THE British Council and HSBC Malaysia have formalised a partnership to encourage a love of reading among children in six primary schools across Selangor.
British Council’s director for Malaysia Sarah Deverall and HSBC Malaysia’s head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management Tara Latini inked the Selangor Literacy Project 2019 partnership on March 9, 2019.
The project is run by the British Council in collaboration with the School Management Division, Ministry of Education Malaysia, together with the support of the Selangor Department of Education and is funded by HSBC.
The Selangor Literacy Project falls under the banner of the ‘Highly Immersive Programme’ (HIP) and runs for six months. It reaches across six selected primary schools in Selangor: SK Desa Putra, SK Jenderam Hilir, SK Beranang, SK Kampung Rinching, SK Ulu Semenyih, and SJK(T) Ladang Semenyih.
“Supporting the teaching of English and learning is at the heart of what the British Council does, so it is a great honour for us to be partnering with the School Management Division of the Education Ministry on this project. ‘We are also very grateful to HSBC for their funding of the project, and the enthusiasm and energy their volunteers bring to the community events,” said Deverall.
Following the signing ceremony, parents and children took part in a series of fun English activities organised and delivered by the teachers with enthusiastic support from HSBC volunteers.
HSBC Malaysia’s CEO Stuart Milne, said from 2011 to 2018, the bank’s initiatives targeted at enabling the education sector have benefitted more than 37,000 students and teachers in the country.
“This number showcases our long-term support to help people in the communities in which we operate to access education and training, which will allow them to acquire the skills they need to succeed in today’s workplace.’
‘HSBC is certainly looking forward to continue working with the Selangor government and the British Council to empower the future generation of Malaysia and boost their prospects for a promising future. Our investment in the Selangor Literacy Project 2019 reinforces our continued commitment to the future of Malaysia,‘ he added.
The project will train 32 teachers, impact 3000 pupils and engage with 300 parents. Within the project, 32 English teachers from the six schools are given monthly training workshops; high quality and attractive storybooks from the UK are placed in the school libraries; and three half-day community events are run for parents and children to get immersed in reading and learning English. The project will run until May 2019.
