Lab Literasi

Malaysia's declining educational performance by international standards, particularly the learning disparities faced by underserved communities, calls for urgent action. The Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 indicates that states with a higher proportion of rural schools, such as Sabah with its 270,000 primary school students, have lower student performance compared to states with fewer rural schools. Addressing this disparity demands a comprehensive approach that tackles interrelated factors contributing to the learning challenges faced by rural and marginalized communities.

1.Existing literacy and numeracy challenges 

Malaysia faces significant challenges in literacy and numeracy, despite the implementation of nationwide programs to address them. The persistence of these challenges is further highlighted by Malaysia's performance in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022, where the country's results showed a dramatic decline compared to 2018 in all three assessed subjects - reading, mathematics, and science. This decline is the largest among participating ASEAN countries, underscoring the urgent need for effective interventions to address the widening learning gap. As Malaysia strives to equip its students with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in the 21st century, addressing these long-standing challenges is a priority for the government.

2. Pandemic-related learning losses

Although the Ministry of Education (MOE) has not published a comprehensive assessment of the impact of the pandemic on student learning, it is reasonable to assume that existing gaps in learning and performance among primary school students have been exacerbated. In fact, a report by the Asian Development Bank in 2021 found that Malaysia experienced the second highest loss of learning due to the pandemic within the ASEAN region.

Pandemic-related school closures have disproportionately affected rural students, and educational outcomes in low-income communities have fallen even further behind their wealthier peers due to limited access to telecommunications infrastructure and digital learning resources. Due to lack of access to digital devices or Internet connectivity, an estimated 40% of the student population is unable to participate in online courses. B40 (bottom 40% by income) communities have been the hardest hit, lacking the resources and support necessary to mitigate the impact of school closures on their children's education.

3. Lack of pedagogical resources among teachers to provide individualized foundational literacy support to all learners

Schools in underserved communities often struggle with teacher recruitment and retention, resulting in a shortage of experienced and qualified educators. Teacher shortages can lead to learning loss, which is more pronounced in rural areas where students lack alternative learning resources. Unlike their urban counterparts, who have access to supplementary education like tuition classes and extracurricular activities, rural students heavily depend on classroom learning. This problem is exacerbated by a lack of access to high-quality instructional resources, which hinders teachers' ability to effectively address the diverse learning needs and varying levels of learning loss of individual students. As a result, students in underserved communities may not receive the individualized attention and support they need to close the learning gaps and develop strong basic literacy skills, which can have a long-lasting impact on their academic achievement and life outcomes.

In partnership with Good Shepherd Services, a Sabah-based NGO, Enuma is implementing Lab Literasi, a project that equips rural schools and community centers with literacy and numeracy learning labs powered by Sekolah Enuma, to specifically address the challenges mentioned in the previous section.

Sekolah Enuma is a tablet-based learning application designed for children of all starting levels to learn independently and at their own pace. As the latest iteration of Kitkit School, which won the Elon Musk-funded Global Learning XPRIZE competition for proving the highest learning gains for illiterate students in rural Tanzania, Sekolah Enuma is a continuation of our mission to provide equitable access to foundational education for all learners, including those with special needs and students from diverse backgrounds who may lack access to quality education.

We have included the following features to Sekolah Enuma, which was localized to Malaysia’s unique educational landscape:

●  Pre-K to Grade 3 level subjects offered in Bahasa Melayu, math (offered in both Bahasa Melayu and English), and English, with plans to expand our subject offering to include Science in 2024.

●  Expert-crafted curriculum aligned with national standards, developed in close collaboration with local educational specialist and curriculum developers to ensure culturally appropriate and effective content localization.

●  Adaptive and individualized learning path tailored to each child's needs through initial placement tests, regular in-app assessments, and review units.

●  Gamified, self-guided learning through 1000+ learning activities, 300+ books and videos, seamlessly guiding the child through their unique learning journey.

●  Integrated Learning Management System (LMS) that empowers teachers and administrators to manage student accounts, track individual and class progress, and access valuable program resources and support. We are currently exploring ways to integrate blockchain technology to create a tamper-proof, decentralized system for storing and managing student records. This ensures the security and accessibility of large-scale children’s data by authorized parties.

To ensure scalability and inclusivity, we have implemented the following measures:

●  Accessible user-centered design that fully incorporates Universal Design for Learning Principles to promote accessibility for a diverse range of learners. 

