Private sector urged to support disadvantaged youths in education

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KUALA LUMPUR: The private sector should be involved in helping youths and children through special programmes that can lead to fun education environment especially in learning English.

Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik said their help was much needed for students especially from low income families in achieving their academic and life goals.

“We hope more private companies in Malaysia would also be involved in assisting us (the ministry) to enhance the command of the English language among the school children.

“The ministry welcomes the opportunity the private sector brings to work together towards achieving long term shared goals for the education system,” he said after launching the National Financial Industry Collective Outreach (FINCO) programme at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Padang Tembak here yesterday.

FINCO is a collaboration of 107 financial institutions, making it the largest collective impact initiative for corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Malaysia that aims to increase access to opportunities for underprivileged children.

It organises innovative programmes nationwide, as well as inspiring large-scale collaboration in the corporate sector to achieve systemic social and environmental benefits.

It was set up by Bank Negara Malaysia on 2016 to focus on implementing programmes to boost the command in English language and motivation for learning in children and youths from the low income group.

Maszlee said that FINCO has been working closely with the ministry in order to deliver English proficiency and life aspiration programmes across the country by 2021.

Meanwhile, FINCO chairman Tan Sri Azman Hashim said the pilot project that started in Sabah and Sarawak in 2017 was very successful with the involvement of parents, teachers and the Education Department.

“We want children and youth to be proficient in English and also help them to be motivated in life so that they can achieve their academic and life goals,” he said.

He noted that 40 schools in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru have been identified for the FINCO programmes this month which combined four strategic areas – life aspiration, English proficiency, financial proficiency and disaster relief – to support a better future for the children in Malaysia. — Bernama