Addressing learning loss among high-need children

KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 (Bernama) -- Yayasan PETRONAS has introduced a new programme under its education focus area to improve literacy skills among underprivileged students nationwide.

The initiative, named the Sentuhan Ilmu Bridging the Online Learning Divide (BOLD) Programme, is a comprehensive intervention programme to address learning loss among high-need students. The programme will provide Internet-enabled tablets, digital modules, and immediate learning support through volunteer tutors to 2,000 high-need children from B40 communities.

The tablets will enable the students ranging from ages seven to nine, to participate in learning, peer engagement and address learning losses due to school closures brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Yayasan PETRONAS Chief Executive Officer, Shariah Nelly Francis said, “The eradication of poverty begins with education, while the very basis of education is literacy — the ability to read. The pandemic has made it even more difficult for underprivileged children to learn and this could mean missing out on reading their first book in class, with proper guidance in a structured manner.

“Early literacy abilities are critical for school readiness and achieving long-term school success. The BOLD Programme is one of the ways that we can contribute to empower a child with the gift of literacy.”

A total of 1,600 volunteer tutors comprising PETRONAS staff and members of the public have been trained to deliver one-to-one remediation remotely via the WhatsApp app, using the MYReaders Literacy Toolkit that contains practical tools to provide effective literacy intervention.

MYReaders is the implementation partner for Yayasan PETRONAS’ BOLD Programme.

About Yayasan PETRONAS

Yayasan PETRONAS is the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of PETRONAS. Its mission is to enrich lives for a sustainable future. Yayasan PETRONAS aims to deliver sustainable impact, improving the quality of life and socio-economic outcomes for communities across the nation through its focus areas in Education, Community Well-being and Development and the Environment.  

About MYReaders

MYReaders is a non-profit organisation focused on enabling children to achieve personal agency through literacy. The organisation does this by empowering children, through communities by providing structured and sustainable reading programmes that improve literacy competency.
 
Issued by
Yayasan PETRONAS  


Link to BOLD Programme 2022 photos
 
Photo Captions

Photo 1: Azeman Said, Operations Manager of PETRONAS East Coast (second from left) with representatives from the Education Department of Kelantan at the Sentuhan Ilmu Bridging the Online Learning Divide (BOLD) Programme handover ceremony in Kelantan.
 
Photo 2: Tengku Noraida, Head of Operations of Yayasan PETRONAS (center) helping a parent of a BOLD Programme student recipient set up the Internet-enabled tablet in Selangor.
 
Photo 3: Azeman Said, Operations Manager of PETRONAS East Coast (right) helping to set up the Internet-enabled tablet for a parent of a BOLD Programme student recipient in Kelantan. 


SOURCE : Yayasan PETRONAS  

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: 
Yayasan PETRONAS 
Name : Carol Wong
Tel : +6012 296 9281
Email : wong.yuetmeng@petronas.com.my 
 
PETRONAS 
Name : Taufik Atman
Tel : +60 19 669 9579
Email : taufik.atman@petronas.com

--BERNAMA