Intel Malaysia Calls for Gender Equity in Education

200 Students from Penang and Kulim, Kedah Shown the Positive Impact of Education on Girls as Intel Malaysia Celebrates the International Day of the Girl

• In conjunction with the International Day of the Girl, Intel Malaysia screens Girl Rising, a feature documentary aimed at achieving gender equity in education and accelerating economic development.
• Visiting secondary school students treated to sharing session with Intel Education Service Corp Volunteer from Intel Malaysia who spent 2 weeks in Kenya supporting Education Transformation.
• Each year of secondary schooling increases a girl’s future wages by 10 to 20 percent. At the national level, increasing the share of women with secondary education by just 1 percent increases a country's annual GDP by an average of .3 percent.

PENANG, December 14, 2013 – Intel Malaysia recently opened its doors to 200 students from 5 schools in Penang and Kulim to celebrate United Nation’s International Day of the Girl. The students were treated to a documentary screening, and attended career and motivational talks. Oh Haw Kuang, Intel Malaysia Software Support Manager was one of the Intel employees who shared their life stories and professional experience with the students.

School girls having a great time throughout the various activities organised by Intel Malaysia in conjunction with its International Day of the Girl celebrations.

“My recent work with the Intel Education Service Corps has really opened up my eyes to how so much more work is still needed to ensure children receive the education they need and deserve. It was a good opportunity to show our students here how lucky they are to have in Malaysia all the opportunities they need to succeed in their education in comparison to children from other developing countries like Kenya,” said Oh. Last year, Oh was posted to Kenya for a 2-weeks immersion program to support the deployment of Intel classmate PCs in local schools there.

School girls from SMK Taman Jelutong posing for a photograph after the screening of Girl Rising.

The Intel Education Service Corps (IESC) works closely with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in developing countries to deploy technology solutions based on Intel® Education Solutions purpose-built platforms. As of 2013, over 10 million Intel- Classmate PCs have been shipped globally. Through IESC teams, over 2,500 teachers and 77,000 students in 18 countries have benefited from the deployment of these devices in their teaching and learning activities.

School girls from the Methodist Girls School posing for a photograph after the screening of Girl Rising.

 “From solar-powered schools in Zambia to rural orphanages in Vietnam, IESC teams work with NGOs to define education technology solutions that meet their needs and to prepare rigorous plans for deployment,  training and long-term sustainability,” added Oh. “For example, Intel and non-profit organization Orphans Overseas helped preschoolers in Thika, Kenya learn basic literacy and numeracy with customized educational content on Intel®-based classmate PCs.”

Students from SMK Hamid Khan posing for a photograph after the screening of Girl Rising.

Oh’s sharing session was preceded by the screening of ‘Girl Rising’, the highlight of the day’s events. ‘Girl Rising’ is an innovative feature film about the power of education to change a girl - and the world. This documentary is powered by a strategic partnership between Intel Corporation and 10x10, together with distribution partner CNN Films. Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Liam Neeson, Cate Blanchette, Selena Gomez and other A-list actors contribute voice performances to the film which also features original music from Academy Award winner Rachel Portman, in collaboration with Hans Zimmer.

Visiting students to Intel Malaysia were treated to a documentary screening, attended career and motivational talks and were introduced to some of Intel’s top employees in celebration of the International Day of the Girl.

“The message shared with our guests through the day’s session with Oh and the screening of the film ‘Girl Rising’ is the same one: that with an education, girls and women – and of course children in general - can become powerful catalysts for progress and economic growth, not only for the nation but also the world,” said Abdul Rahman Abu Haniffa, Corporate Affairs Director Intel South East Asia.

 “It was a good opportunity to show our students here how lucky they are to have in Malaysia all the opportunities they need to succeed in their education in comparison to children from other developing countries like Kenya,” Oh Haw Kuang, Software Support Manager, Intel Malaysia.

“Over the past few years, Intel has seen overwhelming data showing that one additional year of primary education alone can increase their future wages by 10 to 20 percent, while an extra year of secondary school adds another 15 to 25 percent (Council on Foreign Relations, 2004). This research also shows that educated women reinvest much of their income into their families, proving that the impact of an educated girl or woman can be exponential and far-reaching.”

Intel Malaysia screened the documentary ‘Girl Rising’ in celebration of the International Day of the Girl.

“Intel recognizes the major role technology plays as both a bridge and an accelerator in not only improving the quality of education but also access to education. Every year, Intel and the Intel Foundation invest more than US$100 million in corporate contributions around the world, including education efforts focused on girls and women,” Abdul Rahman added. “Through programs such as Intel Teach, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, Intel Learn and Intel Easy Steps, Intel is increasing its emphasis on girls and women. When empowered with technology tools, resources and opportunities to learn, the lives of girls are transformed and so are those of everyone they touch.”

Girl Rising has been shown in several private screenings locally including the recent ‘Women Deliver’ conference in May, 2013. Organizations who are interested to bring the movie to their local communities can contact screenings@10x10act.org to arrange a private screening of Girl Rising.