KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Minister of Information, Communication and Culture, YB Dato Seri Utama Dr Rais Yatim has said that with education, we change the future, propel progress, and gain values.
He made these remarks while addressing over 600 delegates and speakers on the final day of a two-day conference organized by Beaconhouse, one of the largest school networks in the world, says message received here on Wednesday.He continued his address to the delegates, which lasted over 45 minutes, by stating “We are here to reassess conventional beliefs of what constitutes progressive learning while helping to change the learning experiences of children studying in schools at every level.This will certainly help to propel human civilization”, he added.
The conference’s underpinning theme ‘Empowering Lifelong Learning’ also mirrors the Malaysian government’s emphasis on lifelong learning.YB Dato Seri Utama Dr Rais Yatim’s commitment to the Malaysian vision ‘To develop a world class quality education system which will realise the full potential of the individual and fulfill the aspirations of the nation’ was reflected in his inspirational address to the delegates.He emphasized that ‘In this global environment,learning can no longer be confined to the time spent in a classroom and needs to be a lifelong process of personal and professional development’.
This conference had brought together teachers, school leaders, change agents, policy makers and government officials from across Malaysia and around the world to explore a vision for schools and to catapult learning to a higher level to build analytical, and empowered learners.Organized by the Beaconhouse Group, the School of Tomorrow: Empowering Lifelong Learners used plenaries, workshops and groundbreakers to focus on innovative approaches and methods for early childhood and primary education. Significantly, it focused on the building of effective learning communities, and explore strategies for instructional leadership and collaboration.
The recommendations made at the conference emphasised the importance of creating a culture of lifelong learning not only for students but also teachers and school leaders in all schools.The speaker making the recommendations also stressed that education in the Early Years needs to be truly holistic that engages children in stimulating and challenging experiences in the context of their physical and social surroundings, and that we need to recognise that children are capable initiators of their own learning.
Kasim Kasuri, CEO of Beaconhouse concluded by announcing that these recommendation will be put into place with immediate effect by accelerating our already existing Teacher and School Heads training programme, integrating the context of Malaysian requirement under the National Education Blueprint 2013-2025.He further stated that the changes required to build a culture of lifelong learners will not happen overnight as developing a quantum change such as this requires thorough and precise planning and extensive professional development, but we are confident that the changes we make will be exemplary and beneficial for all educators”. – APP
