When some Year Six pupils still cannot read: A Teachers’ Day reflection on Malaysia’s literacy gaps in 2026

IN every classroom, students excel in different areas. Some naturally perform well in mathematics, while others thrive in science, art or languages.

However, beyond academic grades and examination streams, there are several foundational abilities every child needs to carry into adulthood, including recognising letters, reading, writing and communicating effectively.

This Teachers’ Day, many educators say a quiet yet deeply concerning issue continues to persist in Malaysian schools, with some upper primary students still struggling with basic literacy skills despite spending years in the education system.

Literacy is the unseen foundation of everyday life. Whatever a child hopes to become in the future, the ability to read, write and communicate effectively remains essential. Yet, many Malaysian pupils still struggle with these basic skills, even though they are often expected to have been mastered in early childhood.

For primary school teacher Shahrizal, who has taught in rural areas and requested anonymity, the issue remains more common than many realise.

“From my experience teaching in a rural area, it is not uncommon to encounter upper primary pupils who still struggle with basic reading, writing and speaking skills, although they are not the majority.

“In some classes, there may be two or three Year Six pupils who are still unable to read, write or communicate properly and in more severe cases, some cannot even recognise basic letters such as A, B and C.

“However, based on conversations with teachers from various schools, I have realised that this issue is not confined to rural areas alone. Urban schools also face similar challenges, even if pupils there generally perform better academically overall,” he said in an interview with Sinar Daily.

For many educators, literacy struggles are rarely caused by a single factor. Instead, they are typically the result of accumulated learning gaps over time, beginning from early childhood language exposure and extending into home environments, digital habits and classroom-related challenges.

Shahrizal believes that one of the key reasons some pupils fail to master foundational literacy skills is insufficient language exposure at an early stage.

He noted that these basic competencies should ideally be developed from the beginning of primary school, yet some children still struggle with fundamental skills such as recognising and writing letters properly.

“Teachers cannot shoulder the responsibility alone because pupils spend only part of their day in school, while much of their learning environment is shaped by what happens at home.

“Parental involvement therefore plays a major role in reinforcing literacy development, especially since children spend more time with their families than with teachers,” he added.

Digital culture has significantly transformed childhood experiences, with many students today deeply immersed in online content from a very young age, according to Shahrizal. He noted that some children are even influenced to adopt foreign slang in their speech due to the digital content they frequently consume.

Despite this constant exposure to screens, many children remain disengaged from reading and from meaningful communication in the languages they are expected to master academically.

“Excessive screen exposure also appears to affect attention spans, with many pupils becoming bored quickly during lessons,” he said.

Former primary school teacher Halim, who also requested anonymity, echoed similar concerns from his own classroom experience teaching Year 5 pupils.

From his experience teaching Year 5 students, literacy difficulties were far more common than he initially expected.

“A considerable number of students still struggled with very basic skills such as reading simple words, constructing sentences and distinguishing between capital and lowercase letters.

“In some classes, this was not limited to only a few students, but involved a substantial portion of the class performing below the expected level for their age.

“Many teachers are now encountering students who have progressed through the education system without fully mastering foundational literacy skills, particularly after the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and extended periods of online learning,” he told Sinar Daily.

According to Halim, one of the key challenges is that students who fall behind at an early stage often continue to decline academically over time.

When children struggle with basic reading and writing in lower primary, the gap tends to widen in upper primary as teachers are required to progress with the syllabus while also revisiting foundational skills.

He also mentioned that school support systems face constraints, particularly in providing specialised assistance.

In some cases, students who need targeted learning support are unable to access it due to limited available placements, leaving their needs insufficiently addressed within the mainstream classroom.

“There have been cases where students who clearly needed specialised learning support could not enter special education classes because spaces were already full, leaving them in mainstream classrooms that may not always be equipped to meet their learning needs,” he shared.

Both educators agreed that discipline, motivation and attitude remain deeply connected to learning outcomes. Shahrizal observed that many students today appear less driven academically compared to previous generations.

“Many pupils today seem less motivated and put less effort into learning. Reduced disciplinary authority in schools may also affect how seriously some students approach their studies,” he said.

Still, both teachers emphasised that structure alone is not enough without encouragement and emotional support from home.

Halim emphasised that simple habits such as reading with children, monitoring homework and encouraging communication can make a significant difference in their progress.

“Classrooms today are increasingly complex, especially when teachers must simultaneously manage students with vastly different learning abilities.

“Teachers are often doing their best to help struggling students, but many may lack sufficient time, support or resources to provide intensive intervention for every child, particularly in larger classrooms,” he said.

As Teachers’ Day draws near, the issue serves as a reminder that literacy is not merely another academic benchmark. Reading, writing and speaking are lifelong foundations that shape a child’s ability to function, learn and participate confidently in society.

For educators like Shahrizal and Halim, solving the issue requires more than temporary fixes — it demands cooperation between schools, families and policymakers long before children reach upper primary classrooms.

“Foundational literacy must be treated as a critical priority because it directly affects a student’s ability to learn and succeed across all other subjects later in life,” Halim stressed.

And perhaps that is the deeper reflection this Teachers’ Day brings — that behind every child struggling to recognise a word or sentence, there is still hope when schools, parents and society choose to learn together.