A special newsletter produced by Diploma in Mass Communication

students from School of Management and Communication

Scholars help redefy education for those in need

April 2016
www.republicanpost.sg

INSIDE!

The School of Engineering scholars from Republic Polytechnic met up with

the Burmese scholars for their final outbound programme of TF SCALE II, to
finish what they had started.

By Nadiah Motosir

LEARNING THE NEW CULTURE (PG 2)

SEE THE MONASTERY IN

COLOUR (PG 5)

GOING GREEN: Scholars from SEG and YTU did their part in giving back to society not only
by helping people, but also the environment through installing solar panels. PHOTO: Veronica
Maria

team of 21 students from

the School of Engineering
(SEG) have embarked on a
two-week outbound trip to Yangon,
Myanmar as part of the Specialists
Community Action and Leadership
Exchange (TF SCALE) programme on
Mar 31.
The trip, meant for students from
both countries to engage in holistic
learning and cross-cultural learning
experiences, will see the SEG students
working with their counterparts from
Yangon Technological University
(YTU) to improve electrical conditions at the Sandarama Monastic Post
Primary School in Yangon.
The school -- run by monks to provide education for the less fortunate
relies on donated computers to enhance the learning experience for its
students, but unstable electrical supplies means that their usage is limited,

which impacts the students learning.

To combat this issue, the SEG and
YTU students jointly devised and
implemented a photovoltaic system,
whereby solar panels convert the
Suns energy into a stable source of
electrical power for the schools usage.
This programme allow us to view
other peripheral countries in the eyes
of an aid helper, said Jeremy How,
19, a second year Aerospace Engineering student. I cannot help but be really thankful and grateful for the living conditions I have back at home. It
also make me feel more connected to
people who are in this programme,
he added.
Noting that the trip was not just
meant to be about the execution of the
project, Lieu Chee Fui, 35, a Renewable Energy Engineering lecturer at
RP, pointed out that it was also meant

HEAR MORE FROM THE

SCHOLARS (PG 8)

for the SEG students to build positive relationships with their Burmese
counterparts.
He added: To me, no matter what
activities (the SEG students) do, most
importantly is that the students from
RP and YTU can work together to
contribute to the community by using
the knowledge they have learnt and
through the process, build up their
friendships.
As part of the cross-cultural experience, the SEG students were given the
opportunity to sample and partake in
Myanmars culture through its local
food and festivals such as Thingyan,
the Burmese New Year water festival.
This opportunity is something a
book cant teach until we experience it
first hand, said Dian Shahrudin, 19,
a second year Aviation Management
student.

PHOTO ESSAY

Beyond classroom learning

There is no teaching without learning - SEG and YTU scholars go out of their way to do both
By Nicole Kam and Veronica Maria

SPLASHING GOOD
TIME:

Gabrielle Tan(right), 19,was one of the many SEG

scholars who were actively involved in the mini YTU
water festival on 1 April, with a goal in mind to better
understand the Myanmar culture. PHOTO: Nicole
Kam

STAR SIGNS:

Wai Lay (left) talking to the SEG scholars about

the zodiac signs of those born on Wednesdays.
PHOTO: Nicole Kam

HARNESING THE
POWER OF
TEAMWORK:

Scholars from SEG and YTU broke down into small

groups to come up with a brief plan for the project that
is to happen. PHOTO: Veronica Maria

PHOTO ESSAY

CIRCLE OF FUN:

Ronald Lim (centre), 20, a SEG scholar learning

more about the games the Burmese play during
their leisure time. PHOTO: Veronica Maria

TEACHER FOR A
DAY:
As part of their service learning, the scholars had
the opportunity to experience teaching children
from the monastery school how to put together
llittleBits an electronic building block circuit.
PHOTO: Nicole Kam

LEADING THE
WAY:

Alex Loo, 20, a SEG student, showed the

children from the monastery school various
games and cheers in hopes to build a bond
with them. PHOTO: Veronica Maria

TFSCALE II OUTBOUND NEWS

Soaking in the Myanmar culture

With April known to being the hottest time of the year in Myanmar, the SEG and YTU scholars welcomes bucketloads of fun to beat the heat.
By Nicole Kam and Veronica Maria

