Leading global children’s publishing, education, and media company Scholastic Asia, in partnership with Yayasan Hasanah, is driving measurable impact in schools across Johor and Selangor through the Literacy Boost Program. The initiative aims to strengthen English proficiency and rebuild reading confidence among primary school students.
Under the Program Anak Kita, the Literacy Boost supports Malaysia’s education recovery by helping students improve their English through reading assessments that are benchmarked to global standards and adapted for the Malaysian context.
Using Lexile measures, parents and teachers can better understand each child’s reading level and match them with the right books, making reading more effective and enjoyable no matter their background or location.
“Literacy is one of the most important skills a child can have. It shapes how they learn, how they think, and how they see the world. Through this program, we want to support Malaysian students feel more comfortable using English, especially after all the disruptions over the past few years,” said Duriya Aziz, President, Education (International) of Scholastic Inc.
Since launching in January 2025, the program has steadily gained momentum across schools in Johor and Selangor. In just nine weeks, over 13,000 students from Primary 2 to 6 across 427 schools have read nearly 79 million words and completed more than 144,000 eBooks. Impressively, 98% of these eBooks were selected by the students themselves, which shows their growing curiosity and motivation to learn independently.
Beyond students, teachers and parents play a central role in the program’s success. The Malaysian English Language Teaching Association (MELTA) has been instrumental in delivering teacher training, classroom support, and professional development to help both parties create engaging and structured English learning environments.