ECM Libra Foundation, drawn to Closing the Gap’s (CTG) objectives to help bright, under-represented students gain access to quality higher education, began funding this non-profit initiative in 2018. The organisation, founded by ex-Teach for Malaysia members, empowers high-potential teens with the knowledge and skills to achieve their fullest potential.
Each year, CTG selects students (known as Scholars) and put them through a 2-3 year development programme that combines mentoring, workshops and a university Residential Camp to raise their ambition and skills to apply for university as well as scholarships. Each Scholar on the program is paired with a Mentor (usually a young professional or university graduate) who will support, inspire and guide her in her university preparation journey. The aim is for 100% of the students to enter quality universities, either locally or abroad.
Since inception in 2017, CTG has worked with 175 Scholars in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur across 4 Cohorts. As of June 2020, the Scholars have unlocked RM3.4 million worth of scholarships from a wide range of providers such as the Tune Libra Scholarship, Yayasan Khazanah and The Star Education Fund. Scholars from CTG’s pilot Cohort have also gone on to receive higher education offers in various selective universities such as Stanford University, University of Malaya, Universiti Sains Malaysia and University of Nottingham and pre-university colleges such as Epsom College, Sunway University and The Alice Smith School.
