SEGi University & Colleges, one of Malaysia’s leading higher education providers, has recently strengthened its long-standing partnership with Finland’s HEI Schools.
Both prestigious organisations are in agreement to explore more opportunities in the field of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) and to bring the best education system to Malaysia.
Stella Lau, Managing Director of SEGi University & Colleges, said strengthening the partnership between SEGi and HEI Schools will play a key role in developing ECCE in Malaysia.
“ECCE plays an important part in shaping a child’s brain and capacity to learn, as well as to respond to daily challenges. It also sets the foundation for a child’s lifelong learning, behaviour and health,” Lau explained.
“Early childhood practitioners in our country need more than just fulfilling the mandatory diploma qualification to make a difference. We see this collaboration as the perfect platform to boost our ongoing efforts to strive for educational excellence.”
This is the first partnership SEGi has entered with a Finnish education concept. The partnership between SEGi and HEI Schools began in 2021 when the institution and the Finnish early education company signed an agreement.
Through the agreement, HEI Schools’ Teacher Diploma programme is incorporated into SEGi’s Diploma in Early Childhood Education (DECE) programme, enhancing it into a dual diploma in ECCE.
The two-and-a-half-year programme is offered across four college campuses – Kuala Lumpur, Subang Jaya, Sarawak and Penang. Students will receive the HEI Schools Teacher Certificate on progressive Finnish ECE upon completion.
The HEI Schools Teacher Certificate programme consists of ten modules. The modules cover the principles of Finland’s early education pedagogy, from special needs and inclusion to play-based learning.
Experienced Finnish educators worked with other early education experts to create a cutting-edge online programme. Additionally, they utilised the latest education research provided by the Department of Teacher Education at the University of Helsinki.
Finland’s education system has been revered as the best in the world. Lau elaborated that merging HEI Schools’ modules into SEGi’s programme ensures students will receive the best academic experience with a much sought-after qualification.
“After all, it is SEGi’s brand promise to deliver ‘The Best In You, Made Possible’,” said Lau.
SEGi University & Colleges has long been recognised as a leader in early childhood teacher training.
In 2011, SEGi was appointed by the Malaysian Government under the Economic Transformation Plan (ETP) to champion the upskilling of the nation’s preschool teachers for the past ten years.
HEI Schools started in 2018 with the opening of its first school in China. Today, there are 20 schools globally.
Heikki Vartia, HEI Schools Partnership & Sales Manager for Southeast Asia, shared that the HEI Schools Teacher Diploma strengthens SEGi’s DECE programme.
“It allows one to learn more about the Finnish Early Childhood Education model and practices. The Finnish ECCE model has a lot of demand in kindergartens worldwide, and together with SEGi, we offer them to the Malaysian market,” Vartia elaborated.
SEGi College Subang Jaya had the pleasure of hosting Heikki Vartia during his visit to the campus on 2 June 2022.
For further information, please visit www.segi.edu.my.
