NATIONAL COMMITMENT, CLASSROOM ACTION: EduRise 3M SUPPORTS 262 CHILDREN IN PENANG

PENANG, 28 September 2026 – A national commitment to educational opportunity is being translated into targeted classroom support for 262 Year 2 pupils across 13 Penang schools through EduRise 3M, an intervention focused on foundational reading, writing and numeracy.

Delivered under Program Anak Kita 2026, EduRise 3M complements the Ministry of Education’s broader efforts to strengthen foundational learning.

The Ministry of Education provides the educational policy and pedagogical direction, with the Penang State Education Department and participating schools supporting implementation at state and school levels.

Unit Pantau MADANI, under the Prime Minister’s Department, coordinates and monitors the national initiative; Yayasan Hasanah provides programme management, funding and implementation oversight; and Universiti Sains Malaysia serves as the implementing partner for EduRise 3M in Penang.

Launched nationally in September 2024, Program Anak Kita mobilises government agencies, public universities, civil-society organisations and education partners to address learning gaps and barriers to educational participation.

EduRise 3M’s inaugural Penang implementation in 2026 extends this national commitment through a focused intervention for Year 2 pupils requiring additional learning support.

A monitoring visit to SK St. Xavier and SK Sungai Gelugor brought the partnership into focus. Representatives from Unit Pantau MADANI, Yayasan Hasanah, the Ministry of Education and the Penang State Education Department observed classroom implementation, reviewed programme evidence and discussed the conditions needed to sustain pupils’ progress.

EduRise 3M adopts a responsive approach: establish what each pupil can do, provide appropriate support and use evidence to determine the next instructional step.

Literacy activities draw on phonics, syllabic decoding, whole-word recognition, basic sight words, sentence reading and short passages. A 200-word Bahasa Melayu resource strengthens vocabulary and word-recognition automaticity, while hands-on Mathematics activities combine movement, cooperation, reasoning and problem-solving.

The programme’s principle of “Connection before Correction” places trust, emotional safety and learner confidence alongside academic instruction.

Parental workshops provide practical guidance on manageable home-learning routines, while the Smart Bag Pack extends learning through weekend activities that pupils and families can complete together.

Teachers and 3M Coaches engage in professional learning and regular collaborative reviews. Attendance records, pupil work samples, mastery checks, classroom observations and periodic assessments provide multiple sources of evidence for identifying learning gaps and refining support.

Classroom responsiveness is matched by programme accountability. Yayasan Hasanah’s programme management and tranche-based reporting processes provide structured oversight of implementation, expenditure and progress.

Coordination and monitoring by Unit Pantau MADANI, together with the Ministry of Education, the Penang State Education Department and participating schools, further support alignment with agreed objectives, educational priorities and pupils’ needs.

Early classroom observations indicate encouraging participation in coaching sessions and interactive learning activities. These signs of engagement complement ongoing literacy and numeracy assessments, through which learning progress continues to be monitored.

USM Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dato’ Seri Ir. Dr. Abdul Rahman Mohamed expressed his support for the initiative and congratulated the EduRise 3M team, school leaders, teachers and coaches on their dedicated efforts. He acknowledged their collective commitment to translating educational knowledge into practical, meaningful support for children who need it most.

EduRise 3M demonstrates what becomes possible when national commitment, educational expertise and local action are aligned: children receive targeted support, educators strengthen their practice and families become active partners in learning.