Five Strategies to deal with skin problems due to Masking
Skin issues and other discomforts are not reasons not to wear a face mask nor follow the standard operating procedures. Ensuing this, Dr. Mariette D'Souza, Senior Associate Professor at the Dermatology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, AIMST University, has listed five strategies to deal with skin problems due to masking. Read more about it in a write-up featured in the 'Letters to the Editor' section of NST on 12 October 2021. Click HERE to read.
Strategies to survive in a turbulent World
Associate Professor Dr. Leela Anthony, Deputy Dean at the Faculty of Medicine AIMST University, has outlined four strategies for organisations to survive in today's turbulent world. The strategies will allow managers to keep up with new developments, ensuring sustainability and obtaining success. Read more on the strategies in a write-up titled 'Strategies to survive in a turbulent world.’ The write-up got featured in the columnist section of NST on 5 October 2021. Click HERE to read.
Four Strategies to Improve the Country’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)
Professor Datuk Dr. John Antony Xavier, the Vice-Chancellor & Chief Executive of AIMST University, has proposed four strategies to improve the country's Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). Through TVET, youths have the educational advantages to contribute to Malaysia's industrial success, especially in Industry 4.0. The enlightening article, 'Attitudes to TVET die hard in Malaysia', got featured in the columnist section of NST on 5 October 2021:
Attitudes to TVET Die Hard in Malaysia
Many developed countries owe their industrial triumph to their outstanding system of technical and vocational education and training, or TVET. In Germany and Switzerland, for example, TVET is considered equivalent, or even superior, to academic education. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a group of mostly rich countries, reported in 2017 that 59 per cent of 16 to 18 year olds did apprenticeships in Switzerland and 41 per cent in Germany. It is, therefore, timely, more so in the era of Industry 4.0, that we entice our youth to TVET. That way, we can give our youth the educational advantages to contribute to Malaysia's industrial success. For its part, the government has provided generous allocations for technical education under its five-year development plans. It established early this year the National TVET Council to coordinate the country's 1,300 public and private TVET institutions. While the institutional platform is massive, and opportunities enormous, attitudes die hard in Malaysia. The public still reveres universities as a route to gain societal esteem, employability and prosperity. TVET has long suffered from the misplaced disdain that it is more appropriate for those who are not good enough for university education. Nothing could be further from the truth. TVET is indispensable for reskilling and upskilling. It is a place for one to gain skills in entrepreneurship and Industry 4.0 technologies, such as AI (artificial intelligence) and automation, Internet-of-things, cloud-computing and analytics. And it will surely alleviate the state of digital readiness of our youth (aged 15 to 24) and reduce the 12 per cent unemployment among them. Only 22 per cent of our workforce has tertiary education. The rest has, at best, a secondary-school education. TVET offers the latter a chance to increase their salaries through enhancing their skills in construction, engineering, mechanics, and technology. In Germany, for example, technical and skilled workers earn as much as professionals. That should move society towards a "parity of esteem" between academic and vocational education. And it will further the government's agenda to raise the nation's competitiveness and wages while reducing the country's reliance on foreign labour. With more than 200,000 unemployed graduates, the wage premium for university education has dampened. This augurs well for TVET even as the demand for skills grows stronger. How can technical education be improved? Here are four strategies. FIRST, to equip students with marketable skills, TVET curriculums would require a vigorous shake-up to cover technical knowledge and behavioural skills. The skills taught should suit the requirements of the industry. Such an exercise should be developed with the industry. The Future of Jobs Report 2020 of the World Economic Forum highlights that workers would also need to be equipped with the soft skills of entrepreneurship, critical thinking, problem-solving and interpersonal skills. Even as the curriculums are revised, the qualifications of instructors should correspondingly be upgraded. SECOND, to cast off the ingrained bias against it, TVET should be better promoted to parents and students in schools. I remember, at school, I had had to do woodwork and other industrial-oriented work. A clear policy on employment would go a long way to reorient young minds, as well as those of parents, of the value of vocational education. THIRD, universities too should develop more competency-based courses where the curriculums integrate academic work with skills training for industries. They could also offer credit exemptions for their degree programmes to those with technical diplomas. That way, students will be assured that technical training can still help earn a university education. FOURTH, students of TVET should aim to become T-shaped workers. They should be specialised in one technical discipline while having a broader understanding of, and even better, being adept at other related skills. We must recognise that not every youth will be inclined to pursue a purely academic education. And if Malaysia wants to go long on skills as other advanced countries, then there should be no let-up on TVET whatever the mores of society.The Issues related to Licensing of older Drivers
The Head of Medicine Unit at AIMST University, Senior Professor Dr. Krishnan Rajam, has summarised the issues related to licensing of older drivers and request the concerned parties to come to a consensus before any major policy decision is taken. Read more about the matter in an article featured in the ‘Letters to the Editor’ section of NST on 1 October 2021. Click HERE to read.
