Empowering Malay Literacy among Orang Asli Students in Melaka

By, Anis Shahira

MELAKA, 17 April 2026: 26 students of SCSH 2163’s section 512 from Kulliyyah of Sustainable Tourism and Contemporary Languages (KSTCL) organised an early observation visit from 9.00 AM to 12.00 PM, held at Sekolah Kebangsaan Selandar, Melaka.

The visit aimed to understand the Malay literacy levels of Level 1 students, especially those from the Orang Asli community, while also identifying the challenges teachers face in teaching literacy. The insights gained from the visit will be used to develop a long-term solution, which will be presented at the Symposium of Usrah in Action in Week 14 of Semester 2, 2025/2026 session.

“I fully support this programme. The level of student involvement in the community is both significant and meaningful. It is a valuable experience that prepares them for the realities of the working world,” said the Instructor of section 512, Dr. Nurul Jamilah Bt. Rosly.

Despite having only one week to prepare for the visit, the committee, led by Program Manager Masyitah binti Mohd Fouzi, successfully executed a thorough plan from the program briefing with the school’s management to the planning of activities aimed at observing the selected students’ literacy challenges.

“My feelings during the visit were mixed—exhaustion, excitement, and joy all at once. We spent a full week planning for a three-hour visit. Despite the short duration, the effort was intense as we all shared the same goal of addressing the literacy challenges at the school. In the end, we were still able to successfully carry out the program,” said Masyitah binti Mohd Fouzi.

She added that the experience was made even more meaningful by the warm welcome from the teachers, as well as the strong support and commitment from the headmaster, Encik Mohd Nazri bin Ahmad. Masyitah also expressed hope that the efforts of all 26 students would contribute, even in a small way, to easing the school’s literacy challenges in the coming semester.***