JELI, KELANTAN, 27 APRIL: Some 300 local students who are the participants of empower ECER Academic Skills Training were kept enthralled at a motivation session called “Ignite the Power of Mind” conducted by Malaysia’s own Mathematics genius, the 14-year old Adi Putra, here.
The child prodigy, whom BBC called the World’s Cleverest Child, is one of many towering Malaysians whom the East Coast Economic Region Development Council (ECERDC) has brought for the purpose of inspiring empower ECER participants who are from rural communities in ECER.
The child prodigy, whom BBC called the World’s Cleverest Child, is one of many towering Malaysians whom the East Coast Economic Region Development Council (ECERDC) has brought for the purpose of inspiring empower ECER participants who are from rural communities in ECER.
Minister of International Trade and Industry, YB Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed who is also the Barisan National candidate for Parliament in Jeli, officially launched the programme today.
The motivation session was attended by 300 students from nine schools in Jeli, comprising SK Kuala Balah, SK Jeli 1, SK Gual Jedok, SMK Kuala Balah, SMK Ayer Lanas, SMK Bukit Bunga, SMK Jeli, SMK Batu Melintang and SMK Batu Gajah.
The participants’ parents were also present at the event, as part of ECERDC’s effort to engage them in their children’s learning process.
“We firmly believe that students learn best from example. And there is no better role model than someone your own age. At just 14 years’ old, Adi Putra is a well-known Mathematics genius. What makes him unique is that Adi is a well-spoken and personable young teenager with a passion to share his mental and creative talents with others, especially those his age. He teaches them to exceed expectations by tapping into the power of the mind,” said ECERDC Chief Executive Officer, Dato’ Jebasingam Issace John.
“The presence of parents alongside their children is deliberate. We believe the children need the support and encouragement of their parents to perform well. Hence, we hope this session will reinforce the notion that parents are pillars of support and guidance for children to realise their dreams,” he added.
Adi Putra, who has been interviewed by international and local media such as BBC, Al Jazeera and Xin Hua, shared his life experiences and unique learning techniques with empower ECER participants and their parents. It was motivating and meaningful, and the students were delighted with the chance to meet him face-to-face and hear the first-hand accounts of this gifted child.
empower ECER is a twin-pronged human capital development initiative of ECERDC that focuses on Academic Skills Training for examination-year students and Skills and Entrepreneurship Training for adults in the ECER. Human capital development is vital in supporting the rapid transformation of ECER’s economy and in this context, empower ECER targets academically weak students from disadvantaged backgrounds, while its adult reach is the unemployed or underemployed, single mothers, those in low-paying jobs and aspiring entrepreneurs. empower ECER aims to improve the academic performance of students and empower the adults with marketable skills which allows them to have better employment and business prospects.
First launched in Bentong in 2010, empower ECER is currently being implemented in nine ECER districts namely, Bentong, Temerloh, Raub, Cameron Highland, Lipis, Kuala Pahang in Pahang; Bachok and Jeli in Kelantan; and Kemaman in Terengganu. As at end-2012, a total of 11,426 participants, comprising 6,776 students and 4,650 adults have benefitted from the empower ECER programme.