Fatimah holds the conference pamphlet while Zulwali looks on. — Photo by Jeffery Mostapa
KUCHING: Teachers are urged to take up the opportunity for continuous professional development at an International Conference on Education (ICE 2016) on Oct 18 and 19 in Miri.
Minister of Welfare, Women and Community Wellbeing Datuk Fatimah Abdullah said the conference, with the theme ‘Propagating Quality Education: Integrating Thinking in the Classrooms’, was a good opportunity for teachers in Miri and other towns in the northern region.
“The conference will add value to their skills and knowledge, which is the way forward for us.
“If we want to increase the performance of our students, we need to start with the teachers, by improving their professionalism. With quality teachers, we get quality students,” she said when receiving a courtesy call from the conference organiser, Sarawak Association for the Development of Professionalism in Education (Profes) led by its chairman Dr Zulwali Kifli Merawi, at her office here yesterday.
Profes members namely Awang Hambali Awang Hamdan, Christopher Tan and Abang Mohd Daud as well as Jamiran Salam from Institute of Teacher Education Sarawak Campus were among those in the entourage.
Profes is co-organising ICE 2016 with Institute of Teacher Education Sarawak Campus, with the support of Sarawak Oil Palms Berhad, Yayasan Sarawak and Sarawak Energy Berhad.
Fatimah said at the ministry level, there were always seminars and workshops for teachers, but initiatives from outside such as this was most welcomed.
“As teachers, continuous development is what we need. This conference will expose teachers on how to make their students think and solve problems, not just memorising information. It focuses on high-order thinking in different subjects, which is the kind of human capital we need right now.
“The conference will also cover questioning skills; how to ask questions that encourage students to think on a deeper level.
“The conference is made possible with the support from corporate bodies, so I hope when Profes organises more of such event in the future, more people from the private sector will contribute in our quest to produce quality human capital,” she said.
The conference is open to local as well as international teachers from all disciplines and subjects. It is a platform for sharing knowledge and experiences for those in the teaching profession. Registration fee for local participants is RM250 and US$300 for international participants. The last day for registration and payment is Sept 23.
About 200 participants are expected to attend the two-day conference.
For more information, contact Dr Norsarihan Ahmad at 019-3603130 or Dr Hu Laey Nee at 019-8149386. Alternatively, email to [email protected] or visit the website at http://ice2016.ipgks.edu.my.