programme’s groundwork late last year and set out to award the smart aquaponic sets to schools highly in need of funding in those two districts in Johor.
The first two pilot schools, SK Paya Jakas in Segamat and SK Temiang in Muar, which have received their smart aquaponics setup in December last year, managed to acquire a total of 13kg worth of vegetables from their first harvest.
The produce were then provided to the school’s canteen for the schools’ food programme, impacting close to 550 indirect beneficiaries.
The innovative approach of this Fuel Your School initiative immerses students in the intricacies of sustainable agriculture, aquaculture, and ecological interdependencies, fostering a profound understanding of real-world applications of science and technology.
Through active participation, students not only acquire theoretical knowledge, but also develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills essential for their academic and future professional pursuits.
The initiative also contributes to building young minds’ capability of addressing challenges related to food production, distribution, and security. Students become active agents in bolstering the nation's food resilience through their understanding of innovative agricultural technologies.
The campaign will also involve retail partners to aid in funding the school projects through voluntary tax-exempt contributions, training and workshop sessions, as well as school-organised community programmes.
"Chevron recognises the need for high-quality and high-impact initiatives that help empower the communities in which we serve. Since its inception in 2012, the Caltex Fuel Your School programme has yielded many successful outcomes that have benefited schools and inspired students to secure a brighter future for themselves and the world around them. And now, this latest edition will create yet another platform that nurtures a space to enrich students’ lives through education and practical learning. This project, that schools can easily adopt, leaves a low carbon footprint, with the ability to sustainably support communities,” Gilbert elaborated.
Caltex Fuel Your School is a Social Investment initiative by Chevron.
Focusing on the pillars of People, Environment, and Prosperity, Chevron’s Social Investment initiatives aim to enhance the quality of life within communities and broader societies where the company operates, building trust and fostering long-term positive relationships.
