Fifty-One Sabah Schools Join REAL Programme to Improve English in Rural Communities

14 July 2025

KOTA KINABALU : A total of 51 schools across 14 districts in Sabah have now joined the Rural-focus English for All (REAL) programme since its launch in 2016, marking a growing movement to close the English proficiency gap between rural and urban students.

The REAL programme, spearheaded by the Rotary Club of Kota Kinabalu (RCKK) Pearl, is designed to uplift English language learning in under-resourced schools through access to quality teaching materials, capacity building for teachers, and interactive student activities. Since its inception, it has directly benefitted more than 10,000 students and has received close to RM1 million in funding for teaching resources.

Chair of Project REAL, Tulip Noorazyze, said the programme goes beyond textbook learning by incorporating inter-school and inter-district competitions, as well as annual teacher training workshops.

“Over the past nine years, we’ve witnessed significant improvements in students’ examination results and overall English proficiency. These gains are evident in competitions such as poem writing, storytelling, and speech, which are held annually under the programme,” she said.

To empower educators, the programme includes training workshops conducted by professional English language trainers. These sessions introduce creative and engaging teaching strategies tailored specifically for rural school environments.

“We believe that empowering teachers is just as important as equipping students. Our workshops help teachers adopt more student-centred and interactive teaching approaches,” added Tulip.

This year, the REAL programme was launched in 12 additional primary schools located in Pitas, Papar, and Beaufort, in partnership with the Sabah State Education Department.

The newly participating schools are Pitas: SK Rosob, SK Bangkau-Bangkau, SK Bawing

Papar: SK Pekan Papar, SJKC Tung Shan, SK Lingan, SK Ulu Lumagar

Beaufort: SK Padas Damit, SK Kota Klias, SK Biah Batu 65, SK Linungkuan, SK Lembah Poring

The launch event was officiated by Nancy @ Aminah Idrus, Senior Assistant Director of the Language Unit at the Sabah Education Department. Also in attendance were RCKK Pearl President Chendramata Sinteh, and representatives from Latter-day Saints (LDS) Charities, including Elder Larry and Sister Hathaway, who sponsored the programme in the 12 newly added schools.

As part of the programme’s support package, each school receives between 400 and 600 English storybooks, bilingual dictionaries for every student, smart TVs or LCD projectors, bookshelves, floor mats, and stools, all donated by RCKK Pearl with assistance from sponsors.

To ensure long-term impact, every participating school is required to submit five action plans led by the school’s headteacher and English panel. These plans outline strategies to integrate English into daily learning and create an immersive language environment—aligned with the Education Department’s Highly Immersive Programme (HIP).

Tulip reaffirmed the club’s commitment to extending the programme to even more rural schools in the years to come.

“Our goal is to ensure that no child is left behind due to geography or limited resources. REAL is more than just a literacy programme, it’s a tool for empowerment, opportunity, and transformation for our rural youth,” she said.

The REAL programme continues to grow as a model of collaboration between civil society, education authorities, and local communities, bringing meaningful change to classrooms across Sabah.