For many young girls in Malaysia’s rural and indigenous communities, English often feels disconnected from their lives. Textbooks rarely reflect their realities, and characters seldom look like them or share their cultural backgrounds.
But what if that changed? What if reading could not only improve literacy but also spark pride, confidence, and a sense of possibility?
(From left) Jane Xavierine, Nur Izzati Khairuddin, and Dr Kumutha Raman, lecturers from the Faculty of Education and Liberal Arts, who created Readibuddy.
That question became the foundation of Readibuddy, a web-based literacy platform developed by educators from INTI International University. Designed by Dr Kumutha Raman, Jane Xavierine, and Nur Izzati Khairuddin of the Faculty of Education and Liberal Arts, Readibuddy is more than just a reading app. It’s a tool built to improve English proficiency through meaningful, personal, and culturally relevant content — with a strong focus on empowering Malaysian girls.
What sets Readibuddy apart is its core idea: that local stories, especially those centred on female role models, can help young girls imagine more for themselves. The platform features stories about Malaysian women, structured reading levels based on the CEFR framework, pronunciation tools, comprehension quizzes, and a teacher dashboard. It also supports offline access, which is a critical feature for under-resourced schools.
Readibuddy received Best of the Best, Best Empirical Paper, and the Gold Award at the 6th iTELLS 2025. It also won Silver at INNOZILLA 2024.
The idea began during a University Social Responsibility (USR) project in March 2024, when the team visited an indigenous village. “Many of the students had very limited English skills and little interest in school,” Dr Kumutha recalled. “We realised that the materials they had access to didn’t speak to them. They didn’t reflect their culture, values, or lived experiences.”
Further discussions with local teachers revealed a deeper issue: many girls in the community were not continuing their education beyond primary school. The disconnect between their learning materials and their everyday lives had contributed to a lack of motivation and aspiration.
This sparked a powerful question: What if technology could bring Malaysian female heroes into their reading experience?
The team piloted Readibuddy with 30 learners over six weeks. The response was immediate. One teacher shared that previously disengaged students began attending school more regularly to access the platform. The girls were curious, motivated, and more active in class. One student, who once described reading as “boring and pointless,” started recommending Readibuddy stories to her cousin.
Among the featured titles are Ina, the Brave Girl of Mount Kinabalu, Amira’s Breast Cancer Story, and a narrative on the late Tan Sri Devaki Krishnan, Malaysia’s first female Indian politician. Through these stories, Readibuddy not only teaches language skills but also introduces values like courage, resilience, and ambition.
The platform has earned strong recognition. At the 6th International Technology-Enhanced Language Learning Symposium (iTELLS 2025), Readibuddy received three top honours: Best of the Best, Best Empirical Paper, and the Gold Award. These accolades recognised the platform’s innovation, research rigour, and impact on both literacy and gender equity. Earlier, it also won Silver at INNOZILLA 2024, where judges praised its balance of educational theory and real-world application.
Looking ahead, the team is scaling up. A mobile app is in development, alongside multilingual support and printed storybooks. Collaborations are also underway with JCI Sunway Damansara to source more real-life stories of Malaysian women to inspire the next generation of readers.
“We want girls to read stories that remind them of who they are — and who they can become,” the team shared. “Our dream is simple: to build a platform where every girl can read, relate, and rise.”
The Readibuddy platform includes Malaysian female-focused stories, reading levels, pronunciation tools, comprehension quizzes, and a teacher dashboard.