5 Ways for Students to adjust to New norms in Campus
As universities reopen next month, we feel most for our students who have been confined to learning from home for the greater part of the last 18 months. Most have adjusted to that, but a certain amount of trepidation and anxiety may present itself for some. Dr. Saraswathi Bina Rai, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Medicine AIMST University, has developed five strategies for students to head back to campus for in-person classes safely. The article on ‘5 ways for students to adjust to new norms in campus’ got featured in the columnist section of NST on 30 September 2021. Click HERE to read
By Embracing tech, Health workers remain Relevant
The ubiquitous use of computer technologies in numerous sectors, such as the Internet of things, robotics, augmented and virtual reality, cloud computing and many more, has changed how we live and work. These technologies have created opportunities for sustainability and improvement in the health sector. Associate Professor Dr. Yu Chye Wah, Dean of Faculty of Allied Health Professions, AIMST University, has outlined five strategies to prepare healthcare workers to be more resilient against the onslaught of these disruptive technologies in an article titled ‘By embracing tech, health workers remain relevant’. The article got featured in the columnists section of NST on 20 September 2021. Click HERE to read.
Learning from Whitney Houston’s Song
'Learning from Whitney Houston's song' is an article by Associate Professor Dr. Saraswathi Bina Rai from the Faculty of Medicine AIMST University. According to her, climate change and global warming are not just words plucked out of thin air and thrown around to make one look erudite but instead are significant and require attention. In line with this, she had listed four strategies that can make a compoundable difference to protect the environment. The article got featured in the 'Letters to the Editor' column of NST on 20 September 2021. Click HERE to read.
Malaysia Producing Cholera Vaccine, Clinical trial by Year-End
Malaysia producing cholera vaccine, clinical trial by year-end: Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology (AIMST University) and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) will conduct clinical trials at the end of this year. Click HERE to read more on the development.
Coping with Covid-19 in the Endemic Phase
Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences and Chairman of AIMST University's Covid-19 Task Force, Senior Professor Ravichandran Manikam, has contributed an article titled 'Coping with Covid-19 in the endemic phase'. As the title implies, he has enlisted the benefits of the Covid-19 vaccination and strategies to ensure our health and mental wellbeing in the endemic phase in addition to vaccination. The article got featured in the columnists section of NST on 15 September 2021. Click HERE to read.
How will Varsities Survive another Tough Year
‘How will varsities survive another tough year?’ is an article by Professor Datuk Dr. John Antony Xavier, the Vice-Chancellor & Chief Executive of AIMST University. According to him, three waves have shaken up the staid higher education landscape: migration to online learning, the decline in revenues and the disruptive wave that shakes the purpose of the university to the core. Hence, universities must find ways to reinvent themselves as they are vulnerable to change. The timely article got featured in the columnist section of NST on 14 September 2021. Click HERE to read.
Colours and Emotions
Colours and emotions are closely related. They can make us feel happy, sad, hungry and relaxed, or even influence our thoughts, feelings and behaviours. Chromotherapy, or colour therapy, is the science of using colours to adjust body vibrations to frequencies that result in health and harmony. Read more about colours and their wonders in an article by Dr. Theingi Maung Maung, Associate Professor at the Community Medicine Unit of AIMST University. The article titled ‘The wonder of power in colour’ was featured in the ‘Letters to the Editor’ column of NST on 11 September 2021. Click HERE to read.
Covid-19 Pandemic and the Migration
The Covid-19 pandemic and the migration to online learning have given rise to emotional states such as anxiety, fear, frustration, and disappointment, impacting how students learn today. Associate Professor Dr. Leela Anthony, Deputy Dean for Research, Postgraduate & Administration at the Faculty of Medicine AIMST University, has outlined four strategies to create an emotionally safe environment for optimum learning. The write-up titled ‘How to Manage Students’ Emotion’ was featured in the ‘Letters to Editor’ column of NST on 6 September 2021. Click HERE to read.
