Selangor Reign Supreme In MOE-Perodua Badminton Talent Development Programme

PUTRAJAYA, Nov 5 (Bernama) -- Selangor were today crowned overall champions in the final round of the Ministry of Education (MOE)-Perodua Badminton Talent Development Programme (BTDP) today.

Selangor triumphed in the girls’ singles Under-9 category through Chang Cassandra Jia Qi; boys’ singles Under-10 (Khoo Jun Xuan); boys’ doubles Under-12 (Alvin Tan Wei Ler-Teo Ming Xuan); and girls’ doubles Under-12 (Pua Rou Xuan-Putree Nadhira Adliana).

The prizes for the final round were presented by Education director-general Datuk Dr Mohd Azam Ahmad and Perodua president and chief executive officer Datuk Seri Zainal Abidin Ahmad.

All winners received National Education Savings Scheme (SSPN-i) certificates worth RM500 for champions, RM300 for runners-up and RM150 for third-placed finishers.

The BTDP, first organised in 2018, is Perodua’s largest corporate social responsibility initiative involving school students nationwide, with 2,800 pupils aged between nine and 12 taking part.

Mohd Azam said the MOE-Perodua BTDP, which is now in its fifth edition, was an example of collaboration that could serve as a benchmark for other agencies. 

He said the MOE was also exploring the potential to expand collaboration with more agencies to strengthen sports development among students, including through improvements to the management of state sports schools.

“So, in this regard, the efforts that I have asked to be looked into next year include the state sports schools, where perhaps synergies could be established with Perodua or other agencies to work together in developing sports among our children,” he added.

Meanwhile, Zainal Abidin said that since its launch, the BTDP has benefitted 14,000 students through coaching by 140 teachers at 70 training centres nationwide.

“Students selected to undergo training at designated training centres are given access to complete facilities and professional trainers, opportunities that are usually available only at specialised sports schools.

“In addition, the BTDP is also aimed at providing young badminton talents with access to training at an early age, as they are the ones who will become the next generation of players,” he added.

The BTDP is open to all pupils aged 9 to 12 from national schools, Chinese national-type schools and Tamil national-type schools under KPM, and they undergo training at the 70 designated BTDP centres.

-- BERNAMA