Over the weekend, I have had the wonderful privilege of being able to represent Epsom on a student panel with four other students from schools across Kuala Lumpur as part of the Fobisia Leadership Conference held at the Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. With the theme of “Visions for the Future of Education”, the purpose of the student panel was to offer students an opportunity to speak up on matters that they believe to be overlooked by educators and requires their utmost attention.
On Saturday, we were placed under the guidance of a team from Global Edge, an organisation founded by a group of dedicated individuals committed to developing the skills of student leaders. During the four-hour workshop, we took part in several mini activities that challenged us to think on the spot and speak with confidence despite the lack of preparation. We then shared the possible themes we wished to address in the panel. After much discussion, we settled on two overarching topics, the use of AI in schools and student voice.
As AI is now being more and more integrated into our daily lives, my fellow panelists agreed that schools should implement compulsory digital literacy to educate students on the proper ethical usage of the technology whilst still being conscious of protecting student connections whether it be with their peers, teachers or the wider community. Students nowadays would much rather turn to ChatGPT or other AI chatbots to answer their questions rather than talk to their teachers or ask their peers. If this is prolonged, students might lose soft skills that are vital in succeeding in real life.
Our second point revolved around obtaining raw, unfiltered student opinions regarding their schooling. Sometimes, students may feel intimidated to voice their thoughts in front of their teachers due to the pressure of saying the right thing and being afraid of offending teachers they respect. By implementing a system where students can speak freely to their seniors while still knowing that their concerns will be heard and acted upon, students will feel more comfortable to truly speak up on matters that are worrying them.
The panel took place on Sunday, in a hall that held around 300 teachers and educators from across Asia. I felt quite nervous as I had never spoken in front of such a large crowd, more so one full of teachers! We did not have pre-prepared scripts nor cue cards which meant that the panel was going to be an authentic conversation. I had to stay alert and pay attention to what my peers were saying so that when it came to be my turn to speak, I would be able to contribute something meaningful, building on their points. My time on stage flew by and it was over before I knew it. I was especially proud of my call to action in which I addressed the teachers in the audience to ‘get to know their students’ as they never know who might very well surprise them. I feel that this is authentic in my personal experiences as I am not normally an extroverted person and can be quite shy and nervous when speaking in public. From this experience, I learned that confidence is key in public speaking, and as I remember fondly from Mrs Carden-Brown’s debate CCA back when I was in Year 9, the mindset of ‘faking it until you make it’ can get you a long way.
To conclude, this feat would not have been possible without the school’s trust in my abilities. I feel extremely grateful for this wonderful opportunity to step outside my comfort zone and grow as a person.
Annabel Elisha R.
Year 12 Student