SEEDS partner Yayasan Tunas Aksara (YTA) has equipped 37 teachers from 20 schools in Timor, Eastern Indonesia, to teach reading effectively using its Saya Suka Membaca [I Love Reading] curriculum.
This partnership with the Indonesian Ministry of Education’s Program Organisasi Penggerak will see almost 1,000 children taught the foundations of literacy in a fun and engaging way.
An Urgent Need
Eastern Indonesia (NTT Province) has some of Indonesia’s lowest literacy rates, with 64% of children in primary grade 4 reading below the government’s targets. Low levels of basic skills affect the entire education system and the wider economy, so improving literacy is a key step to investing in the province’s future.
The program was launched in October 2021 with an event for head-teachers and administrators followed by 4 days of intensive, hands-on training for teachers. Covid-19 restrictions meant that most of the training was delivered by a local YTA team, with contributions from the Jakarta-based team via Zoom.
Teacher Testimony
The training was a great success, with teachers commenting on how engaging and active it was, and on the care shown by the YTA team. You can watch a brief video with a teacher testimony here:
A teacher using SSM in their classroom shared this with their mentor:
“Praise God, this is a child who I teach who couldn’t write at all. Since we’ve had lessons that are fun he works hard and is making good progress with his writing.”
The current program runs until December 2021, but the government will extend it into 2022 if funding is available.
If you’d like to learn more about the work of Yayasan Tunas Aksara directly, you can do so by going to our website https://www.sayasukamembaca.org/en/
