WHEN local fresh graduates struggle to string together a sentence for a written report, or stumble during presentations, perhaps it is time to review our education system to see how we can better prepare them to enter the workforce or groom them for the global stage.
Anne Tham saw the flaws in our education system and set out to do something about it. It all started with a tuition centre in Subang Jaya in 1995.
This then grew to three international schools and several English language centres.
Among them is the Dwi Emas International School in Shah Alam, which opened in 2015.
It is Malaysia's first-ever entrepreneur school with children as young as 7 being taught entrepreneurship and financial skills.
From a private tutoring centre to three schools with more than 1,700 students and 250 teaching and administrative staff members, Tham is today the chief executive officer of ACE EdVenture.
She was named Woman of the Year in 2016 by Her World magazine.
In September 2017, Tham and her sister, Melinda Lim, who cofounded ACE EdVenture, both former students of the Convent Light Street in Penang, were jointly named "Endeavour Entrepreneur" in the 74th Endeavour International Selection Panel in New York. It was among a string of accolades they received.
The school, which offer Year One to Year 11 classes leading to the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), adopts an innovative approach to education through interactive and immersive learning methods.
The IGCSE qualification is the United Kingdom version of the General Certificate of Secondary Education, and is globally recognised.
In 2016, Tham unveiled ChemCaper, an award-winning chemistry role-playing game to help students learn the subject on a platform that would engage their interest.
When Tham graduated from Universiti Malaya in 1985, the thought of stepping into the world of entrepreneurship or education never crossed her mind.
Instead, she joined the hotel line but left the industry in 1987 after the birth of Erica, her first child.
Her second daughter, Grace, came along two years after Erica. Tham wanted a job that would give her more time to be with her family, so she became a lecturer in a college.
"I felt that something was very wrong with the country's education system. After many years of studying, many students were lacking confidence and language proficiency. I feel that when a child reaches 17, he should be able to do a lot of things after being in school for so many years.
"My vision and mission is to create a system which can unleash the greatness in every child, and help them tap their superpower. Each child is different, and I expect my teachers to build a rapport with each student because kids like it when they know someone cares for them. Even better if the whole school cares for them. If a child is really good at connecting with people, then why not build a career out of that?
"I had a student in my English class in the early days and her teacher (from the public school) had called her sampah masyarakat (community rubbish). She was in my language centre for seven years. She was a great student, quirky, creative and an overall lovely young girl.
"When I first started the school, my biggest challenge was, how do we create an education for the future?
"We do things differently here. Nobody says we can't sing songs to remember content. We want students to move their bodies instead of sitting down, as kinaesthetic learners retain in long-term memory and recall information faster.
"However, not every parent, especially those who embrace the traditional teaching method, can accept our way of teaching. That is why I live by my mantra 'Do It For Those Who Believe'.
This is not for everyone, but for those who share our vision will love us. I know our students don't feel miserable about coming to school," she said.
Tham is currently working alongside Erica and Grace at the school. Tham's brother has also joined the group after returning from Australia.
"My daughters have been helping me with my business since they were young, and the minute they left high school, we started the company for the schools together in 2009. They decided to join me in my journey of building an efficient and practical education for the children's future," she said.
The writer was a journalist with the New Straits Times before joining a Fortune Global 500 real estate company. This article is a collaboration between the New Straits Times and Tradeview, the author of 'Once Upon A Time In Bursa'.