KUALA LUMPUR – Research and advocacy organisation Sekhar Institute, in collaboration with The Vibes, will hold a webinar on Tuesday on education that will, among others, discuss the impact of Covid-19 on education and the challenges facing the Malaysian education system.
The webinar, titled “Educating Malaysia: Teaching in a Changing World”, the third in the “Because It Matters” series, will be held on Tuesday from 10am to 12.30pm, and feature prominent speakers, including a former headmaster of a prominent school, a parents’ representative, a young politician, an educationist and a director of an education NGO.
Legendary former headmaster of Victoria Institution, Kuala Lumpur, V. Murugasu, 92, said he is happy to be able to join the webinar and share his views on education. Murugasu was headmaster of Victoria Institution from 1965-69.
He has also served as chief education officer of two states and was a consultant with both the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.
Also joining the discussion is former youth and sports minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman. He is co-founder of the yet-to-registered Muda political party.
Another panellist is Datuk Tan Yew Sing, president of the National Education Reform Initiative (NERI), a grouping of educational NGOs. Tan is founder of INTI Education Group and is also associated with the Chinese educational group Dong Zhong.
Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim, chairman of the Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) is another panellist. She has spoken up for parents of students over the years through PAGE, a lobby group for parents with the Education Ministry and other education stakeholders.
Another panellist is Nina Adlan Disney, executive director of LeapEd Services Sdn Bhd, who will share her experience helping schools by connecting them with companies and giving them resources. Nina has 30 years of experience in the education sector as an academic, administrator, publisher, researcher and consultant.
The discussion will be moderated by P. Gunasegaram, executive director of Sekhar Institute, a unit within the PETRA Group of companies, whose chairman and CEO, Datuk (Dr) Vinod Sekhar, will give the opening address.
Sekhar Institute’s aims include promoting awareness, holding discussions and debates on important issues and suggesting solutions where possible.
The webinar will look into how the Covid-19 situation has added to the complexity of problems facing education in Malaysia, with digital learning still delayed and lost school days setting students back.
From this, the discussion will move into other challenges facing education the country, such as a polarised education system, falling standards, irrelevant syllabus, digital thrust in shambles, unemployable graduates, and dual-language problems, among others.
Earlier webinars held in the “Because it Matters” series are “Beyond Vision 2020: Growth with Equity in the New Decade” and “Battling Corruption and Patronage”. – The Vibes, June 13, 2021
To register for the webinar, go to http://bit.ly/Educating-Malaysia-Webinar
To watch live on Facebook, go to https://fb.me/e/Gh8CQPUw