(From right) Mohamed Iqbal presenting a memento to Aaron as Yeoh looks on during the Empowering Education Summit 2025 at a hotel in Penang. — CHAN BOON KAI/The Star
Early interactions urged during Penang summit on a future-ready Asean workforce
STEPS have been taken to strengthen national unity at the grassroots level, says National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang.
He said the implementation of the School Unity Index (Indeks Perpaduan Sekolah) and the steady increase it had recorded reflected the growing impact of efforts to promote unity among students and teachers.
“In 2021, the index recorded a score of 6.27 (out of 10),” said Aaron.
“This figure rose to 7.10 in 2022, and further improved to 7.51 in 2023.
“This study, which is a key initiative in strengthening national unity at the grassroots level, was made possible through a collaboration between Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
“It marks a significant step in grounding our unity-building efforts in evidencebased insights.
“This allows us to better understand where we are and what more needs to be done,” he said.
Aaron was speaking during the Empowering Education Summit 2025 held at a hotel in George Town, Penang.
He stressed the need for opportunities that allowed students from various backgrounds to work together outside academic settings.
“By enhancing these cross-ethnic activities, we can create stronger bonds between students from diverse communities and regions,” he said.
“It is commendable that this summit has created a platform to discuss fostering national unity through education.
“Malaysia is home to a tapestry of cultures, religions and languages.
“For this diversity to remain a source of strength, it must be nurtured with understanding, respect and acceptance,” he said.
Aaron said seeds of unity were first planted in school classrooms, where young minds begin to learn about each other and the world around them.
“When children sit side by side in the same classroom, sharing knowledge, laughter and dreams, they also begin to share understanding.
“They learn to look beyond skin colour, religion or language. They learn to see the human being in each other.
“This is where unity begins,” he said. The one-day summit featuring six sessions was organised by KSI Strategic Institute for Asia Pacific.
It was themed “Shaping Asean’s Future Through Skills and Innovation”.
It brought together over 200 participants comprising policymakers, educators, leaders and industry professionals. Institute president Tan Sri Michael Yeoh said the summit was a way to look at how Asean could enhance regional collaboration.
“It aims to promote the sharing of views on how education can be future-proofed and to prepare future-ready graduates.
“It focuses on the Asean Work Plan on Education, and preparing Asean for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) and artificial intelligence.
“We want to enhance educational competitiveness here,” he said.
Yeoh added that the summit also aimed to stimulate discussions on how Penang could be a regional education hub.
Event attendees tackled different aspects of the regional education and skills development agenda.
Panel sessions included Asean Work Plan on Education (2021 to 2025) and preparing Asean for Industry 4.0.
The summit also touched on English proficiency and connectivity as well as early childhood education across the region.
Additionally, it was a platform for fostering cross-border education policies and innovation, and advancing skills development under the Asean Year of Skills 2025 banner.
This underscored the urgent need for harmonised regional efforts to prepare Asean’s youth and workforce for the realities of Industry 4.0, while promoting equitable access to quality education.
In presenting the Empowering Education Excellence Awards 2025, the summit also honoured outstanding institutions and individuals for their contributions to regional education, innovation and communitybuilding.
Other guests included Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow and KSI deputy chairman Datuk Seri Mohamed Iqbal Rawther.
