GEORGE TOWN, PENANG, 7 March 2016 - Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Secretariat of Asia Pacific Alliance of Postgraduate Student Association (USM APA-PSA) recently organised a community teaching programme named the English Talent Development Programme to teach English to school children in several primary schools in the Kuala Kangsar district in Perak.

According to Project Director, Muhammad Imran Sarwar, currently pursuing a PhD in USM, the one-day programme was conducted by 16 international and local students who are doing their undergraduate and postgraduate studies in USM.

To make learning more fun, the school children were exposed to the different aspects of the English language in the form of communication, presentation, critical thinking and group presentation competition,” said Imran who hailed from Pakistan.

The volunteer programme was the first of its kind organised by USM APA-PSA that leveraged on the local and international students to work together as teachers for the benefit of the underprivileged school children, helping to inspire and motivate them to learn and use the English language as much as they can. 

We hope after this the school children would be more confident to communicate in English and would be more prepared to face the world out there as they grow older where English is one of the most widely spoken language in the world.

About 70 school children from three selected schools, namely Sekolah Kebangsaan Paya Salak Padang Rengas Perak, Sekolah Kebangsaan Tun Dr. Ismail Perak and Sekolah Kebangsaan Perempuan Perak, benefited from this programme.

Translation: Tan Ewe Hoe

Text: Hafiz Meah Ghouse Meah