Assumption Learning Centre Welcomes Chiang Rai and Singapore Visitors on 2-day Visit

Memories of the enriching and fruitful exchange on facilitating language and life skills will long be etched in the minds and hearts of those involved in a meeting held between Assumption Learning Centre (ALC) and visitors from Singapore and Chiang Rai, at the ALC in SCIC, Chai Leng Park on 18th and 19th of March.

The visit kicked off with a prayer by Rev Fr Raphael from the Foreign Missions of Milan (PIME) who gave thanks to God for the opportunity of meeting up. Then, Joseph spoke briefly of the inception of ALC, its aim, methodology and how ALC is run. 

The ALC was initiated by Anne Louisa, a retired teacher who realised that many Malaysian students, who have gone through 11 years of education are not able to read, write, do simple arithmetic or fill in simple forms in Bahasa Malaysia and English. Together with some like-minded people, she began efforts to realise their dream of teaching 3R skills to school students who are facing challenges so that they will be able to acquire the necessary proficiencies.

First, she and her husband, Joseph, met with the parish priest, Rev. Fr. Dominic Santhiyagu, the PPC chairman, Stephen Chin and a few volunteers who sat down together to come up with an action plan. Fr. Dom promised to provide them with a place at SCIC.

Next, their search brought them to visit the Learning Centre at Divine Mercy Church, Penang. After their visit there, the team decided the following: Aim of programme is to enable learners who are facing challenges in mastering the basic skills of reading, writing, speaking and arithmetic to acquire them. Methodology used is an adaptation of Bro. John De Cruz’s “La Sallian Approach – A Different Way of Learning”; based on a personal touch approach; with no particular syllabus but lessons drawn up depending on the students’ ability, pace, behaviour and interests. The team will innovate and improvise according to students’ needs, and keep a personal record and progress of each student.

Once that was done, the initiating team roped in various church organisations to help realise their vision. The parishioners helped to identify students in and around them who need and are willing to receive such help. Volunteers came forward to work as facilitators.

Eventually on 17th July 2022, the ALC took off the ground with 10 students between the ages of 8 and 14 years of age. There was a meeting with parents and students to enlighten them on the aim, nature and the methodology of the classes. Before the students could start at the centre, preliminary assessments of their skills were done to have a profile of the students’ strengths and weaknesses. This is to help facilitators identify and cater to the students’ needs.

Since its birth, the ALC has grown in strength. It has now 22 students with 12 facilitators who are divided into two groups. They take turns to come for classes every alternate Sunday from 2pm – 4pm. Along the way, the centre has had to deal not only with adapting to the new way of facilitating and learning but also other problems such as poverty, transport and discipline. As this is a parish-based project, ALC is grateful to Fr. Dom’s full support, various church organisations, Assumption Old Boys’ alumni and well-wishers who have come forward to contribute in various ways.

Joseph informed the Chiang Rai team that a typical Sunday lesson starts at 1.30pm when the students arrive at the centre. A packed-meal lunch is provided to students who have had no lunch. The others take home their share to eat later. From 2pm – 2.30pm, they play board games, read or watch interesting video clips. From 2.30pm – 4pm, the students go through three stations of half-hour-learning of the four skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking, and arithmetic in Bahasa Malaysia and English. All the lessons are theme based. The facilitators are encouraged to create their own teaching materials to cater to the students’ needs, using resources from the Internet or the ALC’s Resource Centre. Once a month, the students have sessions on additional skills such as craft, basic sewing, and computer skills.

What are the ALC’s hopes? The volunteers hope that their lessons and personal interaction with the students will help them not only to acquire basic life skills but also to develop into holistic persons with self-confidence, self-esteem, discipline, social skills and live good values so as to be self-fulfilled people, to contribute to society and be able to overcome challenges in an ever-changing world.

The short briefing session was followed by a tea break where the visitors were treated to local fares. Visitors and ALC facilitators mingled freely and learnt from each other, the work they are involved in.

After the break, the visitors from Chiang Rai shared with us their work and their mission. Their work involves serving the migrants to Chiang Rai. It is mainly supported by PIME. They are a young group of volunteers struggling to teach the basic skills of three languages namely Thai, Myanmar and English, hence, their visit to the ALC whose mission overlaps in some areas. They not only teach the basic skills to school-going children and youths but also to those who cannot be registered in schools, the migrant workers as well as adults. Their work also includes health care, pastoral care for accident cases and those who are bed-ridden. After their presentation. ALC team felt that they have a lot to learn from them.

Fr. Dom welcomed the teams from Singapore and Chiang Rai. He touched on how the ALC is a project started from the grass roots and not from top-down. He is grateful for the dedication and hard work of the initiating team and its volunteers. He pledged the parish’s support for this project financially and otherwise as a ministry that is started by lay people in response to a need in the community. He also suggested a physical exchange of facilitators, networking and continued virtual meetings with Fr Raphael’s team in Chiang Rai and Christopher Cheong’s team from Singapore. After this, souvenirs were exchanged.

Lastly, there was a Q and A session where Fr Raphael posed four questions to Joseph and the team. Joseph shared on behalf of the team that many have learnt patience and felt satisfaction as they could see that the ALC students have become more disciplined and better behaved since they came to ALC. Quantitatively, they haven’t been able to measure their acquisition of the language and life skills.

Fintan shared how this “La Sallian Approach – A Different Way of Learning” was started since 1984 by Bro. John de Cruz, a La Sallian brother. He realised at that time that many students who had not acquired basic life skills fell out of the Malaysian education system. So he started to study and came up with this approach to help students acquire these skills, to ask questions, to be able to source for answers and eventually become independent learners and facilitators. He shared one success story where one of their students was given this opportunity at nine years old to learn and acquire basic life skills. He later graduated and served his community, making them aware of who they are and what they can do for themselves.

Christopher Cheong shared how his trip to ALC was the work of the Holy Spirit. Their initial plan was a visit to the Penang Learning Centre but as there was no answer, he was told of the ALC. Arrangements and contacts were made. He felt so very happy, inspired, encouraged and touched by the warm hospitality by Fr. Dom who has taken a personal interest in the project and the “efforts and collaboration of young and old volunteers, priest and lay people.”

On 19th March, the visiting team came to visit ALC to see for themselves how the lessons were run. They arrived at 2.15 pm to participate in an action song. The visiting team was given a copy of the student’s assessment form. They also went around and had hands-on experience as they interacted with students and facilitators. The theme for the day was “Modes of Transport”. They found the lessons were carried out in a very systematic and orderly manner as the students moved from one station to the next.

After the class, there was tea and further interaction between the teams. Christopher opined that it would be good if the team includes an occupational therapist to help correct difficulties in motor skill development and posture in some of the children that manifest as behavioural issues. He was also happy to see a mix of young and old facilitators. He shared that if this project is to be sustainable, more young people must be involved. We are indeed very grateful to him for his feedback and generous donation to ALC.

The 2-day visit ended with positive remarks for Fr. Dom as a role model, the readiness of Chiang Rai, Singapore and ALC teams to share their resources through networking and even, maybe a physical exchange of facilitators. It gave all an opportunity to share with like-minded people who want to make a difference in their world. All who came found the time well spent as they benefitted from the enriching and fruitful exchange. (By ALC)