KUCHING: It was a graduation with a difference.
There was an air of satisfaction and an air of excitement like any graduation ceremony except this time the students were elderly grandmas and housewives.
The 12 graduates proudly clad in their graduation gowns aged 60 to 81, celebrated their graduation from a five-month literacy program held at the Haji Baki Library, a pilot project organised by State Library.
The program, designed to help participants recognize words and read their own names, was led by teacher Siti Rahmah Suhaili.
Interviewed by Utusan Sarawak, Siti Rahmah, a former teacher at SK Setia Raja, described the experience as both enjoyable and emotional.
“It was an enjoyable five months, full of laughter daily and sadness.
“There was sadness when one of the students lost her daughter, but there was also lots of laughter, especially when certain words were pronounced out of sync.
“We didn’t laugh at their mistakes—we laughed together and learned from each other. Their enthusiasm was contagious,” said Siti Rahmah.
When asked if they ever give her headache or being ‘naughty’ like ordinary students, she said never and it was a great experience for her.
“The ladies are always ready to learn to read and identify words. They are all so eager to learn. Of course, there are a few who are outstanding,” she said.
The literacy program, organized by the state library, employed a teacher to guide the participants through 12 sessions.
For the first two months in October to November, classes were held twice a week, Monday and Wednesday for two hours, then extended to three hours per session from December to February.
Among the students was 81-year-old Hajijah at, the oldest participant, and 61-year-old Latiffah Eussof, the youngest.
She said despite never having had the chance to study before, they demonstrated remarkable progress.
The ‘students’ were learning from Kindi level and she believed that they can go further with their thirst of learning.
Siti pointed out that this Adult Literacy Program is a new service of the Sarawak State Library which aims to improve the literacy level of adults in Sarawak aged 15 and above who cannot read and write.
The Sarawak State Library’s Adult Literacy Program team has developed a module specifically to provide 3M learning (Reading, Writing and Counting) and also help improve the standard of living for adults.
State Assemblyman, Dato Ir Lo Khere Chiang said it is an invaluable experience that no money can buy.
He said the families of the graduates are proud and one daughter flew all the way from Sabah to attend her mother’s graduation and will fly back tonight.
By Connie Chieng