CEU Signs Agreement with Malaysia’s Penang Institute to Train Teachers on MIL

Photo shows (from L-R) Penang Institute Executive Director Dato’ Dr. Ooi Kee Beng; Penang Institute Publications Officer Sheryl Teoh Chiau Yi; and CEU President and CAO Dr. Ma. Cristina Padolina

Centro Escolar University forged a strategic partnership with Penang Institute, Malaysia on March 12, 2021 to develop teachers’ skills in teaching media and information literacy (MIL) through staging a mini TechCamp.

TechCamp Malaysia-Philippines, a funded alumni project of TechCamp Malaysia 2020, will train and deepen secondary school teachers' and teacher educators’ understanding of the importance of MIL in a fast-moving, digital media landscape.

“The signing today of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Penang Institute and Centro Escolar University is the first we had with a Philippine institution,” said Dato’ Dr. Ooi Kee Beng, the Executive Director of Penang Institute during the virtual signing ceremony.

The MoU signifies the beginning of onward collaborations in teacher training, community extension, and research relative to MIL.

“The future of democracy depends on the capacity of citizens to read between the lines and indeed, between the lies. A healthy society is made up of citizens who dare to speak their minds and who are articulate and exposed enough to differentiate falsehoods from facts,” explained Dato’ Dr. Ooi Kee Beng.

He added that Penang Institute, one of Malaysia’s most influential policy think tanks, “is greatly concerned about the future of journalism in Southeast Asia, public discourses, and public literacy in general.”

“We are naturally concerned about how public education is being challenged by new media and other global trends. It is therefore exciting for us to have CEU join the TechCamp family with a project aimed at educating educators on matters of grave importance to the well-being of future citizens and our countries,” said Dato’ Dr. Ooi Kee Beng.

Meanwhile, Dr. Ma. Cristina Padolina, the President and Chief Academic Officer of CEU, affirmed that teachers should be more tech-savvy, knowledgeable, informed, and experienced than their students.

“We know that the use of the Internet in teaching and learning is irreversible. The youth must learn to navigate this network because it can be treacherous for them. We need to make their journey exciting but safe, enriching, not degrading, [and] useful not damaging,” Dr. Padolina said, adding that the TechCamp Malaysia-Philippines is a relevant and timely project for CEU.

“CEU is a center of excellence in teacher education. [TechCamp Malaysia-Philippines] is a very worthwhile project for our Center. [It] will allow us to fulfill our commitment to sharing our expertise not just to our students but also with other teacher education institutions in the Philippines,” said Dr. Padolina.

Relative to this, teachers should promote MIL among students, said Lai Cheng Wong, co-chairperson of the TechCamp Malaysia-Philippines organizing committee.

“By focusing on secondary school teachers and teacher educators, we hope to harness the potential of the multiplier effect,” Ms. Wong said, emphasizing that championing MIL leads to information literate societies.

The partnership between CEU and Penang Institute “commits us to work together more closely towards one common goal – the pursuit of building a well-informed society beginning with secondary school teachers and teacher educators,” Ms. Wong concluded.

TechCamp Malaysia-Philippines is a virtual three-day workshop happening from March 29 to 31, 2021 via Zoom, with speakers from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Spain, Thailand, the United States, and the Netherlands.

The partnership was made possible through the efforts and initiative of Mr. Ricky Rosales, CEU Communication and Media Program Head with the guidance of Dr. Maria Rita Lucas, Dean, School of Education, Liberal Arts, Music and Social Work (SELAMS).

For more information, please visit the official website of the University at www.ceu.edu.ph. You may also follow CEU on Facebook at www.facebook.com/theCEUofficial and on Twitter at @CEUmanila, @CEU_makati05, and @CEUMalolos.