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HOPE FOR TADIKA TABUNG HARAPAN
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Nelvianna Masandul shares how she is taking action in her community
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
When passion meets empowerment, the result is an unstoppable mission stoked by conviction and fuelled by commitment. Nelvianna Masandul is one of the rising numbers of young women who are championing a new wave of activism.
An education trailblazer in the making, she is undaunted by the challenges and only more motivated by the obstacles that she faces. Nelvianna made the sacrifice of turning her back on the comforts of the city to bring equitable early childhood education to the rural areas of Sabah. Under no illusion, Nelvianna is unyielding in her mission to embody the change that she wants to see.
“Their counterparts in urban areas are deciding between options on what they would have for recess, but the children in Tadika Tabung Harapan would be so lucky if there are biscuits on the menu,” shared Nelvianna who teaches at the kindergarten.
The very things that most people take for granted such as fans, air conditioning, stationery, books and food are things that the kindergarten struggles to obtain on a day to day basis. “We share the toilet at the nearby Church and we rely on our own family and friends to help us with donations so that we can get food for the children,” said Nelvianna.
Tadika Tabung Harapan located in Kampung Ungkup, Sabah is one of over two hundred kindergartens run by the Sidang Injil Borneo (SIB) Church. It relies on funding from the Church and goodwill donations. However, Nelvianna explained that in recent years many of these kindergartens have had to close because of the lack of funds.
Nelvianna was handpicked in 2017 to participate in the Sabah Community Transformation Project, a collaboration between SIB Sabah and the Full Gospel Assembly Church (FGA) focusing on making available and improving the standard of early childhood education in Sabah. “My role is to lead early childhood education reforms,” said Nelvianna citing that these would consist of curriculum updates, teacher training and the setting up of conducive learning spaces among others. “Tadika Tabung Harapan is a test bed for the reforms, and the plans that I draw up from my experience here will be replicated at other SIB kindergartens,” she added.
“There are many challenges, from the smallest to the major ones. Transportation for one is always an issue. The kindergarten is located within a radius of two to five kilometres from where the children live and over three trips, we pick them from their homes in a Kancil sponsored by the Church. However when it breaks down, school is out,” she said.
In another incident where one of her students had suddenly ceased to attend school, Nelvianna had gone to his home to look for him, only to discover that he is an orphan. “Being the youngest of seven siblings, his sister could not afford the school fees and she felt too ashamed to send him to school without his fees,” said Nelvianna who explained that students pay a monthly fee of RM25.00 to cover overheads, food and books. “I reached out to my friends in Kota Kinabalu and luckily they were willing to support his needs until he finished preschool,” she added citing that the boy is now in standard one.
Tadika Tabung Harapan opens its preschool enrolment to students from Kampung Bongkol, Kampung Ungkup and Kampung Gumpa in Pitas Sabah. These villages are located over 200 kilometres from Kota Kinabalu and although there are public owned kindergartens in the vicinity, the number is inadequate to cater to the number of preschool children in the area.
Nelvianna shared that there is still a lack of awareness on the importance of preschool. “We run seminars and open days to explain to parents the importance of early childhood education. We are beginning to see more awareness, but we are also concerned that the maximum number of 25 students which we are allowed to take will prove insufficient in the future,” she added.
Sabah born Nelvianna is a Dika College Diploma in Early Childhood Education holder who graduated top five of her class. She admits that life is lonely where she is, but she does not regret her decision to return home. “I know what it is like to struggle for an education and I will do all I can to help these children get a better life,” she said.
As an advocate of early childhood education, Nelvianna speaks at seminars to inspire educators that every child is special and worthy of a good education. Organisations and individuals who are interested in helping her build a better future for children can contact her.
Article commissioned by
CayD Communications.
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