Malakah's response time is faster, she doesn't have to speak loudly, her behaviour has improved, and she can concentrate on her work as the system filters out other noises.
But the trial period has finished and the $3300 system needs to be returned to an audiologist in the school holidays, meaning a significant set-back for Malakah.
Shelley has been corresponding with the ministry for months and even talked to Education Minister Hekia Parata, in the hope they will fund the system for Malakah.
"All we want is government investment in making sure our child is able to learn, so that she does well in the future."
Malakah has had hearing problems for a long time but it was only officially diagnosed in recent years when a teacher thought her behavioral issues stemmed from a hearing problem. Tests revealed she had hardly any hearing in her right ear.
"Her left ear is okay but because she has the problem with half-collapsed ear channels, her hearing fluctuates," says Shelley, who hasn't been allowed a Winz child disability allowance to buy the FM system.
Malakah, who goes to an ear van in Porirua every four weeks to help keep her ear channels clear, got hearing aids in 2013, which made a difference, but not as significant as the FM system.
"Malakah has a right to education and we hope the government will work with us to make sure our child has what she needs."
Paraparaumu School principal Steven Caldwell said there was a systemic problem in terms of underfunding and resourcing support agencies for schools.
"We need to go through a long-winded process and hopefully we can get it for Malakah, but there are no guarantees and it won't happen overnight either.
"It shouldn't be up to parents to purchase those systems -- it's supposed to be part of her education."
"Malakah has a right to full participation in education and she needs an FM system in order to do so," said Paraparaumu Raumati Community Board member Deborah Morris-Travers.
"Her family has been working for months to get a clear answer about whether or not the Ministry of Education is able to fund the system and now they face the prospect of the trial system being removed.
"This would be a significant set-back. It shouldn't be this hard for parents to secure government support that enables their child to learn.
"The government has obligations under international law, such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and I hope they'll do the right thing."