●  No need for constant internet connection providing full offline access, allowing students to continue all lessons and activities uninterrupted. This enables flexible, reliable deployment across diverse environments, including in very remote areas with underdeveloped educational infrastructure.

●  Promotes digital literacy for young children in the age of AI as it features a safe, interactive, and intuitive interface allowing children as young as 4 years old to actively navigate, control input functions, and progress through lessons building foundational concepts. 

●  Scalable architecture and high-quality server system by leveraging gaming-grade infrastructure to provide a stable technical foundation that allows reliable scaling to millions of users. This ensures an uninterrupted learning experience for children, regardless of their location or the number of concurrent users.

Link to demo video of Sekolah Enuma: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t44b5z1Ovs 

With funding from a local community foundation, our Lab Literasi project has so far reached 431 students in twelve schools (95% of primary schools) and one community center in the town of Kiulu in Tuaran district in Sabah. We focused on Sabah because this state has historically performed the worst in terms of education outcomes among all the states in Malaysia, with rural schools lacking access to quality educational resources and facing connectivity issues. 

By targeting rural schools in Sabah’s disadvantaged communities, we aim to bridge learning gaps in literacy and numeracy rates for those who are most in need. Our existing projects in the area have already established a supportive community, which will facilitate the implementation and enhance the impact of our initiatives. 

Our next goal is to expand our project to Keningau district, Sabah as an afterschool program. We have decided to implement the project outside of regular school hours to address high dropout rates in the region. By providing engaging educational content in an afterschool setting, we aim to increase students' motivation to continue their education and actively involve the community in this learning process. Engaging parents, caregivers, and community members foster a strong sense of ownership and shared responsibility for their children's educational development, and ensure the sustainability of our project. As an illustration, a budget of $54,000 will allow us to embark on a two-year project to reach 400 - 500 students in Keningau.

We aim to simultaneously uplift the following target beneficiaries:

1. Students: Sekolah Enuma includes games that build foundational skills before progressively introducing early academic content, scaffolding children's learning journey from early childhood skills to early education. The application's intuitive, self-paced design allows young children to independently interact with content, fostering agency, motivating independent learning, and building confidence in using digital tools. Additionally, Sekolah Enuma's offline functionality ensures continuous access to quality learning materials for children in rural areas with limited internet connectivity

2. Community Leaders and Learning Centers: We conduct needs assessments to identify the readiness of schools/communities to provide foundational learning remediation. Sekolah Enuma serves as an immediate teaching resource for learning centers, addressing challenges such as varying literacy and numeracy levels through personalized content and reducing teacher workload. By enabling independent learning, the application allows facilitators to focus on supporting individual learners, particularly those with special needs or struggling with lessons. We provide additional training and resources for facilitators to effectively guide students in a student-centered, self-directed learning environment.

To ensure successful program implementation, we provide intensive support during the first year and seek to empower learning centers to fully own and deliver programs to more children in nearby communities in subsequent years.

Through Lab Literasi, we are committed to creating a lasting, positive impact on education in Malaysia. By developing a replicable model of student learning, we hope to lay the groundwork for a national rollout of a proven digital learning solution for remedial education in all public schools, especially those in rural communities.

I joined Enuma four years ago because I wanted to bring its learning solutions to my home country Malaysia, where education inequalities have persisted despite the country reaching middle-income status, mainly because of the challenges of building schools and a lack of teachers willing to teach in the most remote parts of the country. But a superior ed-tech solution on its own is not sufficient to reverse the learning loss suffered by the hundreds of thousands of students in the country. A change of mindset is required. For that, I needed a strong and trusted local partner that engages local communities and understands their needs. This is where Good Shepherd Services (GSS) comes in.

Since 1989, GSS has been working tirelessly to uplift communities in Sabah. GSS services include a range of residential and outreach services, focusing on women and children from underserved communities. GSS has implemented many community projects such as leadership initiatives and livelihood programs for women and youth. Before each project, GSS solicits input and ideas from community members to ensure that its interventions align with their needs and priorities. 

Through these years of close collaboration and on-the-ground experience, GSS has witnessed firsthand the critical importance of access to education, particularly in rural areas where families often struggle to afford school-related fees and transportation costs.

