Underprivileged students improve reading skills
THE students of SK Kampung Kenang, Sungai Siput in Perak mainly come from Orang Asli villages and impoverished homes. To help them cope better with their studies and improve their reading skills, iSINA Global Media (iSINA) recently organised a reading programme called JomBaca.
The programme, sponsored by Putrajaya Perdana Berhad (PPB), saw teachers from iSINA conduct a 20-day intensive reading programe that was educational based.
A graduation ceremony for the students was held held at the end of the period, and officiated by the State Assemblyman (ADUN) of Lintang − Datuk Mohd Zolkafly Harun. Also present were Perak State Education Department’s Academic Management Sector head Rahimah Mohamed, Kuala Kangsar District Education Department’s Academic Management unit head Azmin Ariffin as well as SK Kampung Kenang headmaster Mohamad Ridzuan Hasnan.
During the ceremony, some of the students came forward to demonstrate their reading capabilities that showed major improvement after the 20-day programme. Students with 100 per cent attendance were also rewarded at the prize-giving ceremony.
PPB, one of Malaysia’s top construction, property development and concessions group, is now in its third year of contributing towards iSINA and their JomBaca programme. The company will also be sponsoring a second JomBaca programme later in the year.
Speaking at the ceremony, PBB Concessions Division chief operating officer Tang Yee Thong, said: “PPB is committed to helping these children from the Orang Asli settlements and those underprivileged to improve their reading skills. We strongly believe in the importance of helping the younger generation gain a proper education and necessary skills required to improve their employability levels in the future.”
SK Kampung Kenang is a 20-year-old school with 224 students. The school has 19 teachers and around three-quarter of the students live in the school’s hostel.
The JomBaca participants showed vast improvement in their reading abilities at the end of the programme. These students include Ikmal Muhamad Nazri who is in Year Two, Serry Shamila who is in Year Three and Mohd Haikal Wan Masrano who is in Year 4.
All three come from single income homes in the Orang Asli villages and have multiple siblings. Two others, Nor Farisha in Year Five and Intan Sarafina in Year Six, both stay at the hostel. They are now able to read story books and newspaper articles with ease.
iSINA Founder Rahmalizah Ali, said: “We believe that helping children and young students read is crucial to ensure that they have a chance at obtaining a proper education. Reading serves as a foundation from which they can build on and expand their knowledge base. This programme is unique as it is able to assist the majority of students to improve their reading skills in a very short time.”
“We are very fortunate and appreciative of the continued support we have received from Putrajaya Perdana Berhad since 2016. It is companies like theirs, who are as passionate and committed as we are to this cause, that ensures that we can continue to help these students and other underprivileged children,” added Rahmalizah.
The JomBaca programme has been conducted more than 40 times over the last 12 years at various locations, involving more than 3,000 students. Most of the programmes conducted have had an 80 per cent to 90 per cent success rate.
PBB Group managing director Datuk Rosman Abdullah, said: “We take our role as corporate citizens very seriously and educating our youth is one of the key aspects of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. We strive to nurture the young as we build their future.”
Besides their support for iSINA and the JomBaca programmes, and in line with their focus on helping to educate the youth, PPB also has its annual Scholarship Awards, which has been ongoing for the past 12 years. PPB has thus far sponsored 105 deserving but financially challenged students with a total value of more than RM1.5 million to date.