This alarming prediction highlights the importance of keeping one’s language alive, now more than ever. It is, therefore, timely that on Aug 17, Suka Society is slated to launch its Bahasa Ibunda (mother tongue) syllabus for indigenous children aged three to six years old.
Suka, which stands for “Suara Kanak Kanak”, was set up to protect and preserve the best interests of children.
Its general manager, Sarah Teo, told FMT Lifestyle that the syllabus – which consists of storybooks, worksheets, craft activities, songs, and a teaching toolkit – is available in the Semai, Temiar and Jakun languages: tribes the NGO primarily works with.
Through the syllabus, which will be used in Suka’s indigenous preschools, they hope to foster a strong sense of identity among Orang Asal (OA) children.
These schools are part of the NGO’s Empowered2Teach programme, aimed at creating greater education access for preschool children from OA communities and preparing them for Standard 1. To date, there are 15 such preschools throughout peninsular Malaysia and Sabah.
The Bahasa Ibunda syllabus, which covers six themes such as flowers and animals, will complement the existing syllabus, and will first be launched in peninsular Malaysia before being introduced in Sabah in the near future.
According to Teo, the idea for the syllabus came after one of their staff, Zaliha Titoi, attended a course about mother-tongue education. She subsequently worked with a team of OA teachers to develop the syllabus.
“The songs and stories were all written by them, using references related to their culture and lifestyle,” said Anderson Selvasegaram, Suka’s executive director. “We guided and supported them by creating some structure as they developed the syllabus.”
The materials, beautifully illustrated by OA artist Ripson Rahim, will certainly make learning fun and impactful for children.
“Having a strong sense of identity helps children to be proud of who they are. Research shows that being strong in one’s identity and culture builds resilience,” Teo noted.
Anderson added that these resources will be made available for others who teach children from OA communities. As such, the materials will be available for free on Suka Society’s website after Aug 17, while the songs are already available on its YouTube channel.
A lifeline for refugee children, trafficking victims
Suka, which was founded in 2010, also works among refugees. “Our focus is on children who are in Malaysia without their parents. What we do is place them in foster relationships within their own community,” Anderson explained.
“For example, if there is a Palestinian child without any parents, we will work with that community. Our case manager will support the family to provide care for the child, while we work with UNHCR to find durable solutions.”
In addition, the organisation works with survivors of human trafficking by conducting wellness-, skills- and education-related activities in government protection shelters. These include art and music, sewing, beading and cooking, all in hopes of providing therapeutic relief.
The NGO shared the story of Mary (not her real name), who, as a teen, was deceived by her aunt into leaving her home in East Malaysia for a better job. She ended up working as a maid in peninsular Malaysia while her aunt pocketed her salary.
Thankfully, kind-hearted strangers eventually helped her to lodge her case with the authorities, and she was placed in a protection shelter.
“We have seen an increase in Malaysian victims who have fallen into job scams,” Anderson said. “As long as the economic condition causes financial constraints, more people might end up in such situations.
“So be vigilant of job offers and opportunities. Do the necessary research to ascertain that what you’re applying for is legitimate,” he concluded.
Learn more about Suka Society via its website, Facebook and Instagram.