KUANTAN: Muhamad Shah Azami Sabri’s dream to attend tuition classes has come true after he was selected as a participant at Akademi Menara Gading (AMG), organised by Al-Sultan Abdullah Foundation (YASA). The Form Four student from SMK Alor Akar said he had never raised the tuition class issue with his parents as he was aware of the family’s financial situation. His father, Sabri Hamid, 51, works as a security guard and the family had financial constraints. The 16-year-old teenager also said he had asked his parents to pray for him after a teacher told him that he had been chosen to attend AMG XI cohort participants selection. “I have always envied my friends who attended tuition classes because sometimes they get to learn topics that are not yet taught at school. “Now I have the opportunity to have the same experience and at the same time improve my proficiency in English as this year AMG is collaborating with the US Embassy for English lessons,” he said at the end of the selection process. AMG was established in 1999, a brainchild of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, while Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah is the patron. It was supported by Istana Abdulaziz Foundation which was later renamed YASA. Besides YASA, AMG cohort XI is also supported by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Faculty of Education, Yayasan Koperasi Serbausaha Makmur Berhad and the US Embassy which offers 360 hours of English classes for two years under the English Access Microscholarship Programme. For SMK Abdul Rahman Talib student R. Locsiny, 16, the opportunity to join AMG was a chance for her to do better in school. Her family depended solely on her father, S. Rajendran, 57, who is a mechanic and is paid a daily wage. “AMG also teaches students to be more disciplined and face challenges. In the previous intake, the participants were taken to visit Japan and South Korea. “This allows us to study outside of the classroom and experience things that may be just a dream for some. That was why my parents and I were hoping I would be selected,” she said. Lai Pei Yin, 16, of SMK Tanah Putih, who was also chosen, said she was optimistic that her participation in AMG would help her achieve good results in Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia. Lai noted that based on experience shared by seniors, those who were weak in certain subjects had managed to improve. “I will not waste this opportunity. I am ready to sacrifice my weekends for the next two years to attend AMG extra classes. “I cannot afford private tuition classes. My father works as a welder,” she said, adding that she would set a good example for her two younger siblings. — Bernama