Articles

Free online tuition boosts academic performance of rural students

Published by SchoolAdvisor | Mar 15, 2013

The 1Malaysia People's Tuition-Interactive Programme (iTR1M) helps rural pupils from low-income families to be on a par with their urban peers who have the means to go for tuition classes.

The pilot initiative had offered free online tuition for around 10,000 students in Selangor who sat for their UPSR, PMR and SPM exams last year, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.

Rosmah, representing the Welfare Association of Wives of Ministers and Deputy Ministers (Bakti), said the programme aimed to build a culture of "enjoying studying" among students and expose them to the concept of self-learning.

The pilot programme had delivered good results, as the academic performance of the pupils had improved, added Rosmah. 

The iTR1M programme made a significant impact on the academic development of the students even though the implementation period was only a short three to four months before the national exams, said Selangor Barisan Nasional (BN) coordinator Datuk Seri Mohd Zin Mohamed.

"Future participating schools will be selected by the state Education Departments after taking into account which schools require assistance in raising their students' academic performance, including vernacular and Orang Asli schools."

The programme, initiated by the Implementation and Coordination Unit (ICU) under the Prime Minister's Department last year, will also collaborate with the Young Teachers Group, Selangor Youth Council and Yayasan Selangor Alumni Association this year.

"With the NGOs' help, an estimated 30,000 students will benefit from iTR1M this year," he said.