By Santhiyah Chandran and Murniati Abu Karim
Photo Izwan Azman

BANGI, 30 August 2021 – Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Royal Fellow, Tunku Zain Al-‘Abidin Tuanku Muhriz graced the ASEAN Youth Volunteer Programme (AYVP) by delivering a keynote titled “Leaders of The Future: The Role of Youth in ASEAN Community.”

His Highness, in his keynote to the 300 AYVP participants said that the pandemic has forced the entire education landscape into the world of online learning. The online education approach, however, has highlighted several internet inequalities that exist when attempting to deliver lessons during the global health crisis, he told.

“In the past two years that I have spoken to young people and students across the region, I learned that not everyone has equal access to the Internet.

“Some people may have a private room in their home where they attend classes conveniently.  In other cases, students with large families living in a very small space, find it difficult to focus mentally and maintain a level of silence in the home environment,” he said.

His Highness pointed out the importance of education that accepts not only the validity of science and evidence, but also trust in institutions.

“One of the topics I’ve always discussed with Malaysian students, as well as youth from across the region, is how to maintain trust between citizens, institutions, and the government. I believe we have seen some issues in other countries where trust in the government and official institutions is very low, making cohesive societal action difficult,” he continued.

During the keynote, His Highness also expressed his utmost gratitude to UKM’s Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz (HCTM) for its significant contributions in battling the global pandemic in the country.

“HCTM has treated thousands upon thousands of Covid-19 patients. The doctors and frontliners at the hospital have worked tirelessly to save lives, and it is a credit to UKM that they have done so,” he concluded.

The programme is organised by the AYVP Secretariat of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and the Ministry of Youth and Sports Malaysia in collaboration with the University of the Philippines (UP) as this year’s host countries.

The programme ran virtually from 30 August 2021 to 17 September 2021 with the theme “Strengthening ASEAN Education Delivery Systems in Challenging Times”.