‘Literacy paves the way for leaders of tomorrow’: Projek BacaBaca aims to tackle learning poverty

Anna Kang, a reading coach, is conducting her weekly ‘Bahasa Malaysia’ class

For years, Hema Letchamanan has determined and mastered the art of teaching children to read.

Now, the senior education lecturer has used what she has learned to help an often-overlooked community in addressing an issue exacerbated by the pandemic.

With the support of Taylor's School of Education, Hema is now pioneering an initiative to eliminate illiteracy among underprivileged households.

The aptly-named "Projek BacaBaca" was established in June 2021 and the programme is currently operating in its second phase, involving 100 children from Banting, Klang, Cheras, Petaling Jaya, Kota Belud, and Sabah.

Volunteers, or “reading coaches,” as they are referred to in the programme, work with children from low-income households to help them improve their literacy and become proficient readers.

Projek BacaBaca saw an improvement in literacy by 86 per cent in the English language and by 64 per cent in Bahasa Malaysia in the initial phase of the programme, which spanned six months and involved 30 students from PPR Seri Alam.

The reading coaches employ an evidence-based approach to improve the learning outcomes of the children.

“Once a child is enrolled, we will administer a diagnostic test to determine his or her reading and language abilities, and based on the results, we will place the child in one of three levels that we have for them,” explained Tharani Ramasamy, the project officer of Projek BacaBaca's second phase.

Reading coach Zahirah Azman conducting her weekly session

The children will receive 30 minutes of individualised English and Bahasa Malaysia lessons every week through either video or voice calls from their designated reading coach.

The lessons will be tailored to the children’s level of proficiency.

“Along the way, we will also administer two more tests, namely the midterm and final examinations, to monitor and evaluate whether their reading ability has improved,” Tharani added.

Tharani further stated that Hema thought of this initiative after learning about the worrisome number of children in low-income urban households who do not attend school from a 2018 UNICEF study.

The pandemic only heightened Hema’s sense of urgency to address this issue, according to the project officer.

"Children, particularly children from the B40 households, experienced a significant learning loss during the pandemic due to internet connectivity issues and a lack of sufficient gadgets to attend online classes," Tharani remarked before adding,

"Imagine missing out on a year or two of school and then suddenly returning; the school must seem so foreign to them, and they must be lost, which is why they are our main focus."

"We want to bridge the gap that the pandemic has created through reading," she concluded.

Anna Kang, a kindergarten teacher who recently enlisted as a reading coach in March, stated that there are no prerequisites for volunteers to have an academic background or expertise as she does.

“As long as you are proficient in either English or Bahasa Malaysia, have time to educate the children, and are passionate, you could be a volunteer as the Projek BacaBaca team will always be there to assist you throughout the process,” added Kang.

“We don’t have to be a person of high status or wealth to give back to the community; we all have something to provide for those in need.”

In an effort to pique the children's interest in reading, Taylor's School of Education has been conducting a campus-wide book donation drive for the past few weeks.

A sign for Projek BacaBaca book donations in front of Campus Central

“We have collected over 300 books that were donated by the students of Taylor’s University, and the children could read these books in their spare time or with their coaches to improve their reading abilities,” said Tharani.

“I'm certain that these books will improve the children's reading abilities, since kids love reading and immersing themselves in storybooks, and so this could create a habit out of them,” Kang remarked.

Books that were donated by students of Taylor's University

Source: Projek BacaBaca

“As students, I believe we should at least donate books for these children if we are unable to enrol as volunteers because it would certainly be of great help to them,” said Zahirah Azman, a reading coach and a student from Taylor’s College.

“There are hundreds of children from underprivileged communities who do not have access to education so if you could teach at least one of those children for even a few months, you are already making an impact,” said Sohana Ramesh, a reading coach who has been with the programme for over a year.

“Literacy paves the way for the leaders of tomorrow, so through this project, you are going to be creating those leaders.”