To address these barriers, GSS implemented a comprehensive range of education-related programs over the years. GSS residential services provide student hostels, enabling children from remote rural villages to attend school regularly, and easing access to education regardless of their geographical location. Building on this success, GSS introduced a school bus service, providing a reliable transportation system for children to attend school regularly. In 2020, it launched an education fund to alleviate the burden on families, allowing more children to remain in school and complete their secondary education. These initiatives were developed in direct response to the needs voiced by community members, ensuring that its programs are targeted and effective.

For our Lab Literasi project, Vellen John and her team sought input from parents and teachers in the Keningau community to determine the most effective way to introduce our learning applications. After careful consultation, the community members suggested implementing the project as an after-school program, which would allow for greater community involvement. Taking their advice into consideration, we have decided to move forward with this approach. We plan to train young women from the community as facilitators, providing them with the necessary skills and knowledge to create engaging and supportive learning environments for children during the afternoons, following the end of the regular school day. 

This dual impact not only ensures that children receive the educational support they need to thrive but also empowers young women to take on leadership roles and make a positive difference in their community. By investing in both the education of children and the professional development of women in the community, Lab Literasi aims to create a powerful ripple effect that will shape the future of these communities.

The Lab Literasi project builds upon the success of our 2022 pilot project with Yayasan TM and Teach for Malaysia, which spanned three regions (Sarawak, Sabah, and Kuala Lumpur), included eight primary schools, and reached over 640 students. Results showed learning gains of 7-12% over 15 weeks across all subjects, and we received enthusiastic feedback from students, teachers, and principals. Sekolah Enuma proved effective in both regular and remedial classrooms, and all eight participating schools have continued to use the platform.

Following this success, in 2023, we launched the Lab Literasi project in collaboration with three key funders (Yayasan Tun Fuad, Yayasan Daya Diri, and Hong Leong Foundation) with the goal of providing learning support for over 1,000 remedial students across 20 schools and community centers in Sabah. To date, our project has reached 12 schools, 1 community center, and 431 students in Kiulu Tuaran, Sabah.

The success of the pilot project and our ongoing expansion of the Lab Literasi project demonstrate that our solution is established and ready for further deployment in multiple communities. We have strong partnerships with local funders and implementation partners, as well as a proven track record of improving learning outcomes for remedial students. As we continue to scale, we remain committed to our mission of providing accessible, effective, and localized learning support to communities in need.

Being selected as a Solver would provide us with access to a dynamic ecosystem of support, community, and resources, empowering us to scale our Lab Literasi program effectively. We plan to enhance our existing solution, transforming it into a comprehensive afterschool program and remedial weekend initiative that targets rural communities and students across Malaysia, thereby extending our impact beyond the school setting and working towards a nationwide rollout that strategically includes underserved rural areas.

Through the MIT Solve program, we hope to achieve:

1. Network building: We would be grateful for the opportunity to connect with like-minded changemakers, experts, peers, and mentors. These connections would not only provide us with valuable insights and guidance but also open up potential collaborations and partnerships that could help us expand our reach. By working alongside people who share our mission, we believe we more effectively address the learning needs of underserved communities.

2. Funding opportunities: We have been using a combination of grants and venture capital to fund our work. Scaling our program to reach more rural communities and students requires increased financial resources. Being connected to the right investors who align with our mission and values would be transformative and enable us to invest in curriculum development, teacher training, technology infrastructure, and other critical components needed to deliver high-quality educational experiences. Through Solve, we hope to gain access to a network of foundations and impact investors who can provide the necessary funding to support our expansion efforts.

3. Technological support: By tapping into the expertise of the Solver community, we hope to identify new approaches, technologies, and best practices that can be integrated into our platform to provide an even more engaging and effective learning experience for our users, including the use of AI to guide learning and improve our LMS.

Furthermore, we are eager to actively contribute to the Solve community, sharing our decade-long expertise in developing and distributing gamified, self-directed learning tools with fellow changemakers. We look forward to collaborating with and learning from this dynamic group of innovators, while also serving as a valuable resource ourselves.

At Enuma, we apply the philosophy of game design to education, revolutionizing the learning experience for students. In game design, the onus is on the game designer to design a gaming experience that is engaging for the player, regardless of the player’s abilities; the levels of difficulty and challenge must not be too hard or too easy, or else the player might stop playing.

