![Ngai Chee Ching regained her passion for studies after attending the 'i·didik' online tutoring program and achieved 9 A's in her SPM examination. [Photo by Kong Siew Yen]](/images/Articles/PPL/2024/KL20241006_jxy01_006.jpg "Ngai Chee Ching regained her passion for studies after attending the 'i·didik' online tutoring program and achieved 9 A's in her SPM examination. [Photo by Kong Siew Yen]")
“Ngai Chee Ching achieved 9A’s in the 2023 SPM examination!” When the wonderful news spread in the “i·didik” chat group, Tzu Chi volunteers, teachers and peers sent their wishes and cheered for her achievement.
Looking back on the past two years of guidance and support, volunteer Wo Soek Meng was moved to tears.
Chee Ching came from a less-advantaged family. Her 76-year-old father, living with diabetes, was unable to work, and her mother supports the family on a meagre income from factory-outsourced work. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and disrupted physical schooling in 2020, Chee Ching, who was in Form 3 then, struggled to adapt to virtual learning. Coupled with the interruption of out-of-school tuition, her enthusiasm for learning waned, and her academic performance suffered.
In early 2022, Chee Ching enrolled in Tzu Chi’s “i·didik” online tutoring programme at volunteers’ invitation, becoming the earliest batch of students for English and Mathematics classes. Recognising her challenges with accessing virtual lessons on a mobile phone, volunteers thoughtfully provided her with a second-hand computer.
Chee Ching appreciates the supportive and welcoming approach in the “i·didik” classes. For example, her English tutors would start lessons with warm greetings like, “Have you eaten?” This, plus the teachers’ tolerance for mistakes, created a relaxed atmosphere where students could practise conversational English and learn without fear. Under such a safe environment, Chee Ching even braved herself to participate in discussions and gradually overcame her fear of oral test.
In her Mathematics class, the tutor revisited foundational topics, allowing her to catch up with knowledge she had missed earlier. Eventually, her grades improved from a marginal pass to an excellent grade.
Beyond academics, Soek Meng helped expand Chee Ching’s horizons. She sensed the girl’s loneliness while caring for her family, and was surprised to learn that the girl’s parents had never taken her to a park. Hence, she began inviting her to participate in recycling activities and the “Master Cheng Yen Tells Stories” online book club, with the hope of bridging her contact with the outside world.
With encouragement, Chee Ching took on the host role for the online book club, sharing wholesome stories with her peers. The monthly Tzu Chi Recycling Day has also become a cherished activity for her and her mother. “Participating in recycling makes me happy and grounded,” Chee Ching shared with a smile, adding that her motivation grew with her involvement.
Reflecting on these experiences, Chee Ching realised that she had inadvertently built up her confidence in public speaking and learned that no mountain is too high and no challenge too difficult to overcome if one just does it.
Her first “i·didik” English tutor, Ewe Soo Yeong, shared that despite having achieved excellent grades, the girl still felt lost, contemplating to start working instead of furthering her studies, whilst considering her family’s financial situation. After Soo Yeong analysed her current situation and future possibilities, Chee Ching finally had a clear direction and decided to continue with her studies.
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Soo Yeong expressed with a gratified smile, “I look forward to seeing Chee Ching put on her mortarboard and graduate from university…”
