As Malaysia looks forward to the beginnings of her reopening in the post-COVID-19 era, major stakeholders are bracing for significant changes in facing the new normal.

The world of education, in particular, has been shaken to its roots. In order for the education industry to thrive in this new era, old walls must come down so that previously separated domains can forge together for new ways of learning to be experienced.

Collaborative effort in triple helix partnerships involving government, universities and industries/society may need to be increased.

Towards this direction, the E-STREAM Wipe-out COVID-19 online event currently organised by Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP), Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB), Pertubuhan Rakan Komuniti Pendidikan Perak (PKRPP) with the support from the Ministry of Education, Malaysia, demonstrates how these separate domains can be bridged towards achieving a broader educational aim.

Wall #1:

Educationists in the nation, regardless of where they serve (i.e. pre-school, primary school, secondary school or higher learning) must learn how to think seamlessly across these levels of learning. This means that a child currently in Primary 1 must be imagined as an undergraduate in the making. Equally, an undergraduate in a university must be understood to have a history that can be traced back to school.

Therefore, following this logic, universities must understand that schools are not merely feeders to universities. On the contrary, schools are the future of universities. In the same way, universities are also the future of schools. Their fates are intertwined, and each determines the survival and indeed, the success of the other.

When the walls that divide come down, organic partnerships can be forged across schools, universities and communities. These partnerships can translate into educational platforms for each stakeholder to optimise their strength and benefit from the other’s contributions. In this new era, energies must be synergised for a sustainable way forward.

Wall #2:

The traditional academic division of Science versus Arts is a residue of Western knowledge production that took shape in the 19th and 20th centuries. This wall, while necessary in some respects, has situated Science separately from Arts and vice versa.

Yet, behind scientific discoveries like Einstein’s theory of relativity are important stories of Einstein’s imaginative life that sees Science and Arts coming together.

Inversely, behind the artistic beauty of music is the mathematical understanding of rhythm and the scientific basis of timbre and harmonics, demonstrating again the co-existence of Arts and Science.

In Malaysia, there has been some national initiative towards bringing down this wall so that Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STREAM) can begin to be acknowledged and applied in schools. In the universities, this same concept has also been embraced, although “multidiscipline” is the term being used.

However, it is important to bear in mind that the advocacy of STREAM and multidisciplinarity should not result in a generation of generalists. In fact, more than ever, real expertise in any one discipline is needed. This is to rival the flood of information that has become a norm in our day-to-day existence.

Without disciplinary knowledge, the power to discriminate fake from real news will diminish. Yet, at the same time, this new era requires us to be flexible enough to learn new skills at any age. Thus, if this wall of academic division is removed, deep and holistic knowledge can be gained in the learning experience.

Wall #3:

In this new era, the wall that previously separated the virtual and the physical world has naturally broken down as more people find ways to live their lives in virtual modes.

Particularly in the field of education where teaching and learning has shifted almost completely online, video and audio content have become legitimised and even formalised.

Children must learn to be good content producers. This requires learners to have a deep sense of curiosity and strong initiative to acquire online-based skills that may be very contrasting to school-based skills.

At the same time, with more of our lives put on display, new forms of respect for boundaries must be considered. Educators and learners alike must be aware of new conduct on this platform. As educational events go online therefore, important considerations of privacy and copyright will need to be thought through.

In the words of John Dewey, “education must be conceived as a continuing reconstruction of experience”.

As we confront our new world in the coming months and years, school, university and community partnerships are needed, more than ever.

-- BERNAMA

Dr Chong Su Li is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Management and Humanities, Institute of Self Sustainable Building (ISB), University Social Responsibility (USR) Education Pillar, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP).