Sparking kids’ interest in learning to improve lives
NGOs motivate underprivileged pupils to broaden minds via workshops, lessons and online tutoring

THERE is an inequity when it comes to education – which is a fundamental human right – affecting students in rural and some urban areas in our country.

According to the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025, one in five students do not complete secondary school.

To address this issue, several youth-led, non-profit organisations have stepped up to bridge the education gap through volunteerism.

In the remote region of Kota Marudu in Sabah, primary school children often remain within the confines of their village.

Projek Anak Malaysia volunteers performing with pupils during a lesson in the Theatre and Self Expression module.

A two-week development programme focusing on academics and soft skills, conducted by an NGO, opens up their world.

“It always begins with kids by expanding their minds and (seeing) the possibilities, and using academics as the driver,” said Projek Anak Malaysia programme director Ku Jie Yee, 20.

She said the programme’s main goal was to promote the importance of education through lessons and workshops for 12-year-olds from the district’s three schools.

“These children are not aware of the importance of education and only aspire to find work in their village.

“They do not realise that there are other opportunities out there.

Aida (left) and Ida discussing Projek Anak Malaysia preparations.

“We strive to expand their horizons on what the world has to offer, by providing them with basic tools and knowledge,” she elaborated.

Pupils are taught 17 modules across five themes, namely academic performance, self- development and leadership, nation-building, cultural roots and self-expression as well as health and safety.

Ku said the modules were designed to help children develop holistically and fulfil their potential.

Pupils will then demonstrate their learnings at the Anak Malaysia Showcase, presenting their work and performances to the school and their parents at the end of the two-week programme.

A Projek Ana Malaysia volunteer teaching SK Tumunda Salimandut pupils about balanced diets and healthy lifestyles.

From 2011 to 2023, over 1,440 pupils from the district’s three schools had benefitted from this programme.

Projek Anak Malaysia is an education flagship project by Charisma Movement, a youth-led non-profit organisation aiming to promote voluteerism among Malaysian youth.

Charisma Movement education director Ida Shahira Muhammad Syarizal, 21, said the project started in 2012 as Project Inspire Teringai, for Year Six pupils.

“It was first initiated by George Elang, headmaster of SK Temuno Teringai Darat, one of the lower-performing schools within the Kota Marudu district.

“Pupils lacked motivation for UPSR (Year Six assessment), so Cikgu George decided to recruit youth volunteers to help.

“We partnered with the Rotaract Club of Kota Kinabalu to develop and champion the project, which soon became our flagship initiative,” she said, adding that the club provided support through sponsorship and advice.

A lesson in progress under Projek Anak Malaysia’s module on Social Emotional Learning. — Courtesy photos

It was later expanded to SK Tumunda Salimandut in 2016 and SK Samparita in 2020, before the project was rebranded as Projek Anak Malaysia.

Charisma Movement assistant education director Aida Alyssa Mohd Nasiruddin, 20, said the project had seen positive outcomes over the years, with school teachers reporting that pupils were more engaged in class, demonstrating increased motivation and greater knowledge during daily lessons.

“There was a time when we felt discouraged and questioned whether our two-week efforts could be undone by the many physical and social economic barriers once we left.

“However, we anticipate breakthroughs and our priority is supporting the children,” she said.

To fund the programme, youth volunteers conduct fundraising initiatives to cover student programme costs such as modules, lesson-plan materials as well as volunteer costs such as flight and accommodation.

Ku says modules are designed to help the kids to develop holistically and help them fulfil their potential.

Upon on-boarding, volunteers are tasked to prepare and execute lesson modules onsite for two weeks.

Ida, Aida and Ku said they hoped to empower Malaysian youths in advocating for education equity.

“The tasks enable volunteers to understand what rural education looks like.

“After providing grassroots exposure, we encourage reflection on how the skills they acquired can contribute to their own community and the education system.

Nur Faqihah says there is an increase in both commitment and motivation among pupils in learning.

“We hope to inspire volunteers to continue fighting for education equity by volunteering for other education projects as well as joining education-based NGOs,” said Ida.

Aida said volunteers could still play a part even if they did not venture into the education sector or continue volunteering.

“They can talk about the cause among their friends and families, becoming amplifiers for the cause,” she added.

Ku said “change happens when people do small things to help their community”.

Beyond the two-week programme, volunteers also collaborate with teachers on academic modules, sharing digital teaching resources and assessing each school’s resource requirements.

Those keen to volunteer can find recruitment details at charismamovement.com

Cultivating bright minds

Another group trying to bridge the education gap is Didik Kita, which offers free online lessons to help school pupils aged six to nine.

Its Bright Minds programme serves children from B40 families and low-performing classes in Muar, Johor.

Didik Kita founder and Bright Minds project director Nur Fatehah Mohammad Hatta, 24, noticed her seven-year-old cousin struggling with basic reading, spelling and mathematics due to disrupted schooling during the Covid-19 pandemic.

This prompted Nur Fatehah to start her non-profit organisation, with Bright Minds as its first education-based project.

Nur Fatehah started the initiative after noticing her young ­cousin struggling with basic reading, spelling and calculations.

“Bright Minds focuses on making education more accessible for pupils from low-income backgrounds.

“We offer free tuition classes that will help them catch up with their peers.

“The programme involves three schools, namely SK Convent Muar, SK Bandar Maharani and SK Ismail (2) in Muar,” she said.

Nur Fatehah said teachers would identify pupils in need and provide contact lists, including parents’ information, to the NGO.

Their numbers are then added into a WhatsApp group to facilitate tutoring class announcements and arrangements, she said.

Muhammad Fakhrul says the organisation wants to raise parents’ awareness of education’s importance.

Didik Kita co-founder Muhammad Fakhrul Qhuwaizi Abd Rahim, 24, said the organisation also wanted to raise awareness among the parents on the importance of education.

“To assist parents, we brief them on the programme and offer workshops to equip them with the knowledge and skills to help their children in their learning journey,” he said.

The tutoring sessions span five days a week throughout December, with two sessions a day over Zoom.

The sessions consist of 10 breakout rooms with 10 tutors. Each room consists of three pupils to ensure all of them receive equal attention.

Volunteers engaged as tutors, teach core subjects – Bahasa Melayu, English, Mathematics and Science – based on pre-planned lesson plans and modules, with a different subject for each day.

On Fridays, students are given homework and their progress will be evaluated by their school teachers upon homework submission through Google Forms.

Didik Kita operations manager Farhah Adlina, 24, said the NGO collaborated with Institut Pendidikan Guru Malaysia to develop the modules and lesson plans.

Pupils are taught dental hygiene under the Physical Health and Hygiene module by Projek Anak Malaysia.

“Teachers know what is best for the pupils, so we seek their advice on lesson plans for volunteers and modules for the pupils.

“We cover listening, speaking, and reading for languages, science topics such as living things, animals and plants, and delve into maths with addition, subtraction and problem solving,” she said.

From 2021 to 2022, 120 pupils benefitted from the project.

The programme’s funding mainly comes from sponsorship by the Muar District Office, supplemented by donations and fundraisers.

These funds cover pupils’ expenses such as school packs, Internet allowances and modules as well as volunteer costs including Internet allowances, tutoring workshops, and postage.

A pupil attending an online tutoring session by Didik Kita.

Didik Kita marketing director Nur Faqihah Khairudin, 24, said, “Through the feedback from the school teachers, we can observe an increase in both commitment and motivation among pupils in learning.

“We feel satisfaction when we see the smiling faces of the kids and this motivates us to expand the programme to schools on the outskirts of Muar,” she said.

Nur Fatehah and her team said they hoped their efforts could inspire other youths to tackle the issue of education disparity involving the underprivileged community.

“Volunteering with programmes like Bright Minds offers a learning journey, exposing individuals to the harsh reality of today’s education system where many pupils struggle to progress due to their family backgrounds.

She encouraged youths to seize the opportunity to positively impact children’s lives.

For details, visit didikkita21.wixsite.com/didikkita
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THERE is an inequity when it comes to education – which is a fundamental human right – affecting students in rural and some urban areas in our country.