A better world: The EduPower for Quality Education initiative aims to uplift underserved communities.
Automaker and mobility solutions provider Stellantis is partnering with Teach For Malaysia (TFM) on the EduPower for Quality Education initiative to uplift underserved communities by providing access to quality education.
Education, said Stellantis (Asean) chief operating officer Daniel Gonzalez, is a key driver of economic and social mobility.
“And it is our collective responsibility to ensure that no community is left behind,” he said in a press release dated March 4.
In Malaysia, one in five children does not complete secondary school, and 58% of 15-year-olds do not meet minimum proficiency levels in reading.
More than two-thirds of students in underperforming schools come from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, facing significant barriers to learning.
For example, a student who needs to work after school may struggle to complete homework due to time constraints, or the family may not be able to afford basic necessities like calculators, textbooks and exercise books, creating further obstacles to learning.
Making matters worse, schools in rural areas often face challenges in recruiting high-quality teachers for an education system that emphasises paperwork.
Struggling with limited resources, existing teachers face burnout and lack access to quality professional training to help them learn new skills and methods.
“We are excited to partner with TFM to break the cycle of educational inequity and provide support for education to communities that need it most.
“Subsequently, we look forward to empowering the next generation through education, equipping them with the skills and knowledge necessary to break barriers and unlock future opportunities,” said Gonzalez.
The EduPower for Quality Education initiative will focus on building quality teaching capacity through TFM’s two-year Fellowship Programme.
TFM will train 90 top talents to be teaching partners, also known as TFM fellows, who will be placed in high-need schools across Perak, Selangor and Sarawak – regions with significant populations from the B40, Orang Asli and Orang Asal communities.
Over 24 months, the fellows will teach 19,950 students aged seven to 17, with efforts concentrated on improving foundational literacy and numeracy.
TFM chief executive officer Chan Soon Seng said every child in Malaysia should have the opportunity to realise their potential through quality education, regardless of background.
“We are thrilled to have Stellantis help us build and mobilise a movement of leaders to empower all children in Malaysia through education,” he said.
Moving forward, Stellantis and TFM plan to develop a Student Leader Advisory Council to empower student leadership by fostering strong mentoring and networking opportunities between students and Stellantis employees.
