Nurturing students’ potential
A student-led organisation ensures its workshops and camps are tailored to meet the needs of its audience.
WHEN Mohamed Shaik Firdaus was first introduced to the Kalsom Movement, he did not think that it would leave such a big impact on him.
“Studying medicine has really encouraged me to take part in community outreach activities.
“After understanding what the movement does, I feel that the values resonate with me as I come from a family with similar background to the students that the movement is trying to help,” adds the second of six siblings.
His friends introduced the movement to Mohamed Shaik while he was studying A Levels.
Starting off as a facilitator, he says it was a session with a timid orphan which changed his life.
“The 16-year old sat silently during a sharing module.
“This was during a five-day motivational camp held by the Kalsom Movement where facilitators would share their struggles to encourage participants to open up about their own battles,” he says.
He shares that he managed to get the boy to move forward and although initially terrified, he eventually mustered the courage to share his thoughts in front of a cheering crowd of students.
This was a defining moment for Mohamed Shaik as he vowed to advocate for inequality of education in Malaysia for as long as he could.
Helping hand
The Kalsom Movement was established in 1994 by a few Malaysian students after the plight of a struggling mother, Kelthom Abdullah, to pay for her children’s schooling expenses was published in a Malaylanguage daily in January 1993.
Detailing her troubles in an interview for the newspaper, Kelthom’s chief concern was that she could not afford to pay her children’s schooling expenses.
While many readers may have sympathised with Kelthom’s troubles, a few Malaysian students all the way in the United Kingdom (UK) were inspired to do something about it.
After running a donation drive to help Kelthom educate her children, the students decided they wanted to do more.
These turn of events led to the start of Projek Kalsom, a programme aimed at educating and motivating secondary schools students living in rural parts of Malaysia.
After running its first motivational camp in Jerantut, Pahang in 1994, Projek Kalsom is still going strong more than two decades later.
Projek Kalsom is locally registered as an independent student-led organisation under the moniker of Kelab Belia Kalsom.
It is endorsed by the Youth and Sports Ministry as well as the Education Ministry.
More than 4,500 students from 300 schools have benefitted from the programme.
Since its inception, at least 65% of its beneficiaries have enrolled into tertiary education and 3% have secured entry into top universities.
It continues to educate and motivate economically-disadvantaged Form Four students.
“Spending time with the beneficiaries opened my eyes to the reality of their struggles,” says Mohamed Shaik who is now the movement’s president.
Held annually between July and August throughout the country,
Kalsom’s programmes are run in the form of workshops and camps.
Its modules are tailored to fulfil its four core elements; proficiency in the English language, exposure to post-secondary education opportunities, development of academic and non-academic skills and nurturing the Kalsom spirit among its beneficiaries.
The movement also conducts ‘revisit camps’.
“We revisit the students between February and March the following year when they are preparing to sit for SPM to track their progress,” says the fourth year Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and University College Dublin Malaysia Campus medical student.
Many of Kalsom’s participants have low self-esteem and lack academic interest, he adds, owing to their background as some are from broken homes and orphanages.
Varsity students undergo a fairly strict selection process to take part and out of the 200 applications that come in, only 60 get selected.
They are expected to develop and carry out our modules effectively, to facilitate beneficiaries’ learning process and inspire them, Mohamed Shaik, 24, shares.
“Applications are assessed based on criteria by a panel of camp directors led by the head of the module and programme department.
“Facilitators’ field of studies must be varied to cater to the interests of our beneficiaries and give them a wide exposure of tertiary education opportunities ahead of them.
“They must be able to converse fluently in Bahasa Malaysia and English and they will have to answer several personality-based questions on their passion, critical thinking, soft skills and crowd management skills,” he says.
In 2013, the movement collaborated with the Bristol Student Commonwealth Society, which allows the participation of some 10 international facilitators every year.
“We strive to bridge the knowledge and opportunity gap faced by our beneficiaries through such pro- grammes,” he adds.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Bachelor in Pharmacy graduate Meriell Leeza Gayongala, 23, says fun and interactive elements are injected into every module they carry out, particularly where English is concerned and to move away from traditional classroom teaching and learning.
“When we conduct public speaking, we give them a situation, for example, where the world is coming to an end and there are bunkers available to shelter only three people.
“They have to explain why they deserve to be one of the three.
“When we brief them, we tell them that they must incorporate ethical emotional appeal, logic and different elements into their speech to present it confidently.
“This way, not only are they having fun, but they are learning as well,” she shares.
Other methods of teaching include putting on English movies and videos, and getting the students to listen to English songs.
“They will have to write the lyrics from the songs and dialogues from the movies and videos.
“This allows us to assess their understanding of the words used and whether their spelling is correct.
“Five days isn’t enough to teach them everything but we try to inspire them to do better. It is rewarding to see them progress,” she says.
Practical skills are incorporated as well, says Syameer Joshua Shenbagan, 21, to ensure students are equipped with the necessary skills once they start looking for jobs.
“Planning events and solving problems, which require critical thinking is not something you learn from books but through practical activities.
“Traditionally, English is taught very academically in schools so here, we teach them how to apply it in different aspects instead, from solving problems to presentations.
“They apply the English they have learnt in school in our modules; we give them the platform to practise their English,” adds the second year Asia Pacific University business information technology student.
The students who are selected to take part in the movement’s events come from a household income of lower than RM2,500 and have obtained at least a C for English in their mid-term Form Four exams.
Students with commendable academic achievements are also among those selected.
Bubbly SMK Sungai Manggis, Banting student Uma Mageswary Darmarajah says she is now more confident when speaking English.
Uma watches English cartoons with her younger brother to help with her English.
She usually listens to Tamil songs and watches Tamil movies.
“In school, I plead my teachers to give me more homework and to allow me to present in front of my classmates during lessons!
“I don’t care if my grammar is wrong and if people make fun, I just want to try,” she says, adding that she used to be a shy and quiet student who failed her English exams.
“I couldn’t even say ‘what is your name’. Instead, I’d say ‘nama you what’.
“Students who are struggling with English, don’t be afraid. If I can improve, so can you,” she adds.
The aspiring policewoman says improving in her English is her way of repaying her parents’ sacrifices.
Two years ago, her father, the sole bread winner of the family, fell ill and was out of work for a year.
Similarly, Jashwini Rawan says it does not bother her if people make fun of her grammar.
Although she is interested in the language, she says she never received the right support.
“Through this camp, I learnt that English is actually very simple!
“Last time, I feared speaking the language but I am brave now because I have learnt how to speak in front of people.
“I was also taught so many other skills like how to face problems confidently,” adds the SMK Tanjung Sepat student who lives alone with her widowed mother.
Her siblings live elsewhere and are supporting her financially.
From scoring Ds and Cs, the enthusiastic teen’s grades for English has improved to Bs.
“I can order my own tickets now at the cinema! I can speak English and that is all I need to progress.”