Live & Learn

Malaysia has one of the largest refugee populations in Southeast Asia and among them, are children who are often deprived of a formal education - this is the same for those who are stateless and undocumented as well. But one organization that is looking to help these group of children overcome that is IDEAS Academy. Sally Hirsch, the General Manager of IDEAS Academy along with Metilda Stellus, a senior teacher, is here to tell us more about what they do and how they are using education to empower these children to have a voice.

It’s the 9th episode of the Law & Behold series, which is aimed at improving constitutional literacy among Malaysians, and done in collaboration with The Malaysian Bar and the University of Malaya's Faculty of Law. On today’s show, we’ll be discussing the right to health and also whether there is a place for economic, social and cultural rights.

It has been more than a year since the Pakatan Harapan government came into power. As it currently stands, Malaysia is still one of the few nations that have yet to ratify the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT). We revisit Pakatan’s promise to ratify this convention and what are some of the recent developments that have taken place since.

Did you know that three out of five listeners today will contact us with feedback on our programmes? Actually that’s a lie, although we really would love to hear more from our listeners! The real truth lies in the attention-grabbing quality of statistics. Quoting statistics makes you sound more credible, like you’ve done your research. But the actual field of statistics is much more than bandying numbers around; the data collection and analysis results in complex models that are used in determining how the world around us works. We speak to Dato Sri Uzir Mahidin, Chief Statistician Malaysia about the relevance of statistics in our daily lives.

There have been many suggestions thrown about on ways we can reform and improve our education system. But are these the changes we need? Is the Malaysian Education Blueprint an effective method for progression? On today’s show, we try and get some answers for those questions from Elmarié Potgieter, founder and managing director of RITE Education.

Law & Behold is a series aimed at improving constitutional literacy among Malaysians, done in collaboration with The Malaysian Bar and the University of Malaya's Faculty of Law. On this episode, we’ll be discussing the right to vote in light of proposed changes to lower the voting age, and what this could mean for our democracy. We’ll be speaking to Firdaus Husni, the Chief Human Rights Strategist at the Malaysian Centre for Constitutionalism and Human Rights, and Hang Ying Shuang, director of the UM Consti team, to find out more.

Bukit Gasing State Assemblyman Rajiv Rishyakaran is back for his monthly show, and we are set to discuss renewable energy.

Malaysia is expected to become an ageing nation in just a few decades. But how prepared are we to meet the needs of our ageing population? And what can research do to inform policy makers? On today’s show, we look at the development of the field of gerontology and the role it plays in bridging the gaps in policy, research and practice.

Afeefa Syeed is a cultural anthropologist with a focus on grassroots development, with a special interest in youth and women. She has worked for over 20 years with various international and grassroots NGOs and international development agencies. Afeefa is currently in Malaysia to give a series of talks on parenting and education. On today’s show, she shares her thoughts on her advocacy work involving the youth and women, and the role of religion in development.

Law & Behold is a series aimed at improving constitutional literacy among Malaysians, done in collaboration with The Malaysian Bar and the University of Malaya's Faculty of Law. Our seventh episode will be discussing the role of the prime minister under the Federal Constitution. We’ll be speaking to Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi, professor of constitutional law at the University of Malaya, and Lim Wei Jiet, deputy chair of the Bar Council’s Constitutional Law Committee, to dive into the responsibilities and powers that come with the role.