9th August 2007 - SEGi Group of Colleges, in recognition of the importance of early childhood educators, has dedicated a special day to appreciate early childhood professionals from across Malaysia.

“The importance of early childhood care and education is widely acknowledged around the world. Hence, every year we dedicate one special day to celebrate the contributions of early childhood professionals who in actuality play a major role in shaping our children in their early years. We owe them our fullest respect and appreciation for their devotion in providing excellent quality service to millions of children and their families,” said Lydia Foong, Dean of the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences (FOESS) at SEGi College Subang Jaya.

The FOESS first began celebrating early childhood professionals in 2005, with structured events and full day activities tailored to the need and requirements of the participants.

Among speakers who gave their insights during the celebration were Puspa Sivan, World Bank Consultant on early childhood care and education, who explored the importance of the linkage between personal development and professional development.

Also present was distinguished guest, Dr Alvin Ng, a senior lecturer in clinical psychology at the Health Psychology Unit and the Coordinator of the Master of Clinical Psychology Program, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. He also authored the book, Teaching Children Handling Study Stress (TC Publishing, 2004). Dr. Ng shared his years of clinical expertise, guiding adults and children with psychological, behavioural and learning difficulties.
 
Dr Diana-Lea Baranovich, a classroom teacher, fine arts curriculum specialist and educational psychologist introduced the various advantages and methods of using expressive arts activities to promote creative expression in young children.  

Other than a series of talks, participants were featured with numerous workshops such as the ‘Sense’-sational Science by Petrosains, grooming classes, special musical performances, Video Presentation, Fun and Games plus an exhibition of early childhood products

“At FOESS, we salute early childhood professionals as they work hard to provide quality education and care for young children and their families across the nation. Our celebration on 18 August 2007 was a special dedication, a way to focus public attention on the needs of young children and to recognize quality early childhood programmes,” said Foong.

Broadly defined, early childhood education is a multidisciplinary field of study within education that embraces the challenges of complexity, diversity, and multiple perspectives, historically and contemporarily. It is guided by research and theory from a number of research disciplines, including educational psychology, neuro biology, childhood studies, as well as history, culture and philosophy.

Early childhood education is conducted in many different settings, represented in many forms, and serves diverse populations. It is aimed to enhance children’s developmental outcome through the integration of best knowledge and practices.

The philosophy of early childhood education is largely a child-centred education, which spans the human life from birth to the age of 8. Among the most significant pioneers of early childhood during the 18th and 19th century were Johann Comenius, Friedrich Wilhelm August Froebel, John Dewey, Jean Piaget and Maria Montessori who founded an array of educational philosophies which formed the early childhood education system implemented today.

“SEGi’s FOESS have produced over a thousand graduates who are serving the children in our country. We offer the Diploma in Early Childhood Education (DECE) and the International Diploma in Montessori Pedagogy, partnering with Montessori Centre International,” said Foong.

Upon completion of the Diploma, students have the option to articulate into the Bachelor of Early Childhood Degree from the University of Southern Queensland, Australia. Graduates may also enrol as offshore candidates of the University for the Master of Education programme.

The Faculty is always looking for methods of improving the quality of programmes for young children. FOESS aims to produce highly-qualified educators who are proficient and caring, in line with the government’s aspiration for upgrading the education profession.

SEGi College is the largest private education provider in Malaysia. With a network of campuses in 6 major towns and cities in the country, the college has a total of 14,500 students. SEGi also own St Nicholas Montessori Centre for children aged 2½ to 6, located at Bandar Utama, Subang USJ, Klang, Malacca and Penang.

The next intake for DECE is 17th October 2007 and International Diploma in Montessori Pedagogy is on 24th October 2007. To find out more about FOESS programmes, please call our Colleges located at SEGi College, Malaysia (03-61451777) and Subang Jaya (03-86001888), email to askme@segi.edu.my or log on to www.segi.edu.my