Despite being a maritime country surrounded by tropical seas and one of the largest seafood-consuming countries in Southeast Asia, most Malaysians are largely disconnected from the ocean and its importance. Environmental education is a vital yet lacking component in the country’s national school curriculum. As a country bent on becoming a developed nation, it is imperative that Malaysians are civic-minded and inculcated with the sense of awareness, empathy and appreciation for the natural environment, including her productive seas. To form this civic-minded society, it is best that environmental education is incorporated into the lives of Malaysians starting from a tender young age.

At MareCet, we run the Sea, Science and Schools marine education programme for primary and secondary national schools in Peninsular Malaysia. The objectives of our programme are to (1) share our work on marine mammals in Malaysia and (2) transfer ecological knowledge about the ocean and why it is crucial for us to conserve it. Through our Sea, Science and Schools programme, we hope to inspire and groom a generation of civic-minded Malaysians with strong appreciation for our seas.

We often receive requests from national schools in different parts of Peninsular Malaysia to run our Sea, Science and Schools programme. However, as we are based in the Klang Valley, we are not always able to accept these requests, as the costs of running the programme outstation can be cumulatively high. Therefore, we are launching this fundraising campaign to appeal for donations towards our Sea, Science and Schools programme fund, so as to enable us to run this programme in as many national schools as possible.

Please help us in our quest to build the next generation of Malaysian ocean lovers and a society that values nature and understands its importance for our humanity! Thank you in advance for your generosity.