RYTHM Foundation's Maharani Schools Programme shows positive results

KUALA LUMPUR, March 23 -- The first phase of the RYTHM Foundation's two-year holistic training and guidance project for disadvantaged teen girls, the Maharani Schools Programme (MSP), has produced positive results.

Head of RYTHM, Santhi Periasamy, in a statement today, said the after-school programme, which is endorsed by the Ministry of Education (MoE), had significantly impacted the lives of 200 students from five secondary schools in Selangor.

 The schools are Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Gombak Setia, SMK Bandar Rinching, SMK Tengku Idris Shah, SMK Batu Unjur and SMK Tengku Ampuan Jemaah.

“This programme empowers girls aged 14 to 16 from B40 households to develop soft skills and leadership competencies. 

“The coaches trained by RYTHM, which is corporate social responsibility (CSR) of the QI Group, clocked an impressive 1,600 hours over eight sessions last year with students from the five schools,” she said.

Following the success, she said, MSP would move on to the next stage and hoped to finalise the next cohort in Negeri Sembilan, involving five schools, soon.

"We also hoped that the Education Ministry will take over the programme and implement it in the national curriculum," she said.

Meanwhile, Santhi commended trainers of the MSP programme for the mindset changes among the participating students whose level of confidence had also increased since enrolling in the mentoring programme.

One of the trainers,  Siti Hajar Mohd Kamal, a final-year university student, said that the students were more open to communicating and become more confident.

Another trainer, Wan Nurazra Marsya Wan Ahmad said the modules helped the students to overcome their insecurities, build their confidence and taught them how to speak up.

During the early stage, there were inconsistent attendance and a lack of cooperation from some of the students, she said.

The award-winning MSP has touched the lives of more than 8,000 girls and young women since the programme was introduced in 2010 in Sungai Siput, Perak through motivational camps and academic coaching classes.

-- Bernama