Star Education Fund

Text Box: Sunday January 11, 2009 Education still a priority By SIMRIT KAUR, TAN EE LOO and RICHARD LIM KUALA LUMPUR: The global economy may be down but the number of visitors at The Star Education Fair 2009 was encouragingly high yesterday. More than 20,000 parents and their children turned up at the fair to check out the wide range of tertiary programmes available in the local and international markets. Crowded event: Parents and students visiting The Star Education Fair at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre Saturday. Reflective of the sober economic situation, many of them were at the fair to look for inexpensive ways of funding their children’s education. With more than 170 exhibitors taking up 485 booths at the fair, held at the KL Convention Centre, there were plenty of options. Said parent Rohini Kanapasabai: “I had planned to send my daughter to study in the United Kingdom or Australia. Now I’m worried about the economic forecast. The cost of university fees and living expenses has gone up. So we have to look for cheaper options in Malaysia.” Parent Joanne Shieh said the education fund she had set aside for her daughter, Lim Zhu Sien, had shrunk due to the economic turmoil. “It makes you rethink the options. This is partly why we are at the fair, to see how much the courses cost and look around for the best option,” said Shieh. Aware of what parents are looking for, exhibitors at the fair have stepped up to meet their needs. International Medical University Malaysia Assoc Prof Dr Kang Yew Beng said Malaysian parents had always put their children’s education as top priority. “You cannot put a price on education, just as you cannot put a price on ignorance,” said Dr Kang. SEG International Bhd group marketing director Victor Chan said the economic downturn was the best time for local educational providers to prove and demonstrate to parents and students that their programmes were just as good as those offered by foreign universities. All for education: The 39 partners of The Star Education Fund posing for a group photo with (eighth from left) Star Publications group managing director and CEO Datin Linda Ngiam, Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Idris Haron and Star Publications group editorial / education adviser Datuk Ng Poh Tip after the opening ceremony of The Star Education Fair in Kuala Lumpur “If you can get the same quality here, why not consider them?” he said. Sunway University College executive director Elizabeth Lee said parents should explore local options. “There are always opportunities to go abroad when the economy improves,” she added.

Text Box: THE STAR , Sunday January 11, 2009 Colleges committed to developing human capital, says Idris KUALA LUMPUR: The current economic slowdown will not dampen the commitment of higher education institutions on developing the country’s human capital. Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Idris Haron said this was because the institutions regarded education as an investment for the future. “They do not see education wholly as a business. Their investment in our country’s young is priceless and can never be measured in monetary terms,” he said after opening The Star Education Fair 2009 yesterday. Idris: Says the success of The Star Education Fair shows that higher education institutions are able to withstand the weak economy. Idris added that the success of the 21st edition of The Star Education Fair showed that higher education institutions were able to withstand the weak economy. Idris said the institutions must ensure that they meet the expectations of students and parents, and maintain academic excellence. To a question on whether undergraduates should learn a third language, he said that first they needed to improve their English language proficiency. “Local universities need to enhance the English communication skills of their undergraduates. Poor English-speaking skills is the main factor which has contributed to their graduates’ unemployability,” he added. Idris also revealed that public universities were expected to conclude the election of their students’ representative councils by this month. Unlike in previous years, when elections were held simultaneously, university vice-chancellors can now determine when to hold them. The new system had resulted in higher turnouts at local campuses as there was less interference from outside parties, he added. This year, The Star Education Fund received 350 pledges of scholarship awards from 39 partners, amounting to more than RM10.9mil. Star Publications (M) Bhd group editorial/education adviser Datuk Ng Poh Tip said the fund had two new partners: Brickfields Asia College and ISBA UK Thinking Skills College. “The Star Education Fair continues to be the preferred source of information for tens of thousands of young and mature students who are looking to further their studies or acquire new skills,” Ng added.