We recognize that every learner is unique, just like every player in a game. Our approach is to design engaging educational content and a user experience tailored to each student's individual needs. As students interact with our content, the system analyzes their performance and adjusts the difficulty level and pace accordingly, ensuring that students remain engaged and motivated by consistently presenting them with suitably challenging and relevant material. Thus, Enuma School's innovation lies in the application of game design philosophy to education, creating a learning experience that caters to the unique needs of each student and adapts to the varying speeds and styles of learning. This approach distinguishes Enuma School from traditional, standardized educational methods. 

Additionally, Enuma School's built-in Learning Management System (LMS) allows teachers and facilitators to monitor student progress, providing detailed insights into each student's performance, areas of strength, and areas that require additional support. This information allows educators to promptly intervene, offer targeted guidance, and adapt their teaching strategies to better suit individual student needs. Looking ahead, we plan to integrate advanced artificial intelligence (AI) features into our app, further enhancing the ability of teachers to guide and personalize each student's learning path. By leveraging AI algorithms, the system will analyze vast amounts of data on student performance, engagement, and learning preferences, enabling the app to provide teachers with data-driven recommendations and insights. 

By combining game design principles and insightful learning analytics, we are transforming the education ecosystem surrounding and involving the student, setting a new standard for educational innovation.

We believe that limited access to education for children in developing countries is a critical societal issue. We start from an awareness that a significant number of children are unable to enjoy the benefits of proper school systems and teachers due to a lack of budget and infrastructure, including having to travel excessive distances to the nearest schools and an often shortage of teachers. Thus, there is a need for a technological solution that can be distributed to a large number of children in a timely and cost effective way as an alternative to building new schools and securing teachers. 

We help children acquire early literacy and numeracy skills by distributing inexpensive tablets and software that enables self-directed learning. Additionally, we have established a system that can continuously monitor and update the software on these tablets even after distribution. We also train teachers and facilitators to make sure they know how to track the performance of the children using the software via a Learning Management System.

We ensure that our learning content is aligned with local curriculum and culturally appropriate. By taking this localized approach, we increase the likelihood that our educational solutions will be embraced and supported by local government. We also work with local education NGOs who best understand the challenges and needs on the ground so that we can fine tune our software and tailor our approaches accordingly.

Our implementation outcomes are measured through metrics that go beyond just the number of software-installed tablets distributed. Our primary focus is measuring the degree of improvement in the children’s literacy and numeracy skills and the number of children reached. Additionally, we closely monitor the number of teachers and facilitators we've trained, along with their satisfaction levels through surveys. 

The mechanisms underpinning our theory of change are grounded in robust research. Children who acquire foundational literacy and numeracy skills early on are significantly more likely to persist in their education to complete high school and pursue higher education opportunities. This in turn translates directly into improved economic prospects - studies consistently show that literate and numerate adults earn higher incomes on average compared to those lacking these critical skills. 

While children remain our primary beneficiaries, we also uplift other community members, particularly teachers and facilitators, many of whom are young women we upskill through comprehensive digital literacy and technology training. In addition to direct professional development, this amplifies their voices as agents of change within their communities, and ability to positively contribute to their local communities.

Longer term, this theory of change paves the way for increased enrollment in higher education among children from developing countries and underprivileged families. By equipping them with essential skills from an early age, we drastically improve their prospects of persisting through primary and secondary school and ultimately pursuing higher educational opportunities that were previously inaccessible. This investment in their education translates directly into higher earning potential upon reaching adulthood.

We are committed to achieving equitable access to education for all children, regardless of their socioeconomic background or geographical location. By equipping children with essential skills and knowledge and creating opportunities for active participation, we enable them to become agents of change, shaping their own futures and making positive contributions to their communities and society at large.

At this moment, our primary indicators are from Target 4.1 under UN SDG4: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.

To measure our progress towards these goals, we have set the following specific targets:

• Increased children’s participation: We aim to provide more opportunities for all girls and boys to access quality education by increasing their enrollment in the literacy and numeracy learning labs. Monitoring the number of children actively engaged in the program serves as a good indicator of its effectiveness in reaching the target audience.

• Improved academic performance: Our goal is to improve academic performance among all girls and boys using the app compared to baseline assessments. We measure academic performance through standardized tests which provide tangible evidence of the program's impact on student skills. Comparing results before and after implementation helps track progress and effectiveness. 

• Reduced number of remedial students: We also target a reduction in the number of students requiring remedial classes, indicating improved foundational skills. We monitor the number of students requiring remedial support before and after implementation to provide insights into the program's effectiveness in addressing learning gaps. Our goal is to allow more girls and boys to catch up with their grade levels.

