Having hosted three online sessions for participants originating from different regions of the world, the Faculty of Applied Communication (FAC) officially completed MTCP E-Learning in A New Normal: Inclusivity, Trends and Familiarity 2021. Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme (MTCP) is a training programme in line with the national agenda of extending assistance to developing nations. The first and second cohorts of the online MTCP programme was successfully conducted from 8 to 12 March 2021 (Asia region) and from 5 to 8 April 2021 (Middle-East region) respectively. The final session cohort was held from 16 to 20 August 2021 welcoming participants from the Middle East & Asia regions.
The first of the three cohorts of MTCP E-Learning 2021 for the Asia continent saw the participation from eight participants from Maldives, Timor-Leste, Thailand and Uzbekistan. The second of the three cohorts of MTCP E-Learning 2021 for the Africa region received nine participants from Algeria, Mauritius, Morocco, Kenya, and Zimbabwe. This final cohort of MTCP E-Learning 2021 for the Middle East and Asia region received nine participants from Iran, Jordan, and Uzbekistan. The 5-day event gathered not only the trainers’ knowledge and ideas about planning and delivering e-learning sessions, but also participants sharing their experience in handling and juggling online learning in their respective countries. The participants highly commended this programme as it was an eye-opening, rewarding and outstanding training to them.
Since 2005, the Faculty of Applied Communication (FAC) of Multimedia University has been a training institution that actively collaborates with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in providing training under the MTCP flagship. Funded by the MFA, MTCP was launched in 1980 to signify Malaysia’s commitment to South-South Cooperation, in particular, Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries (TCDC) which is based on the premise that the development of a country depends on the quality of its human resource. Annually, MFA and the selected Training Institutions offer more than 65 capacity-building and technical assistance programmes under the MTCP, which have benefited participants from 144 countries.
Due to challenges posed by the COVID19 pandemic, education too has to embrace a new norm that is to allow learning to continue through the online world. However, some educators in developing countries are still untrained for the preparation, delivery and usage of online tools in e-learning sessions. Therefore, MTCP E-Learning in A New Normal: Inclusivity, Trends and Familiarity 2021 marks a novel path for the participants to explore and gain insights into e-Learning in the new normal.
