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Global Citizenship Education Cooperation Centre  |  Main Campus

GCC@USM Director Welcoming Speech

Associate Professor Dr. Rohizani Binti Yaakub
Director of Global Citizenship Cooperation Centre @ Universiti Sains Malaysia

Assalamualaikum and a very good morning/afternoon to all.

Mr. Lim Hyun Mook, Director, Asia Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding, Seoul Korea & Professor Dr. Hairul Nizam Ismail, Dean School of Educational Studies

Let me begin my speech with a story. A very heartwarming story.

I began my “relationship” with Citizenship Education in the year 2003 when our former Dean nominated me as a delegate representing USM to a three weeks study trip to the Center of Civic Education in Calabasas California. Apart from attending lectures, we were given the opportunity to visit the Capitol and meet with the house representatives and learned about the government. During that period, we were trained to be trainers for Project Citizen, a flagship of the center. As a certified trainer, Project Citizen has kept me busy conducting training for teachers in Indonesia, Thailand, Pakistan, and of course all over Malaysia under the Malaysian Citizenship Initiative, based in USM. 

In 2006, I was invited by the Center for Civic Education USA to learn more about civic education in a one-month course conducted at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles. It was a tough program that sometimes I felt like I was doing my second phd. We had to read a lot of books and do a lot of discussion and critical thinking. Nonetheless, it further enhanced my knowledge and understanding about Civic and Citizenship Education.

My introduction to Global Citizenship Education happened, during my stay in London when I was on sabbatical in 2006. I enrolled in a one-day workshop organized by OXFAM. It was not intentional as I only walked-in into their office to learn more about OXFAM activities. 

 Fast forward, me and my team had conducted a research on Civic and Citizenship  Education and it has brought us to Bangkok in 2009 for a seminar organized by UNESCO. That was where my colleague Norlida and I met Ms Jeongmin Eom and Anna from APCEIU who happened to be there as well. That was the first time we heard about the Asia Pacific Center of Education for International Understanding. We learned about activities and opportunities that APCEIU has to offer. 

Fast forward, I applied and was selected to attend the Asia Pacific Training Workshop in APCEIU in September 2009. Our working relationship was further strengthened when USM and APCEIU signed an MOU in 2010.  Since then, APCEIU has always offers various opportunities for me and our academics to explore EIU. 

Well… the rest are history and today, our relationship is reaffirmed with this collaboration. For the second time, USM and APCEIU have signed the MOU to establish a Global Citizenship Education Co-operation Centre at USM. 

Ladies and gentlemen,

On behalf of USM, the associates and staffs, I would like to extend our gratitude and appreciation to APCEIU for trusting us at USM to run a Global Citizenship Center @ USM which, in future,  will be a hub for promoting GCED based on the contexts and needs of Southeast Asian countries. The establishment of  GCC in the region is timely as it is in line with the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), which recommends GCED to be incorporated in its ‘Seven Priority Agenda 2015-2035’. 

GCED has rapidly emerged as a priority education agenda in Southeast Asian countries. The need for GCED has been further heightened due to widespread discrimination, stigma and disinfodemic since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

GCC@USM has identified nine main activities that we will be actively running. It includes Thinking GCED, Talking GCED, Sharing GCED, Working GCED, Cataloguing GCED, Adopting GCED, Spreading GCED, Researching GCED, and Celebrating GCED. 

Ladies and gentlemen,

We have been very busy these past few weeks with meetings and discussions on how to determine GCC@USM’s direction for the next five years. It may sound a long time but believe me, when we are busy doing things that we love and have passion in, time will fly unnoticed! 

We have proven this in the last several weeks, we have successfully conducted a series of workshops including a refresher course for us to refresh and realign our thinking and expertise to fit into the GCED framework. Apart from that, we have conducted three online workshops for preservice teachers and one in-service teacher training workshop in a nearby hotel. We managed to developed learning videos on GCED, which will be uploaded to the website soon. 

Ladies and gentlemen, 

May I take this opportunity to reaffirm our commitment that GCC@USM will work hard in happy mood to lead in the practice and spread of GCED locally and regionally by focusing on expanding customized teacher training, improving teacher professionalism, and stimulating GCED cooperation. We strongly believe that we could achieve anything when we work together. So let us join our hands together, and make this GCC@USM a success. I believe we have many school headmasters with us here today and we welcome any suggestions and collaborations. 

Finally, once again, thank you APCEIU. Thank you everyone.

School of Educational Studies Dean's Speech

Professor Dr. Hairul Nizam Bin Ismail
DeanSchool of Educational Studies

Assalamualaikum and a very good morning.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am delighted to be here with you today on the occasion of the official launching ceremony of the Global Citizenship Education Co-operation Centre at Universiti Sains Malaysia (GCC-USM) initiated and sponsored by Asia Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCIEU), Seoul Korea.