• Improved school attendance: We aim to improve overall school attendance, which reflects increased interest and engagement of students in learning, indicating the program's positive impact on students' overall educational experience. We measure the percentage increase in attendance compared to before using the app by monitoring average daily attendance records. Our goal is to  increase the completion rate for primary and secondary schools.

In addition to Target 4.1, we are also working on Target 4.4: By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.

• Increase in facilitator training: We seek to increase the number of facilitators trained to conduct the program, providing an opportunity for them to enhance their Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills. We track the number of facilitators actively involved in conducting the program to ensure sufficient support for the program's sustainability and effectiveness. Our goal is to increase the percentage of youth/adults who have achieved at least a minimum level of proficiency in digital literacy skills. 

Through these targets and measurement indicators, we will assess our progress towards our SDG4 impact goal of providing access to education to all children.

The foundational principle of our software solution is autonomous and independent play to empower young learners to embark on a self-guided educational journey. To that end, through our meticulously designed game-based learning activities, children immerse themselves in educational content for extended periods without adult instruction.

Our user-centered design exemplifies our dedication to accessibility and inclusivity. By seamlessly integrating Universal Design for Learning Principles, we ensure that every child, irrespective of their background or learning style, can effectively engage with our platform. 

We also use gaming-grade infrastructure to provide stable foundations that allow reliable scaling to millions of users across markets, ensuring that children worldwide can enjoy a seamless learning experience, even as our user base expands rapidly.

Finally, Enuma School is also compatible with a wide range of devices, including low-spec, locally available tablets, mobile phones, and Chromebooks. This adaptability ensures that our platform can reach learners in diverse settings,

In sum, we have combined autonomous learning, user-centered design, gaming-grade infrastructure, and broad device compatibility to power our Enuma School application.

Enuma's team is composed of 3 members from the Government Relations and Strategy team, who possess knowledge of Malaysian government processes, and Enuma School, one of Enuma Inc.'s suite of educational applications, developed by a team of 40 experienced developers and software engineers who bring extensive technical expertise. GSS's team comprises 2 full-time staff members, who are fully committed to the project providing local support, and 1 part-time staff member, who offers additional support to evolving project requirements. 

Our teams have been structured to ensure an optimal balance of technical proficiency, government domain expertise, and on the ground local knowledge and support.

The current version (7.0) of Sekolah Enuma (“Enuma School) has its roots from 2015, when we developed Kitkit School for the Global Learning XPRIZE Competition in Tanzania. After winning the competition, we modified and localized this app for Indonesia in 2020 with the help of local education experts, and conducted a successful pilot project in Medan and Lampung that demonstrated the application's effectiveness. In 2022, we further modified the app for Malaysia, again with the help of local education experts and conducted a successful pilot study. Enuma’s collaboration with GSS started a year ago.

Enuma was founded by two parents committed to a dual mission: 1) to create the best digital products that empower all children, including children with special needs, to learn independently, and 2) to create a company that people want to work for. 

Sooinn Lee (CEO) was a former game designer, and Gunho Lee (Chief Engineer) was a former technical director at NCSOFT with a PhD in computer science from UC Berkeley. Together, they envisioned a learning approach based on fun and success, believing it would be particularly beneficial for children who traditionally struggle to learn. Additionally, they wanted to create a workplace that allowed them to remain involved as parents. 

As such, since its inception, Enuma has embraced a flexible work culture that attracts and retains talented employees who require flexible hours, remote work options, or reduced hours. The company values a high level of professionalism, fostering a supportive, collaborative, and results-oriented environment where employees can thrive while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

Enuma is an equal opportunity employer. Today, we have more than 140 employees across five entities in the US, Korea, China, Japan, and Indonesia. 61% identify themselves as women. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) extends to the content of its learning materials. We take great care to ensure that our curriculum is designed with local culture and context in mind, which is reflected in the content of our mini-games, books, and videos. 

When we built the library of Sekolah Enuma books for our Indonesia launch (which took place a year before Malaysia’s), we designed 60 books modeled on the values of the Indonesian character education empowerment movement, known as Penguatan Pendidikan Karakter (PPK). The PPK values – religiosity (religiositas), nationalism (nasionalisme), independence (kemandirian), harmony in mutual cooperation (gotong royong), and integrity (integritas) – are seamlessly integrated into the books. Each value is introduced through captivating stories that resonate with Indonesian children's daily lives, culture, and habits. 

