There will be an upcoming conference organised by ISEI and SOE. We have lots of co-organisers from Indonesia. Last Monday, we had a meeting. They decided to include a welcoming speech from the chairman of ISEI. I offered myself to prepare the speech, knowing how challenging for my committee to find someone to write a speech at this point when we have tonnes of works to do.
Since I had classes on Tuesday and Wednesday, I feel that I might have time to write the speech on Thursday. But after reading some books (to get idea on what to include in the speech), I had difficulty to write even one simple sentence. I was in panicky mode. But I was distracted by having a supervision meeting with a PhD student with my friend. A good distraction! After having a late lunch, I went back to my office and tried to write something. Nope. Nothing. I could not write any sentence at all.
After maghrib, I decided to continue with my sewing project. I finished making a small pouch with a new design. It is a bit tricky to sew with extra steps for this design, but I am getting hang of it. In sha Allah with extra practice, I could make better version. Well, I think I need to get the cutting board and roller (using scissor is not as perfect as using roller to cut small fabrics).
Early Friday, I got a message from one of my colleagues asking me about the speech. She messaged me after subuh prayer at 638am. I feel guilty. After finishing my laundry and did some quick gardening, I started to write and pick up where I left. Alhamdulillah reading Prof Naquib Al-Attas’s book, Malik Badri’s book and Alparslan Acikgenc’s book gives me lots of ideas on how to construct sentences. Since the person whose speech I am preparing is someone with the highest academic accolade, I try my very best to prepare something with a tinge of philosophy terminology. It is not an easy process. Indeed. Around 10am today, I managed to get around 450 words. It is not too long, but not too short kind of speech. I looked at previous examples of welcoming speech which range around 350 to 600 words. So, the one I prepared is just nice, I guess 😀
So, here is the speech. Enjoy!
Alhamdulillah, all praise to Allah the Al-mighty creator of this universe, salawat and salam upon our beloved Prophet Muhammad S.A.W and His companions. On the behalf of the organising committee, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Johor Bahru, our co-organisers from Universitas Negeri Malang, Universitas Negeri Padang, Universitas Muhammadiyah Purwokerto and Universitas Lambung Mangkurat and all colleagues who have put their valuable time and effort, it is my great pleasure as the chairman of International Society for Educational Initiatives Malaysia (ISEI) to welcome all of you to the 3rd International Conference on Educational Studies (ICES 2019). The theme of this conference is “Educational Initiatives in The Era of Industrial Revolution 4.0”. Industrial Revolution 4.0 is not a mere buzz word. With the advancement of science and technology, we are undergoing transformation regarding the way we produce products and services thanks to the digitization of manufacturing. The demand use of digitization of manufacturing presents different sets of challenges to various aspects of our life including education system.
In line with the 17 Sustainable Goals Development (SGD) as adopted by United Nations Member States in 2015, I believe that all of us here are doing our best in realizing the goals to the best of our abilities through teaching and research. As researchers, we are aware of the impacts of scientific research on society as society has a dynamic structure which is governed by active forces that shape it. One of the active forces is knowledge which based on organized discipline and systematic methodology of inquiry. In Kantian’s terminology, human mind is created capable of acquiring the knowledge of the universe in which it is. However, the act of acquiring knowledge must be initiated and guided with sound methodology in ensuring the truth of nature. Truth is the essential element in guiding human kind to fulfill their needs for survival and sustaining life.
Education which entails teaching and learning processes is grounded by truth. With the Industrial 4.0, it presents different sets of challenges to educators and researchers in education in providing better quality education to society especially our future generations. It is imperative to bring together the growing international community of education researchers and scholars who are interested in discussing and advancing research in education to share their latest research findings and experience. So, let us utilise this conference as a platform to gather and exchange innovative ideas, while taking the opportunity to network and build community of practice in education.
I would also like to congratulate all committee members for their relentless effort in making this programme a guaranteed success which is without a doubt, highly significant with current needs. I sincerely hope that this meeting shall serve as an initiation for more upcoming meetings. I wish all presenters and participants would have a productive and inspiring experience while attending this conference. To international delegates, do enjoy your stay in Johor. It is a pleasure to welcome all of you to the conference and workshop.