I would first like to thank Professor Dato' Dr. Faisal Rafiq Mahamd Adikan Vice Chancellor Universiti Sains Malaysia for your willingness to officiate the Global Citizenship Education Cooperation Center at Universiti Sains Malaysia (GCC-USM) and the support provided by the top management of the university in establishing this centre.

I would also like to commend the presence of Mr. Lim Hyun Mook, Director, Asia Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding, Seoul Korea, staff of APCIEU, guests of honor, academic and non academic staff of School of Educational Studies, USM, teachers and students to this ceremony. On behalf of the SES, we greatly honour this opportunity and the trust that APCEIU has given SES in appointing us to set up and fully funding the GCC@USM to become its regional hub for Global Citizenship Education (GCED) in Malaysia.

My heartfelt congratulations also go to the Committee Members of GCC@USM headed by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rohizani Yaakub who has worked hard to establish GCC@USM within two months. It is interesting to note that most of the committee members of GCC@USM are APCIEU Alumni who attended the Asia-Pacific Training Workshop on Education for International Understanding program in Seoul, South Korea. Thus I personally believe that his committee will continue in its efforts to make this centre a success as a regional hub for Global Citizenship Education (GCED) in Malaysia.

Finally, I would like to thank all our national partners, such as Universiti Putra Malaysia, Institutes of Teacher Education,  Penang and Kedah State Education Departments who have shown good cooperation in the success of the programs organized by GCC@USM. I fully support the GCC@USM program set up by APCIEU which will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the Global Citizenship Education of our youths in Malaysia in particular and in Southeast Asia in general.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to conclude by again thanking the APCIEU Korea for this great initiative. I encourage all parties involved with education to continue to support us to make GCC@USM an excellent hub in disseminating GCED is this region. This will give birth to individuals who are global citizens who would wisely manage the future of our Earth.

Thank you.

USM Vice Chancellor's Speech

Professor Dato' Dr. Faisal Rafiq Bin Mahamd Adikan

Vice Chancellor, Universiti Sains Malaysia

Assalamualaikum and a very good morning to all. Mr Lim Hyun Mook, Asia Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding, Seoul Korea, Professor dr. Hairul Nizam Ismail, Dean School of Educational Studies & Associate Professor Dr. Rohizani Yaakub, Director of GCC@USM.

First and foremost, I am honoured to be given the opportunity to be involved in the launching of the Global Citizenship Education Co-operation Centre at Universiti Sains Malaysia (GCC@USM). On behalf of the University, we greatly honour this opportunity and the trust that APCEIU has given in appointing us to become its regional hub for Global Citizenship Education (GCED) in Malaysia.

USM is one of Malaysia’s leading university situated in one of the UNESCO World Heritage Site (since 2008), in the state of Penang. Being one of the oldest and prestigious universities in South East Asia, we have a total of 21 research, institutes, centres and units that focus on various fields and studies. All the activities carried out by these research institutes provide multifaceted learning experience for students, staffs and all the university community members at-large. USM also has 17 service centres to facilitate various learning activities. The establishment of GCC@USM is timely as it can work hand-in-hand with other research institutes and service centres on campus.

USM is aware that UNESCO has been promoting Global Citizenship Education since the launch of the UN Secretary-General’s Global Education First Initiative (GEFI) in 2012, and fostering global citizenship is one of its priorities. Since 2012, there is a growing interest in global citizenship which resulted in increased attention in the global dimension in citizenship education as well. Global citizenship education has various implications in policy, curricula, teaching and learning and as such it should be emphasized throughout the education system involving policy, curriculum, teacher education, student assessment, and etc.

I believe the MOU that USM and APCEIU have signed is a proof of our seriousness in upholding the UNESCO agenda in promoting Global Citizenship Education. With GCC@USM placed under the rightful wing of the School of Educational Studies, I am confident that it is very fitting as the school trains the teachers of tomorrow. USM strongly believes that the exposure given to the participating teachers at the international level will equip them with the necessary education skills to infuse their new knowledge into different local social settings. When teachers see things in the broader perspective, it will spearhead their way of thinking and enhance their engagement with the society. Programs such as Global Citizenship Education is a valuable catalyst in propelling education professionals in becoming borderless. This way, teachers and educators are not only exposed to their local teaching environment instead they are made aware of the ups and downs of teachings in other parts of the world.

Hence, with open arms, we welcome the collaboration with APCEIU in setting up the Global Citizenship Education Co-operation Centre (GCC@USM) here in USM and with Bismillahirrahmanirrahim, I hereby officially launch the GCC@USM Centre! Thank you.

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