For example, the book "Aku dan Temanku" ("Me and My Friend") presents a tale of friendship between two distinctly different friends. Despite their differences in appearance and interests, they form an extraordinary bond of friendship. This book exemplifies the PPK values of religiosity, nationalism, and gotong royong, teaching children valuable lessons about tolerance and respect for others.

GSS team is a diverse group, with 80% women and a majority from minority ethnic groups in Malaysia, dedicated to amplifying marginalized voices. We go beyond recognizing diversity by empowering every individual through growth and development opportunities, including training on various topics (from child protection to migration). At GSS, we celebrate diversity through festive gatherings and fostering an inclusive environment. We practice non-discrimination in all aspects of our work, reaching out to everyone regardless of their background. By collaborating with diverse communities and stakeholders, we tackle issues and narrow gaps, one step at a time.

Our Sekolah Enuma (“Enuma School”) learning app, along with its Learning Management System, is designed to be used in public schools and kindergartens. Our B2G business model is consistent with our mission to provide all children with the tools to master basic literacy and numeracy, meaning we are aiming to have our apps used in all public schools. 

We price our software licenses at a price point that reflects what a country can afford. In practice, this means that our Sekolah Enuma learning apps in Indonesia and Malaysia, for example, are priced at a significant discount (over 50%) below comparable software sold in higher income countries like Korea or USA.

We have decided to not offer our learning apps to private schools and kindergartens, even though they can afford to pay a higher price because our mission is to narrow the education equity gap, not widen it in the countries that we operate. Our key customers are therefore the education ministries/departments of federal and state/provincial governments.

While Enuma is primarily a software vendor, we also provide training and project management services where required, often by working with local partners like GSS.

As a registered nonprofit, GSS's mission is to reach out with compassion and respect, empowering each person to achieve wholeness and reach their full potential. By fostering a compassionate and respectful environment, we create an inclusive and supportive atmosphere where children feel valued and empowered to develop their skills. Equipping children with literacy and numeracy skills enables them to unlock their full potential, leading to greater personal fulfillment and positive contributions to their communities and future. Our partnership with Enuma allows us to provide innovative tools that empower children to help fulfill our mission in early education.

We are disclosing the grant amount of our first grant only and kindly request your understanding that we are unable to provide details of subsequent grants or the cost of our software license due to confidentiality reasons.

Enuma's activities in Malaysia have been funded through a combination of grants and revenue generated from software license sales.

In 2022, we received our first grant of approximately $85,000 from Yayasan TM (the foundation arm of Telekom Malaysia, the country's largest telecommunications company) and a few individuals. This grant enabled us to conduct a pilot to test our Sekolah Enuma app. The funds were used to purchase tablets and cover staff costs for two full-time Teach for Malaysia staff, our local implementation partner. The successful 6-month pilot involved 640 students from 8 schools in 3 locations. Enuma did not charge license fees for this pilot.

Following the success of this pilot, we secured grants from three foundations (Yayasan Tun Fuad, Yayasan Daya Diri, and Hong Leong Foundation) in 2023 to support the expansion of our work in Sabah. The funding was sufficient to provide remedial learning for over 1,000 students, and Enuma charged license fees for this project.

In 2024, Yayasan Hasanah (the foundation arm of Khazanah) provided us with a grant to expand into Sarawak, covering 500 students in Year One with the promise of more students in subsequent years. Enuma also charges license fees for this project.

Currently, the Ministry of Education of Malaysia is reviewing our Sekolah Enuma app to determine its suitability as an independent learning tool for remedial students in primary schools. Due to learning losses resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is estimated that approximately 250,000 primary school students require such remedial support.

Our long-term objective is to offer our software to all public schools in Malaysia. Each year, approximately 400,000 new students enter Year One, with an estimated 10-25% of students requiring remedial support, particularly in rural schools.

Additionally, we are targeting publicly run kindergartens (children aged 5-6 years) to use our app to prepare their students for entering the first year of primary school.

We have priced the cost of our license to be affordable for a middle-income country like Malaysia, and we are confident in our ability to fund our growth in a financially sustainable manner.

To keep our operating costs manageable, we collaborate with local implementation partners, including education NGOs and consulting companies, many of which are founded by Teach for Malaysia alumni.