RECSAM
The Regional Centre for Education in Science and Mathematics (RECSAM) is a multinational educational corporation headquartered in Penang, Malaysia. It is one of the founding sister centres of SEAMEO, the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation. SEAMEO was established on 30 November 1965 as a chartered international organisation whose purpose is to promote co-operation in education, science and culture in the Southeast Asian region.
 | |
| Non-profit Organization | |
| Industry | Education |
| Founded | 1967 |
| Headquarters | Penang, Malaysia |
Area served | Educational services in: Brunei Cambodia Indonesia Laos Malaysia Myanmar Philippines Singapore Thailand Timor Leste Vietnam and beyond |
Key people | Dr. Suhaidah Tahir, Director |
| Website | www |
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. RECSAM has also been offering teachers and educators training opportunities to improve their skills and make them more adaptable to the changing educational environment.
To date, well over six thousand teachers and key educators have taken the centre's regular courses.
Training
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 according to their importance.
In-country courses
Besides regular courses, the centre conducts in-country courses whereby the professionals from the centre will train participants from the respective countries at their own country.
Diploma and master's programme
RECSAM started this programme in 2006 with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and the first batch of participants was from Bandung, Indonesia. This programme, a Post Graduate Certificate of Education in ICT leading to a Master of Education in IT & Resource, takes 11 months to complete. This programme will be a twinned programme with Deakin University in Australia.
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 customised course will be conducted if there is demand from local, regional and international participants. In 2007, another 40 Kenyan educators to attend customised courses for math and science at the center. However, for the Ugandans, a customised course was held for the science group. In the beginning of 2008, participants from Aceh, Indonesia were here.
Research and development
The centre recognises that research and development is a critical area that needs to be addressed to enhance the quality and relevance of its training programmes. Research and Development Division undertakes 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 research topics 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
The theme song of the anniversary was titled "SEAMEO RECSAM", composed by Ahmad Ramli with lyrics written by Dr. Azian Abdullah