Live & Learn

Since their launch in 2012, the Teach For Malaysia movement has impacted more than 92,000 students in over 120 schools, across 10 states in Malaysia. We speak to Chan Soon Seng, Teach For Malaysia's Programme Director, and Mohammad Shahril, a former student and student leader under the programme, about their own journeys with Teach For Malaysia, and the future direction of the movement.

Ron Choong first joined us to discuss his investigations into the evolution of religious beliefs along the Old Silk Road, and then to discuss his return from the city of Baalbek in Lebanon, which is said to be one of the most celebrated sanctuaries of the ancient world. This time, Ron, an Independent Interdisciplinary Investigator from the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research joins us to share more about his recent trip to Iraq, where he was part of the archaeological team excavating an Assyrian palace near the Israel-Syria border.

In today's episode of our fortnightly series, we will be looking at how best to choose a new school for our kids. There are so many options out there, but how do we sift through the gloss to get the real deal? Joining us to discuss this and more is Helen Prior, a contributor with Happy Go KL.

From the discrimination faced by LGBTQ community and the temple issue in Subang Jaya to Dr Mahathir’s promise that Malaysia will ratify all UN human rights conventions and the proposed anti-ICERD rally this weekend, human rights has been front and centre of the Pakatan Harapan government since it came to power. In the lead up to Human Rights Day on December 10th, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia, or SUHAKAM, is celebrating with an event this Saturday. Suhakam commissioner Dato Mah Weng Kwai discusses human rights under a new administration and what to expect at the event on December 8th, which the prime minister will officiate.

On this episode, hosts Ahmad Fuad Rahmat and Vizla Kumaresan, together with writer Samuel Lim discuss the Tik Tok app - a short-form-video social media app, which has been downloaded about 800 million times worldwide. Said to defy easy categorization, it has even pushed Facebook and Tencent to release copycat versions, mostly targeted at teens. We find out more about this app that's taking over the social media market.

As we head towards the new year, it’s an opportune time to reflect on how we spend our time. Christopher Choong recently co-wrote an article about how we organize our work and free time, and its impact on our wellbeing. It’s titled “It’s Time to Think about Time.” Christopher is the Deputy Director of Research at Khazanah Research Institute.

Lily Yulianti Farid is one of those multi-hyphenated souls - she is a writer, media, communication and gender & development specialist, researcher, trainer and translator, among others. She has a doctorate in Gender Studies from the University of Melbourne, and is also the founder/director of the Makassar International Writers Festival in Indonesia, and the co-founder of Indonesia’s first citizen journalism website. She has also published collections of short stories that explore issues of gender in Indonesia, in particular the role of women in traditional Bugis societies. She joins us to share more about her work.

OrphanCare Foundation advocates and works to give unplanned newborn babies whose lives are at risk, and children who are in institutions, the opportunity to grow up in the care of a loving family. Celebrating their 10th anniversary this year, we catch up OrphanCare Foundation's Noraini Hashim, who is on the Board of Trustees and Yuzila Yusof, the Chief Operating Officer.

Michael Fitzpatrick, an expert and proponent of nuclear energy, explains why he thinks Malaysia should reconsider its stance against nuclear. We discuss issues of safety, nuclear waste disposal, and lessons learned after the Fukushima nuclear incident. He is the Pro-Vice-Chancellor at Coventry University.

Eric Paulsen is the co-author of “5 Faces: A Story of Police Custodial Deaths in Malaysia,” a report on five individuals who died in custody, the authorities’ role in these deaths and the victims’ families quest for justice.