04/11/2025

TUESDAY | NOV 4, 2025

12

EDUCATION NEWS

Ű BY DHARSHINI GANESON

(from left), Datuk

T HE TARA Foundation has a mission, using education as a tool to uplift the B-40 com munities, by providing tui tion classes after school, at centres established for that purpose. In just six years since its founding of tuition centres in 2019, TARA has grown to 30 centres throughout Malaysia with an enrolment of around 2,529 students. Mainly from B-40 families, approximately 500 children are provided lunches on a daily basis. The founder and mentor, Datuk Pardip Kukreja believes arresting the dropout rate among the youth is the solution to achieving success in education and gaining admission to university. “The giving out of welfare aid temporarily provides relief to B-40 families, only education will uplift and provide a long term solution to poverty,” he said. Pardip also said the next step to providing tuition after classes was to set them up in locations that had large numbers of B-40 families and to utilise buildings such as temples, which had large spaces to conduct the classes. One such newly opened TARA centre is located at a temple at Taman Mewah Jaya, Sentosa, Klang. It held its opening ceremony last month and is known as the “Devi Sri Maha Kaligambal Alayam Gurukulum”. “These centres of learning known as “gurukulum” existed throughout India before the coming of the British. The children received their education from these places of learning but when the British arrived in India, they closed these places of learning and set up English based learning centres, which effectively removed the close relationship between the teacher and the student. “But today with the opening of this TARA tuition centre in Sentosa, Representing UTAR and Malaysia, Team OceanPulse showcased their invention titled Smart Marine Pollution Monitoring System with Integrated IoT and Edge AI , which integrates the internet of things (IoT) water-quality sensors with AI-powered trash detection. The solar-powered device measures water parameters such as temperature, pH, and turbidity while using machine vision to classify floating debris in real time. It is designed for scalability and low power consumption while the system offers an efficient, cost-effective solution for monitoring water pollution in rivers, lakes, and coastal regions. The IEEE Global Startup Competition organised by IEEE Entrepreneurship represents one of the world’s leading entrepreneurship platform which spotlights groundbreaking innovations, driving sustainability and environmental stewardship. This year’s challenge attracted 181

Mohandass Nair, (TARA board member), Dr Saktiveloo and Pardip (centre), who believes welfare aid only provides a temporary solution while a permanent

one lies in education.

Game changer for education

school tuition classes. He said: “In Malaysia our temples are one of the most under utilised community resources. Historically temples were not only places of worship but also centres of learning (the gurukulum model) where knowledge, ethics and life-skills were taught under the guidance of wise teachers (gurus). “Reviving this tradition means turning temples into living schools of values and skills. “By integrating early education, tuition support and vocational

learning within temple grounds, we can create safe, moral and inspiring spaces for children from all backgrounds, especially the B-40 group to learn, grow and thrive. “If we do not harness these sacred spaces for community education, we are wasting a powerful, accessible infrastructure network across Malaysia. “It is time to turn to the “gurukulum” spirit where temples can once again become the light of wisdom, compassion and empowerment for the poor.”

o Foundation provides a way out for B-40 families through education

Klang, it gives the students living in this area, the opportunity of free tuition classes after school, supervised by a full time tutor cum administrator, with volunteers as support staff,” added Pardip. Currently, the newly opened centre receives support from the Sentosa Specialist Hospital, Klang

and Dr SP Sakthiveloo, its founder said promoting education was important for the future of children. Dr R Siva Prakash, who cosponsors the TARA centre at Kuala Kubu Bahru since August 2025 feels it is a good move to utilise the space at temples, which are large, open spaces and offer a good backdrop for after

Outstanding global startup win UTAR student Team OceanPulse won second place at the prestigious IEEE Global Startup Competition 2025 (CleanTech Grand Challenge) at the IEEE Tech Summit 2025: “CleanTech Solutions” in Glasgow, Scotland. applications from over 40 economies, featuring two tracks, Ideation and Start-up, with only five finalist teams per track selected to pitch their ideas live before an international panel of judges.

team the second-place (first runner up) award, just behind Imperial College London. As part of their prize, the team received a partner ticket to attend the Web Summit 2025 in Lisbon, Portugal. Dr Hum said: “Winning second place among world-class teams is an incredible honour that validates our mission to engineer clean technology with real environmental impact. This recognition reinforces UTAR’s research direction in bridging artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and sustainability to address pressing environmental challenges. Our system demonstrates how AI and edge computing can revolutionise environmental monitoring through intelligent automation and data driven insights. ” Chan, who presented the project in Glasgow, said: “This competition provided a fantastic opportunity to showcase our team’s hard work on an international stage. “It was a rewarding experience that deepened my understanding of real world innovation challenges. “I am especially grateful to Dr Hum for his visionary guidance from the early conceptualization of the project, his technical expertise in integrating AI and IoT technologies, and his

Banking & Finance Chan, selected by Dr Hum to represent the team in Glasgow, impressed the judges with his clarity and technical insight, earning the The team comprised Assoc Prof Dr Hum Yan Chai, team leader and project manager, Chan Jing Yao, Chief Technical Engineer and final pitch presenter, Dr Wong Yi Jie, Voon Wingates and Tan Jing Jie from UTAR’s Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science (LKC FES), Department of Mechatronics and Biomedical Engineering. Being one of the selected top 5 semi-finalists in July, the team underwent a mentorship phase with global CleanTech experts and IEEE leaders from July to September 2025. The final pitch session, “Bright Sparks: IEEE CleanTech Finals” was moderated by Molly Wood, founder and CEO of Molly Wood Media and evaluated by a distinguished panel of IEEE leaders including Susana Lau, Prof Roxana Saint-Nom, Dr Subodha Charles, Prof Tariq Durrani and Assoc Prof Antonio Luque.

Dr Hum (left) and team member Chan showcase the prototype of the Smart Marine Pollution Monitoring System which won second prize in Glasgow, Scotland.

mentorship that sharpened my pitching and presentation skills. My heartfelt thanks also go to my teammates and family for their unwavering support throughout this journey. As part of their continuing recognition, Team OceanPulse plans

to attend the IEEE Web Summit 2025 in Lisbon, Portugal, to explore opportunities for further showcasing their innovation, marking another important step in their journey toward commercialisation and sustainable impact.

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