Laptop gifts and technology sharing sessions bring cheer to B40 students from Lighthouse Children Welfare Home 

Over the next three months (October, November & December 2022), 16 students from Lighthouse Children Welfare Home will benefit from the ‘Upskill The Next Gen Project’, thanks to a joint corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme to drive digital technology.

The initiative led by Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) and industry partners will provide B40 students with an end-to-end digital technology experience.

This includes providing each of them with a laptop, future-proofing skills, empathy and social development programme, and 1.5 hours of class every two weeks covering tech & computer skill sharing sessions, general IT introduction, cybersecurity awareness, IoT introduction, and IT and coding activities.

According to Project Spearhead’s Ts. Dr. Vinesha Selvarajah, the current situation has served as a wake-up call for Welfare Home to seriously consider putting in place digital technology knowledge that can continue to upskill schoolchildren even after the Covid-19 pandemic.

She added, “As a Premier Digital Tech Institution, APU makes it a top priority to share and upskill schoolchildren with the appropriate programmes so that they will be prepared for advanced digital technology in the future.

“We are honoured to be the pioneers of this CSR programme with our industry partners, as we believe digital technology will be able to address school needs, including preparing needy children to face future technological disruptions.”

Ms Zety Marlia Zainal Abidin, Project Lead, stated that among the fundamental technological improvements that every child should adopt are IT, cybersecurity, IoT and coding.

Beyond that, this project enables Lighthouse Children to gain the most up-to-date knowledge, allowing students to enjoy and explore new subjects and deepen their understanding of digital technology concepts, particularly through the use of technology inside and outside the classroom, and students can gain 21st century technical and computing skills required for future occupations.

Head School of Technology Assoc. Prof. Dr. Thang Ka Fei explained, “We are fully supportive of the CSR programme because we believe in making digital technology accessible to all Malaysian children. To some extent, Upskill The Next Gen Project could assist and entice the B40 group to participate in becoming proficient in the use of digital technology.

“In addition to fun learning activities, icebreaker activities will help to identify each and individual’s progress. We look forward to serving the marginalised community with a series of CSR activities,” he concluded.

The academic team comprising Ms Nik Nurul Ain Nik Suki, Ms Zety Marlia Zainal Abidin, Dr Kamalanathan Shanmugam, Ms Zaireeda Mohd Fauzee, Ms Hemalata Vasudavan, Dr. Kohila Malar Kalesamy, Ms Khurshid, Mr Muhamad Wafiq (tutor) and 21 students from School of Technology (SoT) also participated in this project.