Mr Ciaran Cannon, Minister of State for Training and Skills of Ireland, made a visit to TAR College on 14 December 2012 to witness a ceremony of exchanging MOUs between TAR College and 5 institutions of higher learning from Ireland.
Held at TAR College, the ceremony formalised the academic collaboration between TAR College and the institutions that offers Ireland as another destination for students to pursue quality tertiary education after the completion of Diploma / Advanced Diploma programmes at TAR College. The 5 Irish institutions in the collaboration are Athlone Institute of Technology, Dublin City University, Griffith College Dublin, Institute of Technology Carlow and Waterford Institute of Technology.
In his keynote address, Mr Cannon said: “As international student numbers grow, Ireland, an English-speaking European country with a strong reputation for quality education in a safe and friendly environment, has become recognized as an important and respected destination for higher education.”
“There are currently some 1,600 Malaysian students studying in Ireland and while the majority are in medical studies, an increasing number are looking to us for the broader range of educational disciplines such as business studies, liberal arts, science, engineering and ICT”, he continued.
Ms Kho Sok Kee, TAR College Vice Principal of Collaboration, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, said in her welcome address: “Ireland has been known as a renowned destination for Malaysian students and with the academic collaboration, TAR College students will have greater opportunity to pursue their studies at Ireland considering that Ireland is one of the most affordable countries in Europe.”
The ceremony also had the presence of His Excellency Declan Kelly, Ambassador of Ireland, Mr CK Chiau, Director of MyStudy, representatives from the 5 Irish institutions as well as TAR College staff and students.
Thereafter, Mr Cannon was invited to officially open the Education in Ireland office in TAR College. The Education in Ireland office serves as a one-stop centre for students seeking study advice and career guidance on various opportunities in Ireland. There was also Irish Education Fair held in the College to showcase the best of Irish education to the visitors. 10 Irish institutions of higher learning participated in this fair and they included the 5 institutions mentioned above as well as 5 additional institutions which were University College Dublin, Dublin Institute of Technology, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Institute of Technology Tralee and Shannon College of Hotel Management.
Photo Captions:
Photo 1: From left: Mr Karl Turley (Asia Pacific Co-ordinator, Athlone Institute of Technology), Ms Sylvia Schroeder (Head of International Office, Dublin City University), Ms Kho Sok Kee (Vice Principal of Collaboration, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, TAR College), His Excellency Declan Kelly (Ambassador of Ireland), Mr Ciaran Cannon (Minister of State for Training and Skills of Ireland), Mr Diarmuid Hegarty (President, Griffith College Dublin), Mr Declan Doyle (Head of International Development, Institute of Technology Carlow) and Ms Sinead Day (International Office Manager, Waterford Institute of Technology) in a group photo.
Photo 2: Mr Ciaran Cannon giving his keynote address.
Photo 3: From left: Ms Phoong Huei Ling (Registrar, TAR College), His Excellency Declan Kelly, Mr Ciaran Cannon, Ms Kho Sok Kee and Ms Lim See Wah (Vice Principal of Administration & External Relations, TAR College) cutting ribbon to officiate the opening of Education in Ireland office at TAR College.
Photo 4: Visitors thronging the Irish Education Fair to find out more about opportunities for further studies in Ireland.
