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CONGRATULATIONS ... Chancellor of Lincoln University, Margaret Elizabeth Austin (left) awards Chee Weng Wong a doctorate in Computational Modelling and Simulation

KUCHING: Rural dwellers in the State are advised to work hard in mobilising and utilising their talents to take advantage of the available opportunities resulting from globalisation.

They only have about 18 years from now to achieve Vision 2020 and to equip themselves to meet the challenges of globalisation, Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Alfred Jabu said.

He said the Prime Minister had always reminded the nation to work hard towards becoming a knowledge-based society and a fully developed country by the year 2020.

"This is to say that without exception, all the people in Sarawak including the rural population, must work diligently to develop and maintain strict discipline, inculcating national pride with commitment to learn new ideas, while applying the usage of ICT to their advantage," he added.

Jabu said this in his speech entitled `The Role of Education in the Context of Rural Sarawak' at Lincoln University International's graduation ceremony at a hotel here, Saturday night. He believed that given the determination to work hard, rural dwellers had the the same potential to be successful in their studies and careers.

While the government could assist them towards achieving success by providing sufficient teaching and learning facilities, students would have to be committed in their studies, he said.

All Parents and Teachers Associations (PTAs) would also have to be more proactive in dealing with the subject of excellent academic performance and good moral conduct, he said.

He lauded the Federal government's move in recruiting experienced teachers from overseas to supplement local teachers in teaching the English language, Science and Mathematics.

This, he said, was appropriate given that the standards of these subjects at the moment were not satisfactory especially among Bumiputera students. The ceremony was held for those who completed their studies at the Lincoln University campus in New Zealand and students who studied in Sarawak for the certification in Conservation and Eco-tourism Management under a contract between the State government and Lincoln University.