Education should bring out the best in students, says Dr Mah

PETALING JAYA: Education should bring out the best in students by enabling them to develop a variety of skills, says Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon.

The Deputy Education Minister said learning should not be about measuring a child’s performance but allowing them to expand on different skills and abilities.

“Education is not about academic performance. It’s important to develop the soft and life skills of our children,” he said, citing the concept of multiple intelligences put forward by Harvard University's Prof Howard Gardner.

He said it was important for parents to play a role in the education of their children especially when they are now staying at home to learn during the pandemic.

On e-learning, Dr Mah said although many found it challenging to have virtual lessons, online learning was the most viable learning method for now.

“We recognise the problems faced by students. We know it is not the same as face-to-face lessons.

“Yet despite the challenges, I am pleased that everyone is doing their part. We can see that online learning has been expedited,” he said, pointing out the various efforts to help with the process of transition.

He said for instance, 150,000 laptops would be delivered by Yayasan Hasanah to students by September, and his own office has launched the Easy Learning Web to assist e-learning.

Dr Mah said this when launching the two activities virtually on Thursday (June 24) under the #BeMYHero campaign by GoCare to encourage members of the public to pick up new skills and to express their creativity.

The campaign launched the "Talk Zone", an e-learning platform which enables participants to learn new skills and knowledge with classes on music, art, language and programming.

Currently, there are about 20 education centres running the classes and the target is to have 100 centres participating.

The other activity is “Share Zone 2.0”, a contest where people upload on Instagram their creative artwork, along the theme of “Lindung Diri, Lindung Semua” (Protect Yourself, Protect Others).

Prizes worth a total of RM10,000 are up for grabs with the contest running until the end of July.

More information about the e-learning platform “Talk Zone” and the art contest “Share Zone 2.0” can be found at the https://gocare.org.my/

GoCare is a crowdfunding initiative by the MCA Crisis Relief Squad to help the underprivileged and groups through charity fundraising from the public.