Reading changes lives. It’s the foundation of a good education, which makes us happier, healthier, and more productive. But many pre-school teachers across Indonesia have had little or no training to enable them to teach reading effectively, with the result that literacy levels remain low: more than 86% of Indonesian 15-year-olds read at too low a level to gain significant benefits from their secondary education.

Improving levels of literacy among Indonesian schoolchildren is fundamental to improving educational quality and equity in Indonesia. Children who learn to read with fluency and understanding at an early stage – and who love learning – will benefit from compounding returns throughout their school years, and for the rest of their lives.    

SEEDS partner Yayasan Tunas Aksara works for a future where all of Indonesia’s children have the chance to learn to read, and to love reading.

They do this by equipping pre-school and early-primary teachers to teach literacy effectively, so that the children they teach learn to read with fluency, understanding and enjoyment.

They provide partner organisations with three things:

• A field-tested Indonesian-language literacy curriculum that is effective, engaging, and easy to use;
• High quality, culturally relevant reading books and learning materials designed to support children as they learn to read;
• Teacher training and mentoring that produces effective teachers of literacy who are able to share a love of reading and learning, and to care for the children they teach.

So far more than 10,000 children across Indonesia have been taught to read using Saya Suka Membaca materials, and the program continues to grow.

For more information visit www.sayasukamembaca.org or watch the video below.