Page 24 - Berita Sunway - Issue 74
P. 24

CSR
       Winning                                             Words                                                                     for  a                    Better Malaysia
















           S        wedish climate activist Greta  unberg   WHEN CRITICAL THINKING MEETS CREATIVE                                        FUELLING STUDENTS’ EDUCATION


                    was 15 years old when she skipped school
                                                          WRITING
                                                                                                                                                    Since its inception in 2014, the competition has received more than

                    to stage a climate protest outside the
                                                                                                                                                 19,000 entries to date.
                                                            Organised by Sunway Group, the Oxford & Cambridge Society

                    Swedish parliament in 2018. Sparking the
                                                                                                                                                    Celebrating its seventh anniversary last year, the Sunway-Oxbridge Essay

                                                          Malaysia, Jeffrey Cheah Foundation (JCF) and Sunway University with
                    international ‘Fridays for Future’ climate
                    strikes,  unberg was named TIME
                                                                                                                                                    Previously, there were two categories – for Form 1 to Form 3 students, and

                                                          youths to demonstrate their critical thinking and mastery of the
            magazine’s Person of the Year in 2019 for her global   support from Sunway Pals, the competition is the perfect avenue for           Competition introduced a new category for school teachers’ essay submissions.   “Under the Education pillar,
                                                                                                                                                    Form 4 to Form 5 students respectively.
            impact in raising awareness about climate change.  English language to critically dissect current affairs.                                      e competition is open to all Malaysian secondary school   we strive towards advancing the
              Fifteen years old was also a life-changing age for      With topics ranging  from  climate change  and online                              students  and teachers,  except  for  those  using  the international   United Nations Sustainable
            Pakistani Malala Yousafzai, who survived an   learning to inspire future aspirations of the country, the                                       school syllabus.                                     Development Goal 4 of ‘Quality
            assassination attempt by the Taliban in 2012 for   Sunway-Oxbridge Essay Competition – endorsed by                                                  Competition winners receive cash prizes and Sunway
            advocating the rights of girls to be educated.   the Malaysian Ministry of Education (MOE) –                                                      bursaries, giving the students a leg up for further education.   Education’. At Sunway, we are
               e activist went on to establish the charity, Malala   continues to inspire and challenge youths to think                                         e competition even prevailed amidst the onslaught of a   deeply committed to the UN-SDGs
            Fund, and is the youngest person ever to receive the   outside the box.                                                                             pandemic, with a slightly modified structure.     towards enriching the lives of
            Nobel Peace Prize.                                e judging panel comprises the Oxford &                                                                   is is in line with Sunway’s corporate responsibility   communities that we serve.”
              As teenagers,  unberg and Malala made their   Cambridge Society Malaysia and English                                                                under its #SunwayforGood initiative consisting of
            voices heard, demonstrating the importance of youths   teachers from MOE.                                                                              three key pillars – education, healthcare, and
            as a force for good, and how harnessing their thoughts      Winning entries are based on originality                                                   community enrichment.                       Tan Sri Datuk Seri Razman M. Hashim
            can be a powerful catalyst for change.        and flair, adherence to academic writing                                                                                                              Deputy executive chairman of Sunway Group
              Giving voice to young Malaysians to discuss the   standards and competent use of English as
            world’s current issues is the Sunway-Oxbridge Essay   a written language, which includes proper
            Competition, the annual nationwide essay-writing   spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
            competition for local secondary school students.   e   Sunway-Oxbridge  Essay
                                                          Competition is one of Sunway’s CSR
                                                          initiatives in collaboration with the JCF
                                                          and part of the Sunway English Language
                                                          Development  Programme  that  was
                                                          introduced to address the challenges of
                                                          learning English in the national school
                                                          curriculum and to improve English-speaking
                                                          proficiency.
                                                             Other initiatives under the Sunway English
                                                          Language Development Programme include the
                                                          annual English Tutorial Programme and the English
                                                          Public Speaking Competition.
                                                             Sunway Education Group’s CEO Professor Dr. Elizabeth
                                                          Lee said that the competition is a great opportunity for students to
                                                          refine their command of the English language, develop values as well as the
                                                          soft skills necessary for better career prospects.


                                                             “ e soft skills include critical thinking,
                                                                creativity, emotional intelligence,
                                                               complex problem solving, as well as
                                                                judgement and decision-making.”

                                                                     Professor Dr. Elizabeth Lee
                                                                   CEO of Sunway Education Group

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