SaBBAr (Sambung & Baca Bahasa Arab) EcoTech: An Inclusive, Sustainable and AI-Enhanced Arabic Reading Innovation

About the Project

SaBBAr (Sambung & Baca Bahasa Arab) EcoTech is an educational innovation designed to address persistent difficulties in recognising Arabic letters, blending sounds, and reading Arabic words among primary pupils, particularly remedial learners, non-Muslim pupils, rural communities, pupils with disabilities, and learners from lower-income families. The original SaBBAr method applies user-friendly Arabic-Rumi matching and was expanded through gamification, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), digital applications, and physical learning materials. Its current EcoTech version combines physical and digital learning in an environmentally conscious 8+ in 1 kit that includes quizzes, gamified activities, a concise dictionary, flip calendar, whiteboard, matching cards, and bamboo NFC cards for audio-digital interaction. A new AI-assisted Arabic Dictionary has also been added to support independent vocabulary learning. The innovation responds to Malaysia's digital education agenda and promotes inclusive, engaging, technology-rich learning. It also uses local bamboo as a sustainable material, extending the innovation from a literacy intervention to an eco-technology approach with potential community and economic value. Keywords: Arabic literacy, artificial intelligence, eco-technology, gamification, inclusive education, SaBBAr