THE DIFFERENCES

o an Indian family in Jakaronesia, attended preschool enior high school in the ast Asian nation. t thanks to my years at an tional school, I am familth different cultures and es,” said Viniti, who has an brother who inspires her mother who encourages her rience all things in life. ing developed a passion for and cake decorating as a er, she decided to become ry chef by enrolling in the Bachelor of ry Arts and Food Service Management at Taylor’s University. parents were reluctant to send me too ay from home and considering the short ce between Malaysia and Indonesia, it e best option. rthermore Taylor’s Faculty of Hospitald and Leisure Management has a great tion and I also learnt the art of entrepreneurship Madin said there are stark differences between the education systems in the Maldives and Malaysia.

He had expected a stimulating learning environment with active discourse and healthy competition as in the case of Maldivian higher education.

However, he found that questioning is frowned upon, not only by the lecturers but also his peers.

“But I soon came to realise that this is not the fault of the university. It is an embedded aspect of the Malaysian education culture.”

In a bid to keep his spark of curiosity alive, Madin explored other avenues available to him as a student at the university. What struck him are the opportunities available, but are not utilised by students.