RECSAM

Infobox_Company
company_type = Corporation
company_name = SEAMEO RESCAM
company_
company_slogan = "Passion for Learning"
foundation = 1967
location = Penang, Malaysia
area_served = Educational services in:
Brunei
Cambodia
Indonesia
Laos
Malaysia
Myanmar
Philippines
Singapore
Thailand
Timor Leste
Vietnam
and beyond
key_people = Dr. Azian T.S. Abdullah,
Center Director

industry = Education
homepage = http://www.recsam.edu.my

Regional Centre for Education in Science and Mathematics (RECSAM) is a multinational educational corporation headquartered in Penang, Malaysia.

EAMEO RECSAM

SEAMEO, which stands for Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization, was established on 30 November 1965 as a chartered international organisation whose purpose is to promote cooperation in education, science and culture in the Southeast Asian region.

RECSAM, which stands for Regional Centre for Education in Science and Mathematics, is one of the founding sister centers of SEAMEO.

Since its inception in 1967, RECSAM has assisted in the principal development of educational manpower and served as a catalyst for the advancement of science and mathematics education at the primary and secondary school levels for its member countries, namely: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao Peoples’ Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste and Vietnam.

SEAMEO RECSAM is committed to the tasks of being:

• a regional catalyst and innovator for curriculum development and research;

• a clearing-house for science and mathematics education resources;

• a regional and international organizer of conferences, seminars, symposia and workshops; and

• a reference centre for consultative services, linkages and collaborative ventures with national, regional and international agencies.

Since inception, RECSAM has been offering teachers and educators training opportunities to improve their skills and make them more adaptable to the changing educational environment.

Towards this end, the Centre welcomes teachers and educators, not only from the SEAMEO region, but also from beyond the region to its campus community, and continues to make every effort to help them towards the fulfilment of their personal and career goals. To date, well over six thousand teachers and key educators have benefited from the Centre’s regular courses.

What has been achieved so far may seem modest in terms of the needs and challenges prevailing in the region. Nevertheless, the Centre has made significant strides in its purpose and role, as it now embarks onto its Eighth Five-Year Plan for the years 2005 till 2010.

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SEAMEO RECSAM is a human resource development institution.

Two main foci of the Centre’s programmes are on Training, and Research and Development.

1 Training

i. Regular Courses

Development of skills and knowledge of key teachers and educators of the Southeast Asia has been the core business of RECSAM. The Centre will continuously conduct regular courses for participants coming from 10 SEAMEO member countries. From FY2006/2007 the Centre hopes to receive participants from Timor Leste, a newly independent country who has joined SEAMEO. The Centre will conduct 27 regular courses in the coming three years. Each course will be of 4 week duration. The proposed training courses for the next three fiscal years are extracted from RECSAM's 8th Five Year Plan (FY 2005/2006 – 2009/2010) . The topics and outlines of these projects have been identified through an elaborate process of reviewing current and future trends in science and mathematics education, the needs of SEAMEO Member Countries and prioritising them accordaing to their importance.

ii. In-country Courses

Besides regular courses, the Centre will continue with in-country courses whereby the professionals from the Centre will train participants from the respective countries at their own country. For the year 2005/2006, the Centre has conducted 2 in-country courses that is Singapore and also Brunei. For the coming three years, six more SEAMEO countries will be involved in this programme. For the FY2006/2007, Thailand and Indonesia have been identified for the in-country courses. And for the FY2007/2008, Thailand and Vietnam have been identified for such courses.

iii. Diploma and Masters Programme RECSAM has started this programme in 2006 with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and the first batch of participants are from Bandung , Indonesia. This programme, a Post Graduate Certificate of Education in ICT leading to a Master of Education in IT & Resource, will take 11 months to complete.

With the introduction of the teaching of science and mathematics in English for all schools in Malaysia, RECSAM will continue to take the initiative to conduct the Diploma and Masters programme for Malaysian teachers to help them to be more eloquent in using English in their teaching of science and mathematics in schools. This programme will be a twinning programmewith the University of DEAKIN, Australia.

