The world of Tzu Chi February 2020 (Vol.119)

TZU CHI 119 31 citizens co-exist harmoniously in a multiracial and multi-religion society that embodies Tzu Chi’s spirit of Great Love which transcends border, race, religion and language. Master Cheng Yen also stressed the importance of education in shaping productive individuals with wholesome character to contribute positively to nation building and society. In addition, she hoped that TCISKL will fulfil its role in encouraging students to discover their passion and talents; in helping students to grow their soft skills and excel academically; and developing moral compass within in nurturing them into global talents with perceptive minds and noble character. Echo Chien, the CEO of Tzu Chi KL & Selangor, expressed her gratitude to the Tzu Chi volunteers, members of the public and other benefactors for their generous support in making TCISKL a reality. She highlighted a distinctive feature of TCISKL, Tzu-Cheng and Yi-Te Association, whose members are senior Tzu Chi volunteers. These are “shadow parents” dedicated to accompany TCISKL students, and assist parents and teachers in taking care of their wellbeing as a parent would. This model of pastoral care which exemplifies Tzu Chi’s education ideals is uniquely Tzu Chi and is unprecedented in Malaysia’s education landscape. Sio Kee Hong, the deputy CEO of Tzu Chi KL & Selangor, has been steering the TCISKL project from its conception to completion since 2016. He shared that the TCISKL team has grown from the initial few core members to close to a hundred professional staff members. The team managed to overcome the many challenges along the way with solidarity, perseverance and unyielding resolve in their shared mission and vision. Furthermore, he expressed his gratitude to the dedicated volunteers for their efforts in enabling the completion of TCISKL. He recalled the encouraging response at the TCISKL enrolment briefing sessions held on May 1, 2019, which were attended by more than 5,000 members of the public, mostly parents of prospective students. Some parents had even considered relocating their families to Kuala Lumpur so that their children would stand a chance to pursue their studies at TCISKL. Lim Siew Li, the principal of TCISKL, delivered an inspiring speech and promised to love the students as her own and devote herself to providing them with the best education possible. She thanked the parents for their trust in the academic team in helping their children to thrive in this challenging world. For the inauguration ceremony, a commemorative plaque was unveiled to officiate the opening of TCISKL, marking a symbolic moment in the history of Tzu Chi’s education mission in Malaysia. TCISKL is setting its sights on taking Tzu Chi’s educational philosophy to greater heights by striving to mould bright young minds with exemplary conduct for generations to come. A New Milestone in Education