ALL it takes to ignite and set something aflame is one spark and the SPARK Foundation has done it, in this case attained positive outcomes and made huge strides in enhancing the teaching and learning of the English language across the country.
The SPARK Foundation was first established in 2007 under the environmental conservation and education segment of Heineken Malaysia Berhad’s (Heineken Malaysia) CSR initiatives. It envisioned growth and progress, with and among local communities through water and river conservation programmes, and creating learning opportunities for future generations through strategic partnerships for a better tomorrow.
In line with the latter, the English Enrichment Training Programme (EETP) was born in 2012, aimed to equip English language teachers in rural communities with contemporary and creative teaching techniques to boost language proficiency among Year 1 to year 3 students. The programme has since, invested some RM6 million and has trained more than 580 educators from 300 rural schools.
More recently, the Foundation increased its efforts and reached out to teachers and schools in Sabah and Sarawak. According to records, the programme has, this year alone, benefited 54 teachers from 46 rural schools across seven states in Malaysia, with Sabah registering the highest number of participants covering 16 schools representing the regions of Kota Marudu and Tambunan. In Sarawak, participation doubled, totaling engagement with 10 schools from Miri, Bau, Limbang and Semantan.
Though the programme focuses on training teachers, the ultimate beneficiaries are the school children. Said SPARK Foundation trustee, Renuka Indrarajah: “Through this programme, we give our future generations access to learning opportunities, and this can be best achieved by equipping our educators with the right skills and tools. Teachers are indeed the powerful agents of change who will mould the leaders of tomorrow”.
Based on the EETP’s annual evaluations, there was an average 23% improvement in the English language proficiency of students from the participating schools. Teachers involved in the programme commented that there was improvement in the level of engagement of the students in the areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing - the four skill areas the programme addressed.
Heineken Malaysia’s managing director, Roland Bala, a Sarawakian himself, made time to meet and speak with the teachers during a training session in which he shared his personal experience in learning the English language as a young student who grew up in a remote village in Sarawak.
“The EETP’s core approach to improve English language proficiency among Year 1 to Year 3 students resonates very strongly with me. This is because part of my success in my career can be attributed to the fact that I had very good teachers who inculcated in me, at a very young age, the value of mastering the English language.
“As I continue to grow in my career, I cannot emphasise enough, the critical role that teachers have played in my life; be it English or any other subjects, I shall always be indebted to the educators who have guided me to become a better individual,” he said and thanked the teachers who gave of their time and effort in making the programme a great success.
Primary schools located in rural areas interested in participating in the EETP can email their enquiries to hello@sparkfoundation.com For more information on the SPARK Foundation and its projects, visit www.sparkfoundation.com.my
