AmBank Newscaster Challenge Boosts Students’ Confidence, Skills

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 6 (Bernama) -- AmBank Group, in collaboration with the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama), organised the AmBank Newscaster Challenge Programme to provide secondary school students with early exposure to the world of journalism and broadcasting.

The programme, held today in conjunction with the banking institution’s 50th anniversary, featured tasks such as live broadcasts and news presentations involving nine selected students from four schools around the capital.

AmBank Group’s Senior Vice President of Strategic Communications and Media Relations, Ridzuan Zulkifli, said the inaugural programme was designed not merely as a competition, but as a platform to boost self-confidence, critical thinking, presentation techniques and storytelling skills among students.

“The participant screening process in this collaborative programme was entrusted entirely to the experts at this agency (Bernama), with evaluations carried out through auditions covering aspects such as voice clarity, fluency in reading scripts, and the ability to structure news flow based on basic journalism principles, to ensure selection was made according to professional industry standards.

“Participation by students from diverse backgrounds also proved that self-confidence can bring out extraordinary potential, even when facing personal challenges.

“I was amazed to see their capabilities at just 16 and 17 years old. At that age, I could not have reached the level they demonstrated today,” he told Bernama here.

Ridzuan said AmBank made history as the first corporate entity to collaborate with Bernama in organising a programme involving secondary school students that combined financial literacy and journalism training.

“I believe this (AmBank) is the first corporate company to take such an initiative by merging banking and media terms to create new opportunities for students to gain learning experiences beyond the classroom.

“Seeing today’s success, we will consider continuing the collaboration with Bernama, which has been established since early this year. In fact, we may expand participation to schools outside the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur,” he said.

He added that AmBank continues to strengthen its commitment through active involvement in the Financial Institution Community Outreach (FINCO) initiative, a coalition of banks and financial institutions in Malaysia led by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) to implement financial literacy programmes in adopted schools.

“Over the past 50 years, AmBank has had an extensive corporate social responsibility (CSR) framework, particularly in education, and this time we are introducing something different by training secondary school students to build their confidence in the field of communication.

“In recent years, our volunteers have been actively going into schools to carry out various activities, including financial training, storytelling, and confidence-building,” he said.

Meanwhile, 16-year-old Fatinah Safiyyah Mohamad Rusydi of SMK Jalan Bukit, Kajang, who emerged as the champion of the competition, admitted that she felt nervous before the contest, but the support of her family, teachers, and friends motivated her to deliver her best performance.

“I have always been talkative, so I used my strength by practising in front of a wall before the programme began.

“I really did not expect to win, and I am thankful to AmBank, Bernama, and the experienced trainers in broadcasting and journalism for their guidance,” she said.

Held at Wisma Bernama, the four schools that took part in the programme were SMK Jalan Bukit, Kajang, SMK Cochrane, SMK (P) Bandaraya and SMK (L) Methodist.

Also present at the programme was Bernama Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Economic News Service, Azlina Aziz.

-- BERNAMA