EMPOWERING PAHANG'S LANGUAGE EDUCATORS: COMMUNITY OUTREACH @PPD PROGRAMME
MARAN, TEMERLOH & BERA, 10 October 2024 – The Centre for Modern Languages (CML) in collaboration with the Institute of Postgraduate Studies (IPS), Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA), organised the Community Outreach @PPD programme in three districts in Pahang, namely Maran, Temerloh and Bera. This programme is also a collaborative effort with the Pahang State Education Department (JPNP) and the selected District Education Offices (PPD).
The programme aimed to expose CML postgraduate students to the local community, allowing them to observe and understand the challenges faced by teachers, particularly in language teaching and learning. Through active collaboration with local educators, students were able to gather real-world data, enabling them to propose relevant and effective solutions.
In today’s technology-driven era, integrating technology into education is essential to address the challenges of the 21st-century education. This programme, themed "TechTools for Educators," aimed to enhance teachers' tech skills, especially in artificial intelligence (AI), aligning with the goals of the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Higher Education to transform education. Teachers were introduced to AI-based T&L tools such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Padlet, and ClassPoint through interactive sessions, directly supporting SDG4: Quality Education.
The programme successfully gathered 110 language teachers, particularly English teachers from secondary and primary schools across these three districts. The programme was held at SMK Jengka Pusat, Jengka with 38 teachers from the Maran district, and with 35 teachers from the Temerloh district, and 37 teachers from the Bera district, conducted at the PPD Temerloh and Bera, respectively.
CML is grateful to Jalilah Salim, Senior Assistant Director at the Language Unit, JPNP, and the SISC+ officers in the three districts, Mohd Asri Salleh from PPD Maran, Wee Poh Chin from PPD Temerloh, and Cheah Yet Thang from PPD Bera. The CML teams were warmly welcomed and with their assistance, language teachers were gathered under their respective jurisdictions for this programme.
The positive collective feedback from the PPD officers and the teachers demonstrated the value of such programmes to enhance teacher professionalism, emphasising the need for improving the support systems and infrastructure in existing schools in Pahang to integrate technology into teaching and learning.
The CML team was led by Associate Professor Dr. Hafizoah Kassim, along with members Dr. Fatimah Ali, Dr. Nor Yazi Khamis, Dr. Azwin Arif Abdul Rahim and Dr. Mohammad Musab Azmat Ali. Three CML postgraduate students who assisted were Aisyah Khaleeda Rosli, Mohd Khirulnizam Musa, and Mohd Khairi Razali. We hope that such programme can be extended to all districts in Pahang to maximise CML’s engagement with the local community.
Written by
Hafizoah Kassim, Fatimah Ali & Azwin Arif Abdul Rahim
