Reported by:
Zhang Xi Yue JR1Z(6)

     On the 31st of July 2021, Kuen Cheng High School Counselling Department organised a talk by Ir Professor Dr Ewe Hong Tat, President of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR). Target audience was parents of Senior Middle students. It was concerned about the children’s future.

     Before starting, Prof Ewe made sure all the parents knew how to use the Zoom features. First, he talked about the technological revolution and how the evolution of human society affects education. He told us what he thought was key for a brighter and happier future, which was self motivation. As intelligence becomes more critical, being motivated to learn also becomes increasingly important. 

     After that, Prof Ewe showed the growth mindset pyramid. The base of the pyramid represents the least essential data, which is just something we all know. Then comes information which is like knowing the speed of a car is x km/h. The middle of the pyramid indicates knowledge where a lot of information is put together, knowing that you don’t have enough fuel. On the second-highest level of the pyramid is intelligence, which means analysing the knowledge we have. For example, the sky appears grey, thus it might rain, and it is not safe to drive on the highway. Last but not least, on the highest level of the pyramid is wisdom which is similar to slowing down due to a speed limit. It is like knowing right from wrong, as described by Prof Ewe.

     Prof Ewe believed that having the right attitude and being knowledgeable is crucial in the fourth industrial revolution(Industry 4.0). He showed us the continuous innovation of Silicon Valley and its ups and downs. This shows that not everything went smoothly from the beginning. 

     Then, our guest speaker talked about the growth mindset and fixed mindset. What are they exactly? A person with a fixed mindset thinks qualities like intelligence and talents cannot be altered, while a person with a growth mindset believes that there will be positive outcomes through hard work. Besides, a person with a fixed mindset will ignore negative feedback and find the success of others threatening. In contrast, a person with a growth mindset will embrace criticism and find inspiration in the success of others. It is also crucial to develop an understanding and kind personality. 

     As a famous lecturer once said, “We treat education like industrial manufacturing when in reality, it is closer to organic farming.” Prof Ewe told us developing emotional intelligence, a creative mind, and an interest in learning are important as well as meaningful to each of us. 

     Prof Ewe continued that creativity and knowledge are equally important because none of them is as good without the other. He also said that he thinks the next wave of technology and the digital economy will improve our lives. However, he believed that AI would likely hack our brains. This is because AI understands us more than we know ourselves. An example of this is the YouTube website. By analysing videos watched frequently, the website gave recommendations that will pique one’s interest to watch more, which leads to longer screen time. It will also make us forget there are other contents beyond the ones suggested.

     Later on, Prof Ewe told us the challenges of education in the 21st century which include preparing students for jobs that have not existed, technologies that have not yet been invented, problems that are beyond what we know.

     Prof Ewe then mentioned the importance of a college education. The purpose of further higher education on how to communicate, think, and develop the right attitude. “The skills needed for the future are adaptability, the keenness to keep learning, mental balance and emotional intelligence,” he quoted from writer Yuval Noah Harari. 

     Universities today are looking for students with the following qualities:

  1. Good academic performance

  2. Active participation in extracurricular activities

  3. Positive attitude

  4. Outstanding overall performance

  5. Self-disciplined 

  6. Has good foundation in learning

     Next, Prof Ewe told us about the higher thinking order. It consists of remembering, understanding, applying, analysing, evaluating and creating. Then, he talked about the theory of multiple intelligences and compared the benefits of different types of intelligence.

     After that, he talked about the importance of different factors from the moment we graduate until the moment we retire. One of the things that slowly loses importance as we start working is the academic degree. As our academic degree slowly loses importance, the importance of work experience slowly increases. However, the factor that never loses its importance is always having the right attitude.

     Then, Prof Ewe told us how to develop skills and gain emotional intelligence. We can develop skills by imitation, manipulation, precision, articulation and naturalisation. For emotional intelligence, we can practice them by receiving, responding, valuing, organising and conceptualising and characterising by value.

     Shortly, he elaborated on what causes one to transform from being unmotivated to a motivated person. What causes someone to be very unmotivated: Lack of belief in one’s self. What causes someone to be very motivated: One’s urge to do something. He then told us the story of a few lecturers to motivate us. 

     Next, Prof Ewe explained about the lifelong benefits of reading and how to encourage one to read. He then told us the difference between important and urgent and how the power of good habit affects us. 

     While some people may think that talent is the key to success, that’s not completely true. We need both talent and effort to develop a skill, and we also need skill and effort to achieve something. There are two crucial skills we should have. Those two skills are adaptation to the changing environment and control over our inner self.

     Lastly, Prof Ewe advised us to stop getting distracted by our own thoughts and pay attention to life as a wandering mind is an unhappy mind and unhappiness blocks our road to happiness. Therefore, stay positive because happiness leads to success. “But what if I don’t know how to be happy?” That’s an excellent question. The secret to finding happiness is building good human relationships.

     The talk ended with a Q&A session at 12 pm. A heartfelt thanks to Prof Ewe for the kind advice, and the strong support from our parents.