University signs deal to offer diploma for kindergarten teachers
KOTA KINABALU: Asia e University (AeU) yesterday signed a Corporate Education Partnership agreement with Tadika Hwa Shiong and Tadika Bersatu that enables kindergarten teachers to enroll in the Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education (GDECE) programme offered by the university.
The GDECE programme was introduced to upgrade practising preschool and kindergarten teachers, heads and administrators who do not have a qualification in early childhood education.
The programme has been approved by the Malaysian Qualification Agency (MQA) to be conducted using the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode of delivery that allows kindergarten teachers to pursue the course course part-time, freeing them from the constraints of time and place without having to give up their existing jobs.
To date, 10 teachers from Tadika Hwa Shiong and eight from Tadika Bersatu have enrolled in the GDECE programme, which started in January this year.
The agreement was signed between AeU president Prof Dato’ Dr Ansary Ahmed, Kota Kinabalu Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KKCCCI) president Datuk Michael Lui representing Tadika Hwa Shiong and Tadika Bersatu chairperson Datin Kong Ho Yii.
Lui said Tadika Hwa Shiong would provide full sponsorship to their teachers who enrolled in the programme while Tadika Bersatu would pay 50 per cent of the tuition fee of their teachers.
Meanwhile, Ansary said the close to 300 students nationwide were currently undertaking the GDECE programme offered by the university, 80 of whom were from Sabah.
AeU was established by the Malaysian government to provide affordable and quality programmes in the country and 33 countries in Asia.
The Ministry of Education has appointed AeU to upgrade about 3,000 teachers to obtain a Bachelor of Education in Early Childhood Education, Teaching English as a Second Language and Teaching Bahasa Melayu. A total of 1,800 students have graduated so far and the remaining 1,200 students will graduate this year.
“We are looking forward to this collaboration because our function and duty is to upskill and upgrade the teachers as much as we can.
“Since we already have the government contract to upskill primary school teachers, an extension to kindergarten teachers is a natural thing for us to do,” he said at the signing ceremony at Sabah Institute of Arts (SIA) here yesterday.
Ansary said the early years of a child, between the age of five and eight, was important because most children learned the most at that age.
He said research by the Stanford Research Institute found that almost 80 to 90 per cent of the remaining learning was not as critical as early childhood education.
“They did a comparison and discovered that children who went for early childhood education perform better in their lives in the long run.
“As such, I think what the kindergartens are doing are the right thing because they are investing in the people who are actually teaching the children, the future generation.”
The GDECE programme is fully accredited by the MQA and the Ministry of Higher Education. Its ODL mode of delivery entails face-to-face tutorials for the students, online discussion and independent study.
The programme encompasses 20 subjects and practical, and costs RM12,800 in total.
In facilitating independent study, students are provided with detailed and comprehensive learning materials in the form of self-instructional modules and video clips explaining key concepts and principles. This approach enables AeU to reach out to the interior of Sabah who would not otherwise have the opportunity to obtain a diploma, bachelor or masters degree.
AeU is currently working with SIA in making available the GDECE to preschool and kindergarten teachers in Sabah. The curriculum, learning materials, assignments and examinations are controlled and managed by AeU to ensure that the highest quality is maintained.
SIA is involved in providing face-to-face tutorials and support services to students enrolled in the programme.
Also present at the signing ceremony were AeU Student Support centre cum SIA deputy chief executive officer Jessel Yansalang, Tadika Hwa Shiong headmaster Phang Siew Khim and Tadika Bersatu headmaster Fong Kim Chow.