The world of Tzu Chi (Vol.111)

pecial Feature S ince its ground-breaking ceremony on September 16, 2017, the construction work for Tzu Chi International School Kuala Lumpur (TCISKL) has been progressing in full swing. TCISKL is scheduled to open in January 2020, with a view to being a meaningful addition to the education landscape in Malaysia. To address the concerns of parents keen to learn more about TCISKL’s offerings, Tzu Chi Education Foundationconductedfour consecutiveenrolment briefing sessions on Labour Day to elaborate on the enrolment process, course structure and Tzu Chi’s vision of education. More than 5,000 people from near and far converged at the KL Tzu-Chi Jing Si Hall to attend the sessions. Tzu Chi volunteers were also present to extend their warmest welcome to all attendees. Adistinctive emphasis on character education TCISKL is positioned as an extension of Tzu Chi’s network of Da Ai Kindergartens, with the first of its outlets in Kuala Lumpur founded in 2007. The Kindergartens distinguish themselves from their counterparts by operating on the values of humanistic culture to groom the young ones into courteous, compassionate and well-rounded individuals. Parents whose children have benefitted from the Tzu Chi tradition since kindergarten have expressed their fervent hope that Tzu Chi would offer a comprehensive educational system, extending its coverage beyond the kindergarten level to the primary, secondary and even university levels. Instead of aiming to reinvent the standards of education, Tzu Chi trains its focus on formulating a holistic approach to education firmly rooted in positive values, besides honing character traits and soft skills essential in shaping young learners with a global outlook, such as inquisitiveness and creativity. TCISKL adopts the internationally-recognized Cambridge IGCSE curriculum, complemented by courses centring upon Tzu Chi’s principles of humanistic culture. Classes are predominantly conducted in English, while lessons on Tzu Chi Humanistic Culture will be taught in Mandarin, and Bahasa Malaysia lessons are made compulsory to equip students with multilingual proficiency. TCISKL’s inaugural intake currently accepts enrolments from the kindergarten level, Years 1 to 4 at the primary level and Years 7 to 8 at the secondary level. Enrolment for other year groups, ranging from the primary to pre-university levels, will commence in stages in the subsequent years. Aholistic approach to education In the briefing sessions targeted at the primary and secondary school levels, prospective students and their parents were introduced to two distinctive features central to Tzu Chi’s education ideals: character education and nurturing a global outlook. The latter is achieved through study trips or volunteering opportunities abroad to broaden the students’ horizons, in addition to fostering international collaborations between Tzu Chi Schools in Taiwan andMalaysia. The Principal of Taiwan Tzu Chi Senior High School, Li Ling-hui has been visiting the Education unit in Malaysia frequently to provide valuable input by drawing from her wealth of experience in the field of education. The TCISKL teaching team, in turn, have made several trips to Taiwan Tzu Chi Senior High School to engage in knowledge exchange in order to lay a solid foundation for TCISKL. The sessions also featured a presentation by volunteer Yeo Kar Peng, providing an overview of TCISKL’s curriculum outline, fee structure, timetabling arrangements and 2019 • 06 34