Besides DEAKIN, more overseas educational institutions will be engaged in the effort of broadening and strengthening the Centre’s network in establishing wider coverage of opportunities among Southeast Asian members in the field of Teaching Science and Mathematics in English.

iv. Customised Courses

In 2005, a group of 5 Kenyan educators participated in our regular course as fee paying participants. Since the course was observed to be very relevant to them, the Centre was requested by JICA, the sponsor, to conduct more courses for the Kenyan. A contract with JICA has been signed to train the Kenyan educators for the next three years. In 2006, the Centre received 40 Kenyan educators to attend the customised courses. More customized course will be conducted if there is demand from local, regional and international participants. In 2007, the Centre will be expecting another 40 Kenyan educators to attend customised courses for Maths & Science. However, for the Ugandans, a customised course was held for the Science group. In the beginning of the year, participants from Aceh, Indonesia were here. More customized course will be conducted if there is demand from local, regional and international participants.

2 Research and Development

The Centre recognises research and development as a critical area that needs to be addressed in order to enhance the quality and relevance of its training programmes. Research and Development Division shall undertake various programmes and activities which are focused on Conduct of Research, Development of Resources, Dissemination and Review and Evaluation.

At most, two researches will be conducted a year which will include a classroom-based research and a long range research which may focus on policy formulation or towards the enhancement of teaching and learning of science and mathematics and integration of ICT. The possible researchtopics are clustered along the following major areas:-

• Thinking and Meaningful Understanding in Science and Mathematics

• Classroom Learning Environment in Science and Mathematics

• Effective Teaching and Learning Strategies

• Assessing Teaching and Learning in Mathematics

• ICT in the Science and Mathematics Classrooms

• Impact and Evaluation Studies

To further enhance the relevance of its programme, RECSAM has also taken the initiative to promote Research and Development activities among students and also to encourage the setting up of Research and Development centres in the schools. Fourteen schools around Penang have been chosen to be partner schools in this programme. The MoU has been signed with the Education Department of Penang witnessed by the Principals, Headmasters or representatives of the respective schools.

COMMEMORATION CEREMONY of RECSAM's 40th ANNIVERSARY 2007

Anniversary Theme : 40 GLORIOUS YEARS

H.E. Dato' Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, Minister of Education Malaysiaofficiating the ceremony on 4 SEPTEMBER 2007 with a student while looking on is the center director, Dr Azian T.S. Abdullah.

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40th Anniversary Song

Song Title : SEAMEO RECSAM

Lyrics written by : "Azian Abdullah"

Song composed by : "Ahmad Ramli"

SEAMEO RECSAM

the name resounds in Southeast Asia

the centre that promotes

quality science and maths education

We set our hearts and minds

to fulfill our dreams and ambitions

producing quality teachers

creating children of the future

Chorus:

‘Passion for Learning’

‘Passion for Learning’

...a motto we stand by.

‘Passion for Learning’

‘Passion for Learning’

...a motto we strive for.

Let us all work together

in achieving this common vision

let our hearts be forever

forever staying true to our mission.

"Tempo: Slow popSpeed :92 bpm"

Choir Members

Ms Rohaida (Finance), Ms Baizura (Marketing), Ms Che Om (Admin), Ms Fathilah Samad (Admin), Ms Ganthimathy (Int House), Ms Maimun (LRC), Ms Shaneem (Publication), Ms Jenny (R&D), Ms Fariza (ICT), Ms Renuka (Admin), Ms Suzilawati (Finance)

External links

* [http://www.seameo.org SEAMEO]
* [http://www.recsam.edu.my SEAMEO RECSAM]
* [http://www.geocities.com/am9063 Regular Course AM9063]
* [http://www.geocities.com/pm.1265 Regular Course PM1256]
* [http://www.geocities.com/pm2233 Regular Course PM2233]
* [http://www.geocities.com/pm6522 Regular Course PM6522]
* [http://www.geocities.com/kenyans_in_recsam Customised Courses for the Kenyans]