Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Fairview International School has concluded a cross-border professional immersion for five outstanding educators from Malaysia’s Ministry of Education under the Global Immersion for Future-Ready Teachers (GIFT) programme, with learning experiences hosted across Fairview’s campuses in Bridge of Allan, Scotland, from 26 to 31 January 2026, and Kuala Lumpur, from 1 to 6 February 2026.
The five participating educators were Amirudin Bin Razali, Mohamad Nazri Bin Mat Irani, Mohd Zulkhairi Bin Umar, Dr. Oh Zi Jian, and Dr. Tan Yong Chee.
Across both campuses, the educators observed a wide range of classroom practice across the Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP), and Diploma Programme (DP). The immersion gave participants direct exposure to live teaching and learning across different age groups, subjects, and school contexts, allowing them to benchmark classroom practice through experience rather than theory alone.
A central value of the immersion was its emphasis on belief as well as professional learning. While knowledge and skills can be taught, meaningful transformation often begins when educators step into real classrooms, see strong pedagogy in action, and recognise that the same level of learning can be built in their own contexts. By observing practice in both Scotland and Malaysia, participants were able to see that high-quality, student-centred learning is not confined to one geography, but can be developed and sustained across different educational environments.
During the programme, the educators also took part in personalised professional learning sessions led by Professor Gopi, Dean of the Faculty of Education at University College Fairview, and Dr Vincent Chian, Provost of University College Fairview. These sessions focused on the principles of International Baccalaureate education and key foundations of effective teaching, including student agency, conceptual understanding, reflective practice, and the design of meaningful learning experiences.
Dr Vincent Chian said,“Knowledge and skills can be taught, but what often changes educators most deeply is seeing what is possible. When teachers step into strong classrooms across different contexts, they do not just learn new methods. They begin to believe that this level of teaching and learning can also be built in their own schools. That sense of belief may be one of the greatest gifts an immersion like this can offer.”
Fairview extends its heartfelt congratulations to YB Fadhlina Sidek, Minister of Education, for championing initiatives such as GIFT, as well as to the wider team at the Ministry of Education and the many donors whose support helped make the initiative possible. Public reporting has described GIFT as a Ministry-backed initiative to recognise and empower selected Malaysian educators through international exposure and professional exchange, including placements in the UK.
Fairview was honoured to contribute to this national effort by hosting the educators across both its Scotland and Kuala Lumpur campuses. As a Malaysian-founded education institution with an international footprint, Fairview was uniquely placed to provide a cross-border learning environment while demonstrating that educational excellence can be rooted in Malaysian leadership and expressed credibly on the global stage. Fairview International School in Scotland publicly describes itself as Scotland’s first authorised IB continuum school.
The programme reflects the importance of meaningful investment in educators as central agents in nation building. By broadening exposure to strong practice and diverse learning environments, initiatives such as GIFT strengthen not only individual teachers, but also the classrooms, students, and school communities they go on to serve.
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