Bringing Malaysian Folklore to Life, One Confident Story at a Time
Malaysia is blessed with a rich tapestry of local folklore – steeped in tradition and filled with deep learnings and values. However, as society advances and entertainment become increasingly digital, its ability to capture the hearts and minds of our students is now at risk.
Maxis, through eKelas, its flagship education programme, adapted its annual storytelling and drama competition to focus on reviving the popularity of Malaysian Folklore among students – leveraging the depth, complexity, and richness of traditional folklore as a catalyst to help students improve their communication skills and English language mastery.
By participating in the competition, over 15,000 Year 4 to Form 5 students from across Malaysia get to explore, experiment, and immerse themselves in a variety of traditional stories. Students took the opportunity to reenact a variety of local folklore including Puteri Gunung Ledang, Si Tanggang, and Puteri Santubong and Puteri Sejinjang.
Lau Hua En receiving her award from YB Fadhlina Sidek, Minister of Education, in recognition of her captivating storytelling in Lagenda Mahsuri
For Lau Hua En, a Form 1 student from SMK Bukit Tinggi, the competition provided her with an activity to hone her communication skills. She said,
“Through this competition, I improved my pronunciation and grammar as I had to develop the script myself. Initially, I nearly gave up, but my parents and teachers kept motivating me. In the end, I learned that I can do it as long as I believe in myself.”
Teacher Nurshuhada with her students from SK Telok Panglima Garang
This positive impact also resonated with the primary school students of SK Telok Panglima Garang. According to their teacher Nurshuhada Binti Mohd Nasir, “Through this competition, our students learned how to develop scripts for theatre, create their own props, and most importantly, gained the confidence to speak in English.”
While Hua En and Cikgu Nurshuhada saw immediate improvements, Daniel Fahmi Bin Mohammad Farhan, a Form 5 student from SMKA Maahad Hamidiah, had the chance to reflect on how practicing for the competition would help him after SPM.
Daniel Fahmi from SMKA Maahad Hamidiah delivering the story of Pak Kadok
“I've realised the importance of storytelling. It’s not just for competitions; it will also be useful as I prepare for my working life and in conversations with friends. This is one way I can build my confidence.”, he said.
To give students an extra boost, especially those who are relatively shy, Maxis conducted drama workshops in over 50 schools, using a Sang Kancil story called “How Beruang Lost Its Tail” to encourage students to speak and act.
Teacher Lee Xue Jing with her students, Natallie Cheah
According to Cikgu Lee Xue Jing from SJK(C) Chee Wen, the hands-on workshop alongside the competition helped students to break out of their shells and take on the challenge to try acting and storytelling in English.
She said, “Initially, it was challenging to encourage students from SJKC to join the HIP Max StoryFest competition, as English is not their first language—Mandarin is. However, our school was selected to take part in a workshop organized by Maxis, and by the end, we successfully motivated 150 students to participate. We’re truly grateful that Maxis gave every student the opportunity to join, regardless of their skill level, as long as they were willing to try.”
As a firm believer that education has the power to transform lives, Maxis remains committed to investing in programmes that move the needle – providing opportunities for all students to improve and develop.
Maxis invites students to register into eKelas at http://www.eKelas.com.my or download the eKelas app from Google Play or Apple Store.
