Author: hazelien

Mushtak Al-Atabi says it is important to guide students to realise their potential to prepare them for a future dominated by automation and AI.

Assisted learning: Students (from left) Batriesya Ahmad Khalil, 20, Lim En Wei, 22, and Hanis Afidah, 20, from University Putra Malaysia’s Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences demonstrating the use of AI in doing their homework. — AZHAR MAHFOF/The Star

Mushtak Al-Atabi of Heriot-Watt University Malaysia calls for a long-term plan aimed at cultivating students’ critical thinking skills which will ultimately boost the nation’s Pisa scores.

WHILE textbooks may offer insights into complex equations and the wonders of science, resilience – a trait increasingly demanded by bosses – is not a lesson one can learn in class.

THE key to learning a tough life lesson like resilience is to know your purpose, says Vice Chancellors’ Council for Private Universities chairman Prof Mushtak Al-Atabi.

WHILE research is essential to drive innovation and effect change, researchers who solely aim to publish their papers are defeating its very purpose and spirit.

Further compounding the problem are reports of academic misconduct in Malaysian universities.

Malaysia’s recent performance dip in the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) 2022 paints a sobering picture of the state of our primary and secondary education.

Come Thursday, we will be celebrating the country’s 66th National Day in a world that’s totally different from that of 1957. Humanity is facing its greatest challenges yet while striving to achieve its full potential. What remains timeless and priceless is the importance of unity, while embracing diversity

To arrest the decline in the number of students pursuing tertiary education after the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), the Education Ministry said it was carrying out personal development and career education plans in schools to increase students’ awareness of the importance of education while also equipping them with knowledge, skills and interest for future careers. But do our young students need more awareness programmes, or is there something else amiss?

One of the key differentiating features between humans and animals is that the latter is driven by reflex and instinct when it comes to behaviour.

Humans, on the other hand, are much more sophisticated and individualistic. We have huge potential for learning, creation and impact.