JomBaca: Driving Learning Recovery, Reigniting Dreams for Our Children

The age-old adage, “it takes a village to raise a child” speaks to a simple yet profound truth: that nurturing the well-being and growth of children is a shared endeavour. Program Anak Kita (PAK) brings this spirit to life.

“PAK is an important education reform initiative by the government, specifically designed to address learning loss resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic,” explains Aeti Abdullah, Senior Manager of Education (Learning Recovery) at Yayasan Hasanah (“Hasanah”).

It aims to strengthen foundational literacy and numeracy for primary school students. For the secondary school level, PAK focuses on improving the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) passing rate, reintegrating dropouts and supporting students who have returned to school—particularly those in the SPM 2025 cohort.

Under this programme, Hasanah serves as the convener alongside Unit Pantau MADANI. Anchored by the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) vision, and made possible through funding from the Ministry of Finance, PAK is a clear reflection of what purposeful collaboration can achieve.

“We collaborate with civil society organisations and public universities in implementing focused interventions nationwide,” explains Aeti, highlighting the crucial role of these programme implementers in contributing local insights, contextual solutions, and hands-on expertise.

Mastery of the 3Rs – Reading, Writing & Arithmetic – is foundational for education. These foundational skills were emphasised in the 1960 Rahman Talib Report, elements of which were later adopted by the Education Act 1961 that shaped the education system of a recently independent Malaya.

Learning and Relearning

Yet, MOE recently reported that more than one quarter of Standard One students for the 2024/2025 academic session have not yet mastered the 3Rs.

Under PAK initiatives, 10 implementation partners across seven high-need states have been engaged to address this issue. In Selangor, iSina – one of the programme implementers – is bringing its “JomBaca” learning methodologies to remedial classes in Hulu Langat and Kuala Langat.

The JomBaca programme is an intensive 40-day literacy and numeracy intervention designed to address foundational learning gaps, particularly those struggling with the essential 3R skills in Bahasa Melayu and Mathematics.

Through the sharing of resources, what begins as a short-term, structured intervention becomes a lasting tool for educators, long after the official 40-day sessions conclude.

“We provide schools with all the teaching aid from cue cards to soft copies of modules used,” Programme Director Rahmalizah Binti Ali says.

The programme’s primary goal is to reduce the number of students placed in remedial classes (kelas pemulihan) by addressing learning gaps early and effectively.

In line with the National Education Policy, these remedial classes are intended as a targeted intervention for students who have yet to acquire essential competencies due to various contextual challenges, such as limited access to resources, insufficient learning support, language barriers, or geographical disadvantages in rural areas.

We provide schools with all the teaching aid from cue cards to soft copies of modules used.”

Programme Director, Rahmalizah Binti Ali

“This is an accelerated intervention for literacy and numeracy. It is not that current methods are not working, but the focus is speed so that classes do not keep getting bigger,” explains Rahmalizah, who believes time is of the essence when it comes to improving 3R mastery.

One of the challenges during the programme is that teachers’ schedules are often filled with other responsibilities. To ensure full commitment, Rahmalizah discussed with the schools involved to exempt those teachers from other activities during the JomBaca programme.

Inside a Learning Recovery Classroom

Cikgu Veerammah A/P Aiyappan of SJK (T) Pusat Telok Datok and Cikgu Muhammad Kamil Bin Yusuf of SK (Asli) Bukit Komandol are remedial teachers who participated in this programme.

Both teachers found the phonics method of reading used in the JomBaca programme to be immensely helpful for their students. Cikgu Muhammad Kamil is happy to share that some students who struggled to read before this, made tremendous progress — a sentiment that Cikgu Veerammah echoes.

“iSina felt like an unexpected miracle, one I will continue to use in my classes,” shares the teacher of 15 years. Pleased with its efficacy, he hopes it will reach every student who needs it.

Another important component to this programme is parents’ involvement in ensuring their children do not miss any school days. Cikgu Veerammah took it upon herself to personally reach out to parents to explain the importance of the programme and how their children could benefit from it. This paid off as she saw an improvement in attendance rates during the JomBaca programme. “Students were excited to come to school and even arrived earlier than they usually do!” she says adding that she too enjoyed learning the pedagogy.

In so many ways, PAK is testament to the power of collective action. Its comprehensive whole-of-nation-approach not only proves that collaboration is indeed the cornerstone of progress but also ensures that every intervention is rooted in the realities of Malaysian classrooms.

As Hasanah’s Senior Manager of Education (Learning Recovery), Aeti points out: the 83,000 students reached through Program Anak Kita are more than just students in a classroom. They are storytellers, problem-solvers, quiet observers, bold dreamers — each with their own rhythm of learning. Mastering literacy and numeracy is not just a skill, but a stepping stone — one that opens the door to their full potential.