DOUSED IN BLESSINGS: SEG and YTU students took a break from their project planning, to experience a mini version of Thingyan, which is a similar event to the Songkran festival in Thailand. PHOTO: Nicole Kam

renched and armed with

plastic cups, bowls and water pistols, they emptied
their containers of water over each
other as pop and electro music blared
from the speakers, with the occasional sound of laughter filling the air.
This event brought the two groups of
scholars together, despite their cultural differences.
Celebrated in mid-April, the annual Burmese New Year water festival
which is also known as Thingyan,
takes place towards the last four days
before the arrival of the New Year. It
is also considered the most important
holiday for the Burmese. However,
with it being the leap year, the festival
will go on for five days instead. It is
believed by the Burmese that throw-

ing water over each other helps to

cleanse their sins and is also a symbol
of purification.
In order to give the SEG scholars
a taste of the Myanmar culture, the
Yangon Technological University organised an internal water festival on
campus.
It was an eye-opening experience
for me and it is very unlike something
you would find in Singapore, said
Kerwin Tan Jun Xiong, 19, an Industrial Operations Management student
in RP. Im very glad to be part of it
because it is a once in a lifetime opportunity for us.
However, the actual festival would
take place only from 12 to 17 April
this year, where walking down the
streets in dry clothes would be almost

impossible.
Khaing Mon Mon Aung, 19, an
Electronic Engineering student from
YTU said: I felt pleased seeing the
Singaporeans enjoying our festival,
especially since this is the first time
for most of them and I am glad that
they managed to celebrate Thingyan
with us.
Putting aside all religious and racial
barriers, the students were focused on
having a splashing good time.
Everyone was throwing water at
anyone, regardless of their differences and I think that this is an interesting culture, as it helps bring people
closer, reflected Ronald Lim Guan
Xing, 20, a third year Aerospace Engineering student in RP. Even as a
foreigner, I felt like one of them.

TFSCALE II OUTBOUND NEWS

Little Bits, Big Smiles

SEG and YTU scholars made their way down to Sanda Rama Monastic Education Post Primary as part of their
service learning trip.
By Jenani D/O Selvaraj and Nadiah Motosir

neven roads, quiet highways and the occasional

street stall, make up the
surroundings of a wield plot turned
school. The path to Sanda Rama Monastic Education Post Primary was
lined with banana leaf plants and the
chirpy voices of children playing soccer could be heard from far.
At a glance, one could easily see the
whole school - a room for the monks, a
kitchen, a few classrooms, a common
room and another separate two story
building which was home to various
multimedia and music rooms. The
entire place was guarded by low rise
brick walls.
With respect for the Burmese culture, the SEG and YTU scholars removed their shoes before stepping
onto the mat in the common room,
where they gathered to listen to a
speech by the principal of the school.
The room was spacious, with sunlight
streaming in through the wooden
walls. There were whiteboards in the
front of the room and fans mounted on the side- an essential for the
weather in Myanmar. The ceiling was
intricately decorated with handcrafted origami hanging from strings.
With Thanakha applied on their
cheerful faces, the children enthusiastically watched them from the side of
the room.

The scholars started to prepare for

the workshop that was happening
later in the afternoon. The learning
materials for the workshop included
LittleBits - a set of electronic building
blocks that empower individuals to
invent anything from a remote controlled car to a smartphone device.
The components of the set snap together with magnets, no soldering,
wiring or programming is required
making it ideal for children to learn
more about electronics.
The SEG scholars gathered in
groups and tried to fix the Bits together, familiarising themselves with the
building blocks first before teaching
the children. Those who did not use
LittleBits before were seen reading
the booklet of information and scanning the box which had included the
names of the components for clarity.
The room was filled with the discussion of possible combinations of the
circuit between groups.
After lunch, the SEG and YTU
scholars started the workshop first
by allocating monastery children to
each group which had a mixture of
both groups of scholars. Despite the
sweltering heat and the sight of students fanning each other the children
still paid attentively as the scholars
patiently explained the different components of the circuit and its purpose.

