Free tuition at mosque a hit
2010/08/23
By Rozanna Latiff
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Zaharah Abdul Hafiz, a volunteer tutor from SEGi University College, teaching English to primary school pupils.
Zaharah Abdul Hafiz, a volunteer tutor from SEGi University College, teaching English to primary school pupils.
PETALING JAYA: A centre offering free tuition to students from low-income families is a shining example of two people's will and determination to help the needy.
The centre, at the Kampung Tunku mosque, was a brainchild of Salmah Mohamed Ali and Selamat Bujari, two retirees who were looking for ways to use the ample space in the mosque to benefit the community.
With 100 students, the centre, which started operating in January, offers weekend tuition in English, Bahasa Malaysia, Mathematics and Science for Year One to Form Five.
The centre is funded entirely by donations. There are three classrooms and a library equipped with 20 web-connected computers.
Salmah, the mosque's education committee head, said the initial plan was to host holiday classes for a small group of students living in the low-cost flats in nearby Taman Aman.
However, Selamat, a former chartered accountant, encouraged her to expand the programme.
"He was the one who convinced me to find more students so that we could make a meaningful difference," Salmah, a former banker, said.
Together, they approached mosque attendees for donations and began gathering a team of 22 volunteer tutors, working with four to five students each.
Three of the tutors were former teachers with more than 15 years of experience, while the rest were undergraduate students from Universiti Malaya and other local tertiary institutions.
"We felt it was a good way for young, educated Malays to gain experience in teaching and give back to their community," Salmah said.
Running an educational centre for children from urban poor neighbourhoods came with its own challenges, she said.
Many of the students had trouble with English because of the lack of opportunity to speak the language at home, while some of the older students were far behind in their learning and had disciplinary problems.
Salmah said facing these challenges required novel approaches rarely employed by other tuition centres.
For instance, those in Years One through Three were taught English using fun methods such as music, poetry and reading.
"We've seen a tremendous improvement among our youngest students because they're allowed to approach the language in a way that's comfortable for them.
"Older students have the option of attending remedial classes to catch up on their weakest subjects.
"Those in Form Five can also attend career development classes where they can discuss their future options and learn skills such as writing resumes, and attending job interviews.
"We also encourage the ones who are qualified to attend polytechnics or vocational training schools," Salmah said.
Selamat said he hoped their efforts would be emulated by other mosques throughout the country.
"We want the young to develop a sense of belonging to the mosque, and to see it as not just a place for prayer, but where they can learn and socialise in a friendly and protective environment," he said.
Read more: Free tuition at mosque a hit http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/22mos/Article#ixzz0xPJLBEEy
