Our Story
Through interviews with teachers, we were disheartened to hear the many stories of students from disadvantaged families – those who dropped out to work as the pandemic affected household income, those who couldn’t catch up and lost interest in learning because connectivity was unstable, those who had to fight with siblings to share one mobile phone at night to learn…
The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a historic nationwide shutdown of schools from March to July ‘20. Subsequently schools were closed from November ‘20 to March/ April ‘21 and once again in May ‘21. With a surge in new infections, students are likely to be kept out of the classroom for most of 2021 as well.
On average, the prolonged period of remote learning has high costs, with an estimated loss of 0.9 years of learning after 7 months of school closure. Looking at Hurricane Katrina for example, students came back on an average of >2 years below grade level, and New Orleans schools are still dealing with the learning loss aftermath 15 years later.
We also learned that based on the latest survey by UNESCO, it remains unclear if the Ministry of Education plans to introduce nationwide remedial or accelerated programs. While those from privileged families can afford paid tutoring to catch up on lost learning, the students who came into the pandemic with the fewest academic opportunities are left behind.
Education remains a significant determinant for social mobility. Without interventions, these disadvantaged communities are likely denied the education needed to build a brighter future.
We think this is not fair.
This is why we build Rakan Tutor – to offer free tutoring to underserved secondary school students in Malaysia. To equip them with the skills and confidence to perform better academically and gain motivation to achieve their fullest potential.
Through interviews with teachers, we were disheartened to hear the many stories of students from disadvantaged families – those who dropped out to work as the pandemic affected household income, those who couldn’t catch up and lost interest in learning because connectivity was unstable, those who had to fight with siblings to share one mobile phone at night to learn…
The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a historic nationwide shutdown of schools from March to July ‘20. Subsequently schools were closed from November ‘20 to March/ April ‘21 and once again in May ‘21. With a surge in new infections, students are likely to be kept out of the classroom for most of 2021 as well.
On average, the prolonged period of remote learning has high costs, with an estimated loss of 0.9 years of learning after 7 months of school closure. Looking at Hurricane Katrina for example, students came back on an average of >2 years below grade level, and New Orleans schools are still dealing with the learning loss aftermath 15 years later.
We also learned that based on the latest survey by UNESCO, it remains unclear if the Ministry of Education plans to introduce nationwide remedial or accelerated programs. While those from privileged families can afford paid tutoring to catch up on lost learning, the students who came into the pandemic with the fewest academic opportunities are left behind.
Education remains a significant determinant for social mobility. Without interventions, these disadvantaged communities are likely denied the education needed to build a brighter future.
We think this is not fair.
This is why we build Rakan Tutor – to offer free tutoring to underserved secondary school students in Malaysia. To equip them with the skills and confidence to perform better academically and gain motivation to achieve their fullest potential.