Students recognised for improving English through educational game

Mohd Razali (back row, sixth from right) and Teoh (seventh from left) with SCF directors, district education officers and the highest achieving students of the ‘Dawn of Civilisation’ educational game during the prize-giving ceremony.

IN A world where technology is becoming increasingly prevalent, educational games too are becoming more popular.

Some 50 students and teachers were rewarded for their outstanding achievement in learning and teaching English during a year-long programme.

The schoolchildren were among 14,000 students from 61 schools in the Hulu Langat (Selangor) and Pekan (Pahang) education districts who learned the language through the mobile game Dawn of Civilisation.

The educational game was created by Solve Education!, a non-governmental organisation, and funded by Saujana Cares Foundation (SCF).

Through the game, students were able to improve their English vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation skills by completing various levels and challenges.

The game’s interactive nature also helped to keep students engaged and motivated.

Awards were given to the top 15 students from primary and secondary schools of both districts.

The educators received awards for achieving the highest number of students who significantly improved their English via the educational game.

Pekan education district saw Farhana Omar and Nor Aisyah Ahmad from SMK Lepar receive an additional Aspiring Mentor Award for improving the most in the district, while Sharizawati Salim and Yashida Yasim from SMK Jalan Bukit took top honours in the Hulu Langat district.

Students who showed the most improvement and achieved the highest score on Dawn of Civilisation won prizes like tablets, hotel stays and golf lessons thanks to the foundation.

Schools with the highest number of students showing significant improvement were also recognised.

In Pekan, SMK Lepar came top ahead of 11 other secondary schools, while SK Sri Maulana beat five other primary schools.

SMK Jalan Bukit and SK Kampung Rinching came first among 20 others in the secondary and primary school categories respectively in the Hulu Langat district.

Three more schools outside either education district, SMK Lembah Subang, SJK (T) Ladang Glenmarie and Sekolah Agama Menengah Tinggi Sultan Hisamuddin (SAMTSH), also participated in the programme.

Solve Education! chief executive officer Janine Teoh said the programme that kicked off in SMK Lembah Subang and SAMTSH garnered impressive results.

“Many people think the main player in technological innovation is the software developer but technology is just the enabler.

“It takes government and school leaders with the foresight to be future-ready in using technology for the betterment of their students,” said Teoh.

SCF chairman Tan Sri Mohd Razali Abdul Rahman said the foundation, which focused on improving education for underprivileged students, felt that the RM100,000 for the programme was “money well spent”.

In his speech, he shared how he built his career despite not having a privileged background.

“With English being one of the most widely spoken languages in official and business circles, a good command of the language will help students achieve more success,” he said.

Also present at the ceremony were Hulu Langat District Education Office chief officer Arbain Pinni, Pekan District Education Office Education Resource and Technology officer Mohd Khairi Azim Mohamed Arif as well as headmasters and parents.