- Scholastic Asia & Yayasan Hasanah Launch Literacy Boost under Program Anak Kita to strengthen English literacy and rebuild reading confidence among primary school students in Johor and Selangor.
- Impact in First 9 Weeks: 13,000+ students from 427 schools read nearly 79 million words and completed 144,000+ eBooks, with 98% chosen by students themselves.
- Collaborative Approach: Backed by MELTA training for teachers, parental involvement, and the Reading Champ Award to celebrate progress until the end of 2025.
Top international children's publishing, education, and media business Scholastic Asia, together with Yayasan Hasanah, is making a quantifiable difference in Johor and Selangor schools with the Literacy Boost Program. The program targets building up English literacy and restoring reading confidence among primary school students.
Through the Program Anak Kita, the Literacy Boost facilitates Malaysia's education recovery by enhancing students' English through reading tests benchmarked against international standards and tailored to the Malaysian environment. With the use of Lexile metrics, parents and educators are able to comprehend every child's reading proficiency better and assign them the appropriate books, thus making reading more efficient and enjoyable regardless of their background and geographic location.
"Literacy is perhaps the most critical skill a child needs. It influences how they learn, how they think, and how they perceive the world. With this program, we would like to make the students of Malaysia more confident in using English, particularly after all the interruptions of the last few years", Duriya Aziz, President, Education (International) of Scholastic Inc., explained. "The early signs are promising". If students are equipped with appropriate tools, they are energized and willing to learn. We will keep working collaboratively with our partners to ensure more children receive quality reading material and a chance to excel.
Since its inception in January 2025, the programme has been picking up steam in schools throughout Johor and Selangor. Within nine weeks, more than 13,000 students from Primary 2 to 6 in 427 schools have read almost 79 million words and finished over 144,000 eBooks. Remarkably, 98% of the eBooks were chosen by the students themselves, indicating their increasing curiosity and motivation to learn on their own.
Siti Kamariah Ahmad Subki, Managing Director & Trustee, Yayasan Hasanah, further commented: "We are delighted to collaborate with Scholastic as part of Program Anak Kita in promoting early literacy among Malaysian children. As Bahasa Malaysia is the central priority in the national recovery initiative through the Kelas Pemulihan remedial program, this English literacy program provides a localized and substantive level of reinforcement that complements the needs of the participating schools".
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Delivered through a digital app, it also expands access to quality learning resources and supports the shift toward more inclusive, tech-enabled education. The strength of Program Anak Kita lies in its whole-of-nation spirit bringing together diverse partners with different strengths, skill sets, and reach. Together, we’re helping ensure every child has the literacy tools to dream bigger, learn with confidence, and reach their full potential.
Aside from the students, parents and teachers are key to making the program succeed. The Malaysian English Language Teaching Association (MELTA) has played a significant role in providing teachers with training, classroom assistance, and professional enhancement to enable both stakeholders to develop exciting and organized English learning spaces.
President of MELTA Dr Sivabala Naidu explained: "We have witnessed how Literacy Boost enables students to reconnect with English in a meaningful, enjoyable manner. Real change, however, does not occur in the classroom. It is done by teachers who are well-armed with the proper tools, and parents engaged in actively supporting their child's education."
To commemorate the continued dedication, Scholastic has launched the Reading Champ Award to honor schools, educators, and students that make tangible progress throughout the program. Running until the end of 2025, the award puts the spotlight on all the work and effort that goes into growing students' love for reading.
