Setting strong foundations
Sponsorship of education resource by developer making a difference in English class lessons
THE vision of Mah Sing Foundation, the charity arm of Mah Sing Group, is very much centred on enriching the lives of young ones.
The foundation’s vision, “Reinventing Hope, Creating Lasting Change in Children’s Lives,” is built on three key pillars: education, health and well being, and families and communities.
Its steadfast effort in sponsoring RM30,000 worth of Step Up pullouts yearly since 2011 is a testament of the foundation’s commitment to that vision.
Mah Sing Foundation chairman Datuk Indera Syed Norulzaman Syed Kamarulzaman said that the Step Up education pullout by The Star is very much in line with their vision.
“Education is one of the focus areas for Mah Sing Foundation. We believe that every child should be given the ability to enhance their potential. Every child deserves good education. If they are not able to get it, organisations like Mah Sing should step in.
“English is a global language and we believe that English proficiency is important for success. We are laying foundations for the children, so this is a long-term objective. The Star has come up with a wonderful project and groups like us are happy to contribute,” he said.
Syed Norulzaman commended The Star for coming up with the education resource.
“I think the pullout has been able to come a long way because it is fun for children and it is a good way to improve English
proficiency. Moreover, It is also according to the national syllabus.
“We hear positive feedback from schools. Teachers like Step Up. They say that it is a useful and helpful tool in helping students improve their English proficiency,” he said.
One of the 30 schools benefitting from the sponsorship is SJK(C) Naam Kheung, Kuala Lumpur. The school headmistress Chong Not Mooi thanked Mah Sing Foundation for the generous sponsorship.
“From the teachers’ feedback, Step Up is helpful with English revision as it contains the national syllabus from Years Four to Six.
“Through this programme, pupils improve their English standard by reading and completing exercises in Step Up.
“We hope that this programme will continue in the future,” she said.
The school’s Year Six pupils who have been using Step Up this year had nothing but praise for the education pullout. Lai Ming Yao said that she enjoys learning with Step Up as it provides avenues to work on group activities.
“We like teamwork and it is more fun because we can exchange ideas. The activities in Step Up also increases our Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS). We also get to know our friends better,” she said.
Schoolmate Tristan Khor said that he looks forward to getting Step Up on Thursdays.
“I like writing and Step Up helps us write better essays. When we read, we learn how to write correct sentences and how to spell correctly. Moreover, Step Up ignites our interest in English and we can learn in a fun way,” he said.
Step Up features Bahasa Malaysia and Chinese translation of difficult English words.
The version with the Bahasa Malaysia translation is published on alternate Tuesdays while the version with Chinese translation comes out on alternate Thursdays.
The colourful syllabus-based content for upper primary school pupils tackles themes set by the Education Ministry and helps prepare pupils for the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR).
For details on the Star-NiE school sponsorship programme, call The Star’s Customer Care Unit at 1300 88 7827 from Monday to Friday (9am to 5pm).