By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Nov 12: Two English teachers from a school in Mukah have turned their pupils’ struggles with reading and limited English proficiency into an award-winning digital learning innovation, READ+ (Your Reading Buddy), which won a Silver Medal at an international education conference in Selangor.
According to the TVS report, developed by Anis Afifah Shahiri and Nur Safawani Mohd Syahril of Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Kampung Petanak, the interactive platform received the recognition at the Innovation Competition held in conjunction with the International Conference on Future Education (ICFE) 2026 in Klang from Nov 3 to 5.
The competition, organised by the Institute of Teacher Education Malaysia (IPGM), featured 164 innovation projects in the open category, with 61 receiving Silver Medals.
Nur Safawani said the idea for READ+ emerged from their classroom experience, where they observed that some pupils struggled with reading, had limited vocabulary and lacked confidence in using English, which is the third language for many of them.
She said the platform was designed to make learning more accessible and engaging by allowing pupils to access reading, listening and speaking exercises through their DELIMa accounts, according to their respective proficiency levels.
“READ+ integrates game-based learning, interactive quizzes, audio, daily challenges, a points system, achievement badges and leaderboards to make learning activities more engaging.
“Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is also incorporated to support learning analysis and monitor pupils’ proficiency levels, while teachers can use the Teacher Dashboard to assess progress and plan appropriate interventions,” she said.
Beyond classroom learning, the platform also allows teachers to share reports on pupils’ activities and achievements directly with parents, enabling them to monitor their children’s learning progress at home.
Nur Safawani said pupils’ responses had been encouraging, with many showing greater interest in reading activities and becoming more confident in attempting and completing exercises independently.
She said one of the most encouraging changes was seeing pupils who were previously hesitant to read in English begin making attempts, while the digital reward system motivated them to repeat exercises to improve their performance.
“For us, increased interest, confidence and willingness to read are the most meaningful impacts,” she said.
Looking ahead, she hoped READ+ could be introduced in more schools to help pupils strengthen their English proficiency through interactive and enjoyable digital learning.
She said the recognition was not merely about winning a medal, but also demonstrated that teachers in rural schools could develop educational innovations capable of earning international recognition. –DayakDaily