MINI CIRCUIT: Scholars from SEG

and YTU use components of LittleBits circuit to illustrate how the
same system is used in a bigger
scale for other appliances such as
fire alarms. PHOTO: Nicole Kam
Eyes wide open and leaning forward they held the LittleBits for themselves and matched what they saw to
what they heard. Occasionally, they
paused and look around- an indication that they had doubts to clarify
which the scholars readily answered.
After learning about the various
parts of the circuit, they starting putting bits and pieces together to make
their own combinations. Some of the
students decided to try designing a
circuit with an alarm in it and used
rubber bands to tie it to their hands,
so when they shook hands with a
friend, the alarm would go off and
surprise the other party. The first few
times they tried, the alarm did not go
off. They looked confused and tried
adjusting the pieces. Sweat trickling down their foreheads, their eyes
fixated on the circuit, their nimble
fingers delicately attaching and detaching the magnets away from each
other in hope of hearing a ring. With
some guidance from the scholars, it
worked.
Their eyes lit up instantaneously,
crinkling up as they smiled and threw
their heads back, laughing. The scholars smiled as well, satisfied with the
knowledge they were able to share
with the children.
By the end of the workshop, the
children had made many different
combinations of the circuit. They politely thank the scholars for the session and brought them to the dining
area for some local desserts before
ending the day off.
The scholars boarded the bus, hungry for more knowledge and anticipating their next visit, as the scene
of the children standing and waving
goodbye, faded into the distance.

PHOTO ESSAY

Mirroring the culture

Scholars from SEG adapted to the Burmese culture habit, when they visited Yangon, Myanmar for their Service
learning.
By Jenani D/O Selvaraj and Nadiah Motosir

NEW PLACE, NEW

CULTURE:

The SEG scholars went to the pagoda platform according to their day of birth. After which, they perform
devotional acts as per Burmese customs such as
offering flowers or pouring water on the statues.
PHOTO: JENANI D/O SELVARAJ

PRAYER ETIQUETTE:

SEG scholars adopt the Burmese practice of

prayer by pointing their feet away from the Buddha
statues as a form of respect. PHOTO: JENANI D/O
SELVARAJ

SOLEFUL
REMINDER:

The SEG scholars remove their shoes and slippers before entering indoors, adapting to the Burmese culture.
PHOTO: NADIAH MOTOSIR

PHOTO ESSAY

NEW RINGTONE:
Haresh Pandian, one of the SEG scholars, giving
a go at striking the hanging bells. He strikes three
times with a billet of wood and declares ahmya
(do share my merit in Burmese). People in the
surroundings say sa dhu thrice in response to
the action.
PHOTO: JENANI D/O SELVARAJ

CLEAN FLOOR,
CLEAN SOUL:

Loo Zi Yi, Alex, volunteered to clean one of the

Pagodas in Yangon, Myanmar, as a good deed. The
Burmese believe that keeping the Pagoda clean
helps to clean ones soul. PHOTO: NADIAH MOTOSIR

THANAKHA TIME:

Kerwin Tan, an SEG scholar, got to try on Myanmars traditional cosmetic paste, also known as the Thanakha.
The Burmese believe that it aids in improving the skins
condition, such as reducing acne and protecting them
from harmful rays of the sun. PHOTO: NADIAH MOTOSIR

HUMANS OF TF SCALE
I was given the opportunity to help the monastery school
with the installation of solar panels, which I feel will improve
their lives greatly. I also always believe in a quote by Mother
Teresa: Be faithful in small things, because it is in them that
your strength lies. The experience and memories that I had
will be unforgettable. This will be a country that I will want to
visit again.

Humans of Tf Scale

- NAVEEN S/O GUNASAKARAM, 20, SINGAPORE

AVIATION MANAGEMENT

SINGAPORE

My dream is to be a qualified engineer and also a mathematics teacher. Its been my dream to be a teacher since I was
16 years old. I really like to teach pupils and I want to share
my knowledge and the education Ive had with them. Even
though I am still studying in university right now, I volunteer
to teach local high school students during the weekends.
- NAY HTET LIN, 20, YANGON
ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING

Humans of Tf Scale
MYANMAR

I have taken part in a number of service learning project, and I

realise how fortunate I am to be living in Singapore. When i see
those who are less fortunate than I am, I feel both sympathetic
and empathetic towards them as i know what it is like, coming
from a less fortunate family myself. But now that my life has
improved, i want to improve the lives of others as well.
Humans of Tf Scale

- MUHAMMAD RYAN YAHSA, 19, SINGAPORE

AEROSPACE AVIONICS

SINGAPORE

My happiest moment is when I got into YTU. I did not like

YTU at first and I did not want to be an engineer. When I found
out that I could not study medicine because I did not meet the
grade requirement, I was very sad. When I chose engineering,
I did not think through it, I selected it randomly. But because
of my friends and because I got the chance to go to Singapore, I
am very thankful and happy that I got into YTU.
- THINN THIRI THAW, 19, YANGON
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Humans of Tf Scale
MYANMAR

TF SCALE CEC TEAM

Jenani D/O Selvaraj

Nadiah Motosir

Nicole Kam

Veronica Maria