Progress in education means little if it does not reach every learner. For some, the real challenge is not access to technology – it is access to opportunity.
That is why Sunway FutureX DI 42 Malaysia chief executive officer Jeff Sandhu is rethinking what inclusion means in the age of innovation.
“Many students are not completing high school because of factors like family background, upbringing or financial hardship,” he said, adding that the gap reflects a bigger problem when the education system does not accommodate those who fall outside the traditional academic route.
In a conventional or traditional environment, students still need high school certificates to enter higher education institutes, he said.
To challenge this, 42 Malaysia offers a radical alternative – a coding school with no teachers, no classes, and no tuition fees.
Backed by Khazanah Nasional’s Dana Impak and Sunway Education Group, the programme is part of a global network across 26 countries that opens its doors to anyone aged 18 and above, regardless of academic or socioeconomic background.
At 42, learning is entirely self-directed and peer-driven. Cadets, a term they use to refer to students, get to work on real-world projects and earn experience points to progress.
There are no fixed semesters or grades – only milestones achieved through persistence and passion.
“You need 1,000 points before you can sit for your first exam, and that exam happens whenever you’re ready.
“Some finish in three weeks, others in three months. We even have cadets who rack up 5,000 points because they just love their projects,” Sandhu shared.
Failure, too, he said, is reframed as a badge of honour.
“If you fail a project 42 times, you get a title: Master of Failure.
“In a normal school, you’d be punished for that. Here, it means you’re the best person to learn from,” he explained.
As artificial intelligence (AI) tools reshape how students learn, Sandhu believes success can no longer be measured by perfect answers alone.
“If you’re only grading output, you’re missing the point because AI can already do that.
“We should be measuring based on their efforts they put in,” he said.
