PENCILS PROJECT
SRI AMAN: In order to produce a generation of high reading, writing and calculating literacy, the Pencils Project Association has taken a step forward by hosting adult classes in two selected villages so far.
The classes were attended by 20 residents aged 40 to 80 years old from Kampung Sepan and Kampung Melikin Sungai Gudom in Balai Ringin.
The association’s patron, Norina Umoi Utot, said the Adult Class of 2019, which started in early April, focuses on adults and senior citizens who cannot read and write well.
“Recognising that the illiteracy rate among the community here is still high, the Pencils Project Association has organised classes or tuition targeting adults and senior citizens around Sri Aman.
“The effort to organise the class is part of the association’s responsibility for the local community, which is also a continuation of the previous project which focuses on children, especially those who are schooling,” she said.
Norina said the Pencil Project was created in 2015 with the aim of raising the dignity of children’s education as well as the people in the interior to alleviate the burden of low and middle income families.
For adult classes, he said it will be held twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8pm to 9pm. Monthly fees are charged at RM5 per person and operated by experienced trainers Xavier Liam and Audie Peter Joachim.
For English language tuition classes (1 to 5 years), no fees are charged and classes are conducted four times a month on Saturdays and Sundays.
“I am very happy to know that the participants are especially involved in the adult classes, and now they have started to read and write and can identify numbers.
“We (The Pencil Project Association) are aware that it is very important for them to speak, read and write, at least in basic Malay and English, including calculating to improve their lives.
“If they can read and write simple words and calculate, then it will be easy for them in any business, otherwise they will be easily deceived if they are illiterate,” added Norina.
In this regard, she added, the Pencils Project Association will not stop in its efforts to improve the lives of the people here, extending the programme to other areas in the Sri Aman constituency.
In the same development, she explained that every time the school season started, the Pencils Project Association would deliver stationery sets and school supplies such as bags to school children.
“Earlier this year, we presented this Pencil Project to a total of 110 students from four selected longhouses in the Sri Aman district.
“This Pencil Project is a stimulus for students to be eager to go to school and to study hard, besides also helping to ease the burden of parents in preparing their children for school,” said Norina.
She added that up to this day, more than 1,000 primary school students, especially those who would sit for UPSR, were assisted through this Pencil Project.
Through the programmes implemented, Norina hoped that such projects would inspire other parties such as non-governmental organisations (NGOs), groups, clubs, as well as the private and public sector to come together in an effort to help improve the quality of education among students.
