Page 21 - Berita Sunway - Issue 74

I t goes without saying that education is close to Sunway’s Democratising HARNESSING PARTNERSHIPS FOR WORLD CLASS EDUCATION CSR

founder and chairman Tan Sri Dr. Jeffrey Cheah’s heart.
Having established JCF, which was modelled after Harvard University’s founder John Harvard’s
Having witnessed how poverty deprived his friends of
educational opportunities during his childhood, Cheah made it endowment more than 400 years ago, Cheah’s long-term ambition is to make Sunway University ‘the
to convince Cheah to list Sunway Education for All In the spirit of cross-collaboration and
Harvard or Cambridge of the East’.
his goal to make quality education

accessible to everyone irrespective of
lifelong learning, Sunway has forged partnerships
their background.
with top universities such as Cambridge and

When Sunway’s first educational
Oxford in the UK, and Harvard as well as
institution, Sunway College, began
University California, Berkeley, and the
making profit, investment bankers tried
the US.
Education Group (SEG) – the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in
Scholarships and grants such as the Jeffrey

education arm of Sunway – on Bursa Malaysia, as they had Cheah Travel Grant, the Jeffrey Cheah Visiting
estimated a public listing worth several billion ringgit then. Professorship, the Jeffrey Cheah Professorship
Instead of pursuing profits, Cheah took the high road, staying Funds for Southeast Asia Studies, and the Jeffrey
true to his conviction that education should be a not-for-profit Cheah Professorial Fellowships offer Malaysians
initiative. the opportunity to learn from the brightest
He started the Sunway Education Trust Fund in 1997. minds in the world’s leading universities.
Cheah transferred his equity and personal shares to SEG, e appointments of the Jeffrey Cheah
estimated to be worth several billion Ringgit by bankers, to distinguished professors, for instance, allow
establish the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation (JCF) in 2010. Over the eminent scholars and experts to share their
past decade, JCF has bridged the gap for thousands of students, knowledge and expertise with Malaysian
disbursing more than RM570 million worth of scholarships and academics, students, and the public.
grants to students nationwide. e Jeffrey Cheah Travel Grant enables
Cheah’s aspiration to democratise education for two-way flow of scholars and researchers between
all resonates with the United Nations Sustainable Harvard University and SEG, strengthening
Development Goal (UN-SDG) 4 to ensure Malaysia as a centre for educational and research
inclusive and equitable quality education, and excellence in the study of Southeast Asia.
promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. In 2016, the Jeffrey Sachs Center on
Sustainable Development was established at
Sunway University, borne out of a US$10
million gift from JCF to the UN Sustainable
Development Solutions Network (UN-SDSN).
e centre serves as the regional centre of
excellence to advance the UN-SDGs through
education, training, research, and policy
BRIDGING EDUCATION INEQUALITY advisory. In 2021, JCF pledged another US$10
Education inequity took on a new form in Malaysia mil to establish the Asia headquarters of the
during the pandemic, as online learning became the norm. UN-SDSN at Sunway University. is is one
Unable to afford digital devices and internet subscription packages, of three global centres, based at Sunway City
more than a third of the 900,000 students surveyed by Malaysia’s Ministry Kuala Lumpur, along with New York City
of Education lacked digital devices to access online classes in 2020. and Paris to coordinate continent-wide
In response, Sunway sponsored seven laptops and one year’s free sustainability initiatives.
WIFI for 230 children in orphanages in Perak during the CNY Cheer Ultimately, sustainable development is the
programme in 2021. end goal of Sunway’s CSR efforts.
e sponsorship was part of the Sunway L.I.N.E (Learn. Innovate. In conjunction with the 10th anniversary of
Nurture. Evolve.) initiative, which aims to create learning opportunities for RAISING THE BAR OF EDUCATION Recognising that quality education goes the JCF in 2020, Cheah announced JCF’s plans
children in the B40 communities by equipping them with computer access Established in 2014, Sunway-Oxbridge is beyond academics, the Sunway SILK to launch an endowment fund with a target
and computer literacy training. Sunway also promotes literacy through Sunway READ (Reading one of JCF’s annual community CSR (Seeding Inspiration and Leadership via of more than RM1 billion, to enable the
Another of Sunway’s key CSR initiatives is the annual Sunway GOLD Enhances Aspiration and Drive), where the company pledges to build and initiatives and part of the Sunway English Knowledge) urban farming initiative was foundation to expand its contributions towards
Job Training Programme, organised in partnership with social enterprise refurbish 50 libraries by 2024. Language Development Programme that was introduced in SMK Bandar Sunway in 2019. nation-building through initiatives in quality
GOLD (Generating Opportunities for Learning Disabilities) and SMK In 2020, Sunway collaborated with local NGO Friends to Mankind introduced to address the challenges of learning Sunway SILK equips academically education, world-class research, and sustainable
Bandar Sunway. and community group MyPJ to launch a community library at the Desa English in the national school curriculum and low-performing students with leadership, development in perpetuity.
e job placement and social inclusion programme provides hands-on Mentari apartments in Sunway City Kuala Lumpur. Catering to the B40 improve English-speaking proficiency. entrepreneurial and technical skills to explore “Personally, what I want is to build a
prevocational and life skills training to students from the B40 community, community, the initiative also involved Sunway donating RM10,000 and Jointly organised by Sunway, the Oxford & agriculture as a sustainable career option; it sustainable future for the next generation to
as well as students with learning disabilities from SMK Bandar Sunway. more than 2,000 books from Sunwayians nationwide. Cambridge Society Malaysia, JCF, and Sunway also provides Sunway volunteers the continue to excel and contribute to a progressive
Since 2016, 80% out of the 151 trained graduates have been Meanwhile, Sunway’s Back-to-School Programme ensures B40 University, the competition grants winners cash opportunity to engage with the local and prosperous society. Entrepreneurship,
employed. [For more on the Sunway GOLD Job Training Programme, students are equipped with schooling necessities so that they are well prizes and Sunway bursaries, to encourage the community in a meaningful manner. [See quality education, philanthropy and
turn to page 34] prepared to learn in the new academic year. development of critical thinking skills and give Page 20 to find out more about Sunway sustainability are the avenues towards reaching
students a leg up in pursuing tertiary education. SILK] my goal,” said Cheah.

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