Volunteering: Education and Students

Introduction
Volunteerism can be defined as contributing one’s time or talents for charitable, educational, social, political or other worthwhile purposes, usually in one's community, freely and without regard for compensation. For example, America have shaped their nation by their voluntary efforts such as providing services, organizing political action, caring for the poor, reaching out to the disadvantaged, providing education, ensuring equality and civil rights for all citizens, and working for change since the seventeenth century. In general, volunteering is an altruistic activity, which intended to promote good or improve human quality of life, but people also volunteer for their own skill development, to meet others, to make contacts for possible employment, to have fun, and a variety of other reasons that could be considered self-serving. It can takes many forms and also performed by a wide range of people. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work in, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue, while other volunteers are serve on an as-needed basis, such as in response to a natural disaster or for a beach-cleanup.
What Kind of Voluntary Work Can I Do?
As a citizen of Malaysia, he or she is required to do a voluntary work that can contribute to the society. For me, after graduating from University Utara Malaysia, the voluntary work that I can offer is by teaching the people in the rural area. Rural areas in Malaysia are seriously lack of teacher. In overall, teachers are not preferred to teach in rural area due to many circumstances. Besides that, a lot of opportunities are available in the school system for volunteers to take advantage of, especially if someone has a special skill or trade. There are not many requirements in order to become a volunteer in the school system. Volunteer teacher are welcome by the rural citizen.

Reasons for Choosing This Voluntary Work
Lifestyles of rural area are different with urban area and mostly the residents are poor, most of the youngsters are required to work at an early age and end their school life. Academic period and level are lower compare to urban area. Some of the students give up on their study in order to help their parents, such as becoming fisherman, farmer and others. Hence, the students leave school is because of unaffordable tuition fees and required to work in other related fields in order to support family expenses although the pay is low with a long working hour. Parents discouraged to send their children to school because of the continuously increasing textbook price and tuition fees which are not affordable by them. This will affect their chance of continue go school. Moreover, parents personally cannot provide the learning that they should be learn from school. Unaffordable to school and parents are low education level which will worsen the situation. Students force to end their school life earlier due to limitation of resources. So, the main reason for why I am choosing this voluntary work is because of the poor education system in rural area.
First of all, the illiteracy rate in rural area are still high and its education programs are falling behind if compare with urban area. Some of the school systems are operating in poor conditions, which fail to provide comfortable environment for the students to study and they are receiving a poor education level. Besides that, the facilities provided in the schools are not in good conditions, some of schools are located in small houses and operate without electricity. Other than that, the quality of the school are affected by the attitudes of the children and teachers, while allocation of government funds and the conditions of the destitute rural schools also contribute to the low quality of education for rural children. In such area, the teaching aids and basic equipments available for educational tasks are minimal, such as lack of reading and writing materials that bring challenges in teaching and learning process, high tech device such as computers are also rare. Due to the reason of limited job opportunities available in rural area, most of the residents are moving towards urban area. This can show that there a large number of teachers, who refused to teach in rural school due to low salary and lack of promotion, while others teachers are usually underqualified.
Target Market for My Voluntary Work
In rural area, my target is young people, who are in range of 5 until 12 years old. During that age, children are supposed to accept elementary or primary education, which is the first section compulsory education that children undergo. This also play an importance role for children because it is a prerequisite for entering secondary school and also stepping-stone for them to pursue their goals. In order to build up their interest in study, this range is suitable because students that within this range are easy to be influence. The school is known as children’s second home and teachers are considered as secondary parents. Children are starting to learn the basic ideas that come out in their mind as everything they learns in these days is built on as they get older. This can be say as basic for their future. What student be in future in based on what they learn in this stage.
Facilities Needed Including The Budget
Location that I will focus for this voluntary work is at my hometown, which is Tanjong Malim, Perak. In that area, most of the residents communicate with each other using their dialect. To start up the free teaching services, place is the most important part. At first, I will apply the community hall for free since it was a free teaching service. I can teach the students every weekend in various subjects, such as English, Malay and Mandarin. Besides of free rental fees, facilities in the community such as tables, chairs, whiteboards, fans or air conditioners provided in the community hall are sufficient to support the demand of students who are attending the classes. Thus, students can have more interest to study under a good and comfortable environment. Primary books which are donated by friends and neighbours can be used to teach and guide them the ways of reading and writing. Depend on the donation of book is not enough to support the demand of reading material. So, sponsorship is needed. Besides of sponsor from me, sponsor from society those care rural area education levels are needed. Sponsorship includes writing and reading materials for the students. In order to motivate student to get attention, build up their interest in study and get better result, rewards such as pencil and foods should be given. This will draw student attention on the teaching lessons.
Benefit to the Target Member
We are living in a world of competition, so we have to give opportunities for everyone. By having elementary education, they can against illiteracy, be better, responsible citizen in the country and success in their future. This is what can make them somebody in the future. They have a great probability to continue to higher level education, find the suitable job and perform well. Besides that, it also helps to reduce their family burden. Student can contribute to the hometown in future because they know well what hometown needed.
Benefits to Me
How to sustain the Voluntary Work If I Am Not Able to Do It Myself In the Future?
Government play important role in developing education system in rural area. They can offer more scholarship for students that cannot afford to have elementary education by cooperative with private institutions. More training should have on teachers or sending them to rural area for their internship. Training should be providing for teachers in rural area to update their knowledge. More allowance for those teachers that move from urban area to rural area. Besides that, government’s job should be given to the teacher’s family in order to encourage teachers move into rural area. Government can allocate more resources for the education system in that area, such as renovate rural schools, upgrade the facilities, having more practical and imaginative curricular activities can stimulate learning. Quality of life will be improved in future to attract more educators and students in schools. Government should come out with a plan that encourages students from rural area to be teacher and teach in their hometown. Build up student’s responsibility to contribute for their hometown. Student from that area itself know what are needed in their hometown. So, with a better allowance and opportunity, students are motivated to contribute to their hometown.