Raising Future-Ready Malaysians
Kuala Lumpur, July 7, 2017 – Mums, dietitians and academicians in child educational psychology emphasized the importance of providing children with a good balance of both Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and Emotional Intelligence (EQ) skills to prepare them to face an uncertain future. This was the focus of a recent roundtable discussion hosted by Mead Johnson Nutrition Malaysia. Several esteemed speakers were involved in the roundtable discussion, and members of the media were also present.
Speaking at the event were Siew Ju Li, senior lecturer and psychologist in the faculty of behavioral sciences at HELP University, and Celeste Lau Wai Hong, Dietetics Manager at Sunway Medical Centre. Alina Amir, President of the alumni board for Teach For Malaysia (TFM) and the co-founder of Arus Academy – a comprehensive, innovative broad-based education platform that prepares children for the future – also participated in the roundtable discussion. Elaine Daly, TV Celebrity host and former Miss Malaysia, moderated the roundtable discussion.
The dialogue, titled “Raising Future-Ready Malaysians”, focused on preparing children for a complex and uncertain future. This requires parents to equip their children with a balanced upbringing that includes both IQ and EQ.
Topics discussed were IQ and EQ, nurturing a child to be future-ready, and emotional intelligence for children. The role of nutrition, and how it influences EQ, as well as the key soft skills every child needs to be future-ready were also covered.
In a recent survey1, 96% of Malaysian moms said that, in an unpredictable future, IQ alone is no longer enough to succeed. While academic excellence will always remain a priority, moms stressed that emotional intelligence (EQ) traits are just as important. These EQ traits include the ability to adapt in any situation, empathize, communicate well with others, and social intelligence.
More than half of the children now entering school are expected to work in jobs that don’t yet exist, hence, adaptability is becoming a core skill. This was an important message that is close to our hearts – and one that we hope concerned Malaysian parents will embrace.
Siew Ju Li, who specializes in child development, parenting issues and children at risk, commented, “To thrive in a rapidly evolving, technology-mediated world, students must possess strong skills in language arts, mathematics and science. However, they must also be adept at other skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, persistence, collaboration and curiosity. These skills are in the domain of EQ. We can only guess how work conditions will be like in the future, but by acquiring both types of skills, children will be better prepared for an unpredictable future”.
When asked how nutrition plays a role in a child’s EQ development, Celeste Lau Wai Hong had this to say, “Thanks to scientific advances and technological innovations, researchers have identified two important nutrients for children – Milk Fat Globule Membrane (MFGM) and DHA. Together, these nutrients are responsible for significant improvement in cognitive development, building immunity, and supporting emotional and behavioral regulation among toddlers”2. Lau also stressed the importance of good nutrition and stimulation to help support children’s overall development.
“It is crucial that parents provide their children with the right nutrition and stimulation because a child’s brain triples in size in the first two years of life, and grows to 90 percent of the adult size during the first 5 years3. These will enable the retention of optimum cognitive functions from childhood to adulthood,” continued Lau.
Alina Amir, the co-founder of Arus academy said, “We aim to nurture a spirit of innovation – with the vision that, one day, children will be inventors, not users; innovators instead of consumers. As a teacher, I believe it is important for kids to have a good balance of IQ & EQ skills. Balance is the key for being future proof.”
In the effort to prepare “Future-Ready Malaysians”, it’s important to start conversations around what specific skills children will need. This roundtable session shed light on this very important topic, and offered solutions for Malaysian parents.
Mead Johnson Nutrition Malaysia would like to partner with parents to help equip their children to be future-ready. That is why we are pleased to introduce the newly improved Enfagrow A+ with MFGM Complex and 40% higher DHA▪ to help support nutritional needs for Malaysian children.
From L – R: Ms Elaine Daly, Ms Celeste Lau, Ms Siew Ju Li, Ms Alina Amir. Ms Celeste Lau speaking about the nutrition and how it influences EQ development.
Panellist of the “Raising Future-Ready Malaysians” in discussion
Ms. Siew Ju Li speaking about the importance of having EQ skills on top of IQ during the “Raising Future-Ready Malaysians” discussion
From L – R: Ms Elaine Daly, Ms Celeste Lau, Ms Siew Ju Li, Ms Alina after an informative discussion
Survey was commissioned by Mead Johnson Nutrition, conducted by independent research agency Lightspeed, across 3,589 mothers in Southeast Asia. This study has a 95% confidence level at a 4% confidence interval.
2Veereman-Wauters, G. et al. Milk fat globule membrane (INPULSE) enriched formula milk decreases febrile episodes and may improve behavioral regulation in young children. Nutrition, 2012, 28(7-8):749-752
3 Kennedy et. al (2002) Basic principles of MRI and morphometry studies of human brain development. Developmental Science 5:3, pp 268-278.
▪ Compared to previous formulation.
About Mead Johnson Nutrition
Mead Johnson Nutrition (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mead Johnson Nutrition Company (NYSE: MJN). Mead Johnson Nutrition, a global leader in paediatric nutrition, develops, manufactures, markets and distributes more than 70 products in over 50 markets worldwide. The company’s mission is to nourish the world’s children for the best start in life. For more information, go to www.enfagrow.com.my.
Issued on behalf of Mead Johnson Nutrition (M) Sdn. Bhd. by SAATCHI & SAATCHI ARACHNID Sdn. Bhd.
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