Levelling The Playing Field in Education
The recent CNA Insider video on Facebook entitled ‘How Kids See Class Differences’ has reignited discussions on a myriad of topics surrounding the issue of social divide in Singapore.
One of these questioned if our current meritocratic system is the source creating this social divide.
While it may be true that our current education system results in some adopting an elitist mindset, unaware of their own position of privilege, there are also those who recognize this and take action by running programs to help the less fortunate.
One such person is Mr. Faris Malik, Co-Founder of Sky High Educators, a social enterprise which aims to provide affordable quality education services for students.
Learning Grounds sits down with Mr. Faris Malik to gain insights through the good work that he has done and to also shed some light on the issue.
What inspired you to form Sky High Educators?
I found it hard to receive help for education as a student.
I came from a middle class background and tuition was considered a luxury for my family of 4.
This inspired me to start up a social enterprise to help others like me.
Tell us more about Sky High Educators.
Sky High Educators was formed with the objective of helping underprivileged students by tapping on our network of community tutors.
This is achieved through strategic partnerships that we have established throughout the years.
We provide programs such as mainstream tuition, mentorship and enrichment programs. To date, we have helped an estimated total of more than 300 students.
What are some of the challenges that you faced while trying to set up and run Sky High Educators?
One of the main challenges that we face lies in trying to convey the value and necessity of education to some of our beneficiaries.
As most of our students come from very challenging backgrounds, their main priority would normally be generating income by working part time or by helping out their parents.
Low self-esteem is also another sensitive issue that we have to handle tactfully to instill confidence in these students.
We overcome this problem by getting our tutors and mentors to build rapport with them so that they are able to see the value in what we are trying to do.
What keeps you motivated?
My motivation largely stems from seeing the changes in, not only in the academic progress of our beneficiaries, but also in their character development.
Do you feel that there are enough support systems in place for others to run a social enterprise such as yours?
There are many avenues for social entrepreneurs to access funds and resources.
One of the key challenges that I see here lies in awareness of such resources provided by various non-profit organizations, self-help groups and foundations.
We are fortunate to have the support of Mendaki, which provides us with funding and opportunities to leverage on their network.
What are your thoughts on the recent discussion on social divide in Singapore?
I think it is good that CNA is bold enough to discuss such an issue.
This raises awareness for what has been an underlying problem in our society and encourages dialogue.
I hope such discussions can help us move towards becoming a more inclusive society.
What are some of the ways that you think others can do to help address this issue?
They can start by being more aware that there are many who still fall behind in education, even in a first-world country like Singapore.
Only when we accept and acknowledge that such issues exist, we can then move on to finding more innovative ways of closing the gap.
We can start by creating a community which is more open to offering assistance to one another, especially for those in need.
