One of the main challenge in our work with the OA Asli teachers is in providing them support for their continuous development. This is mainly due to the fact that the teachers are located in obscure villages and we do not have volunteers who live near these villages. We visit the teachers every month to provide school supplies, supervision and guidance. But to help improve their English effectively, weekly sessions with the OA teachers are required. This is where the English Teaching Assistants (ETA) under the US Fulbright program are a valuable help to our cause. We met really enthusiastic and capable ETAs in Gerik, Lenggong and Gopeng who were more than happy to fill the gap.
Yesterday our OA teachers in Gerik had their first English lesson with the ETAs. They worked on the basics such greetings, introductions and personal particulars. It’s wonderful to have the ETAs helping our teachers. We are confident that as the OA teachers improve in their English skills, their ability to teach will also improve.
First and foremost I would like to that you all for this tremendous opportunity. This has been a source of my happiness and I am grateful for the experience and exposure of getting to know the Orang Asli here in Malaysia. I am forever grateful. Our first meeting last night was a great success. We all got acquainted with eachother and worked on greetings, introductions and personal particulars. I am looking forward to next weeks meeting” Akirah Crawford, Fellow ETA.
