Watch the recap video of the Program Guru KARISMA Summit (produced in-house by our team, of course) and tell us: Do you think Malaysian educators are ready to see beyond academics? 

10 years ago - scratch that, even 5 years ago - no one would have believed us if we told them that we would have a room full of Malaysian educators talking about the power of social emotional learning (SEL) and humanising education. To add more to that unlikely scenario, imagine Malaysia's Ministry of Education championing this initiative? 

No Way - is what some skeptics might have told us.

Well well well, how's this for a dose of hope mid-year for our cover story: With the support of Ministry of Education and aligned with the roll out of the Ministry's Kurikulum 2027 (Malaysia’s next major curriculum reform that emphasises holistic development, including values, emotional intelligence and responsible citizenship), Arus brought together more than 300 educators, including 70 trained participants, for a one-day national summit that blended expert-led workshops, classroom showcases, and panel discussions focused on holistic education. Teachers explored how to embed SEL into academic subjects. 

The Summit is the culmination of Program Guru KARISMA ( Karakter Inspirasi Masyarakat); a year-long initiative designed and led by Arus Academy, with full funding from Yayasan Hasanah and Ministry of Finance.

New Semester shenanigans at Sekolah Buku Jalanan Chow Kit x Arus Academy

A new semester has begun for our students.

Academically - all the various classes are exploring various subjects anchored on the Project Based Learning theme of: How can different communities solve issues related to inclusivity and sustainability?

On co-curriculum, our students and teachers have been hard at work training for the upcoming Sports Day on 24th July 2025. From parades to track runs, there's something guaranteed to make it a memorable day for all.

But wait, we can only make this happen with the help of sponsors & volunteers. Could you support us, please?

Digital Literacy: FS4A is working with Selangor state government to equip their teachers with digital skills

"This programme was a brilliant example of what a public-private partnership could achieve," said Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari when he launched the Advancing Future Skills for All (FS4A) Selangor Scale Up digital training initiative in June recently. 

Selected educators in Selangor will be upskilled and trained to co-lead digital workshops for fellow teachers in their districts aimed to create a multiplier effect across schools, especially in underserved and near low-cost housing areas.

Besides Selangor, the FS4A team has also been in Sarawak to run FS4A Sarawak and in Sabah for FS4A Inclusivity to train special needs teachers with digital skills. Truly making it future skills for all! 

Busy bees: Penang Maker Kids in action

Our junior Makers in Penang spent May to July connecting new dots between learning something new through their STEM projects while also striking the balance of making it beneficial for their communities. Here our young maker smiles as he learns about how basic machines work in our May school holiday workshop. 

We've also got 5 teams registered for the upcoming Young Innovators Challenge & Junior Innovate Competition. 

🌍 Will youths spend RM3,000 prudently if given financial literacy skills? 

Past 3 months have marked significant financial milestones for Fun(d) for Life Uni cohort 1 participants. They attended a bootcamp which some participants described their experience as 'life-changing', 'a very safe place to talk about money' & 'it feels like I'm not alone in this money journey' on top of running their community finlit projects. These partipants will be receiving the RM3,000 cash transfer at the closing ceremony for their cohort on 26th July. 

If you know any 18-24yo who is interested to join the upcoming Cohort 2, get them to sign up. 

Fun(d) for Life is looking for 10-17yo Student Councils to co-run their annual finlit Summit

For our 10-17 year olds, we are currently looking for individual and group submissions for the annual financial literacy summit.

You can choose to learn something as basic as financial goal-setting or if you're ready, you can also apply for RM500 grant to run financial literacy activities in your own school.

Deadlines close on 31st August.

SEL-Empowered Teacher = Stronger Classrooms

• Teachers, want to create a more positive classroom environment? Our 5-module SEL course is designed to help teachers navigate classroom challenges while supporting students in building positive character traits. Research shows that strengthening social-emotional skills benefits both teachers and students - fostering resilience, empathy, and better relationships. Start your SEL journey today!

If you’re in the education social impact space and have something you’d like to share on our community board, share them with us via email comms@arusacademy.org.my. 

If you believe in the work we do, we hope you'll support us as we provide education to children with no access to schools in Chow Kit: 

See you in the next quarterly update!

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