1. www.theknowledgereview.com
Vol. 01 | Issue 07 | 2023
Vol. 01 | Issue 07 | 2023
Vol. 01 | Issue 07 | 2023
Laying the Foundation of Continuous
Learning through Holistic Education
International School
IDRISSI
2023
The Most
Admired
International
School in
South East Asia,
P

4. In the modern world, parents' first
priority is giving their kids access
to top-notch education. There was
never a time when parents did nothing
to support their children's education;
they only sought to offer a foundational
education to ensure their children's
survival. However, parents today are
far more advanced and desire the finest
possible future for their children.
In order to pilot successive career, they
quest for such schools which provide
the holistic development of their
students. Having said that, the
industries are also looking such
students who can perform multiple
tasks and can lead their organizations
towards innovative and creative
successes, in their particular domain.
However, to keep up with the evolving
and cutting-edge trends of the world,
schools are also strengthening their
educational standards and placing an
emphasis on providing students with a
quality education while leveraging new
technologies.
In the past, parents often sent their
children abroad for undergraduate or
postgraduate study in order to offer
kids with a technically advanced
education, but today every nation is
updating its educational curricula and
giving students access to cutting-edge
pedagogical chances.
Nevertheless, South-East Asian nations
have distinguished themselves from
other nations through leading the world
in educational reform. Before, students
from these nations would travel to
other nations to pursue their academic
interests. However, in order to compete
in the extremely competitive globe,
South-East Asian nations have now
improved their institutions, schools,
and have founded numerous
international schools where they are
giving their students a cutting-edge
education.
In addition to placing special emphasis
on Asian students, the institutions and
schools also work with and invite
students and schools from other
nations, giving them valuable exposure
to the local cultures and fostering
socio-economic development.
These institutions provide a variety of
cutting-edge, in-demand courses to
cater to the needs of international
students, helping them develop the
knowledge and skills necessary to find
solutions to the new issues facing the
corporate world. Additionally, these
colleges offer top-notch hostel
amenities and infrastructure to
international students so they may feel
at home.
Additionally, we highlighted a few
well-known international schools in
South-East Asia during the search for
The Most Admired International
School in South East Asia, 2023, and
shared their backstories as well as
detailed information about the schools,
allowing you to learn useful
information about the schools and their
curricula.
Furthermore, you will study how
international pedagogies contribute to
the development of a developed
country in The Knowledge Review
magazine along with other significant
school-related facts. So flip through the
magazine pages to get the global
answers to your educational problems.
Enjoy your reading and learn
something new!
Advanced
Opportunities in
Madhu Gulia

5. is recognized as
for imparting quality education for the
holistic development of the students across
the globe.
Idrissi
International School
Pooja M. Bansal
Editor-in-Chief
2023
The Most
Admired
School in

6. Laying the Foundation of Continuous
Learning through Holistic Education
A r t i c l e
18 Impact of Globalization on South East
Asia's Education System
06
C O V E R
S T O R Y

7. Editor-in-Chief
Senior Editor
Managing Editor
Art & Design Head
Visualiser
Co-designer
Business Development Executive
Business Development Manager
Marketing Manager
Digital Marketing Manager
Technical Consultants
Technical Head
Assistant Technical Head
SME-SMO Executives
Marketing Manager
Digital
Circulation Manager
Research Analyst
Contributing Writer
Survey No.133/134, Brand Square, Office
No. 512, Kunjir Chowk, Pimple Saudagar,
Pune, Maharashtra 411027

8. IDRISSI International
School
Laying the Foundation of Continuous Learning
through Holistic Education

9. C
O
V
E
R
S
T
O
R
Y
The success of IDRISSI School
and all the schools in the GAINS ecosystem
is highly fueled by the passion for filling the
gaps and needs in di erent aspects
of education.

10. S
ailing across the great oceans,
international education in
Southeast Asian countries is
picking up the pace for quality,
multicultural-based, affordable
education. Catching up with the
advancements with a vision to make
the world a global village, international
schools in Malaysia are dictating the
terms of quality and affordable
education in the country.
While everyone is looking for options
for international schools for the holistic
growth of students, The Knowledge
Review ventured out to find 'The Most
Admired International School in
South East Asia, 2023,' where we
crossed paths with IDRISSI
International School and its Founder,
Puan Zaliza Alias.
While discussing educational
pedagogies, technology,
multiculturism, internationalism and
globalisation, she expressed her vision
of grooming the students to become
able global citizens, saying, "As the
saying goes, it takes a village to raise a
child; hence, it will take a global
village to educate children of different
communities and backgrounds in the
What started as a small dream,
IDRISSI International School, today,
has grown into a balanced school that
pioneered the interlink between
Cambridge International curriculum
with the eco, character building and
value-based education.
A Resourceful and Effective Leader
The school is led by its founder, Puan
Zaliza Alias who is also the Executive
world that are characterised as
diverse."
So, without further ado, let's dive deep
into the inspirational story of IDRISSI
International School and how it is
educating its students to achieve
greater heights and establish a name
for itself as one of the most admired
international schools in the country.
A Genuine Desire to Educate!
Unlike any inception story of
prominent education institutes
worldwide, the story of IDRISSI
International School is a little different
and stands out of the crowd. While the
seed of genesis was incepted by the
loving founders who are parents
themselves, and aspired to build a
happy place for young minds to grow
in a multicultural environment.
Emphasising the unique story of
IDRISSI, the Executive Director of the
school, Puan Zaliza Alias says, "It all
started with our genuine desire to give
children a different learning
environment and let them no longer be
confined to the four walls of
classrooms. Just like that, IDRISSI
International School has now become
an eco-school with a five-star rating
and a perfect balance of indoor and
outdoor learning experiences."
This distinction
in IDRISSI has put a new
perspective into international education,
as it extends far beyond the core
curriculum.

11. Director of GAINS Education Group
who has a rich experience as an
education consultant for various
educational content on TV3, TV
AlHijrah, Astro, and educational
animation in Malaysia like Omar and
Hana.
Highlighting her exceptional
leadership qualities and her journey
with the school, the school
sustain through the pandemic and
expand to a wider market."
"However, the responsibility that leads
the school towards its success does not
lie solely on the shoulders of an
individual, but it is on team effort
which combines the strengths and
dynamics of the team such as the
teachers, students, parents and
management as one family," the school
management further added.
management postulates, "Despite
nabbing various awards through her
first step with an English-based
preschool with Islamic values; Genius
Aulad, she was never one to be easily
contained. Driven by the need to
improve every facet of education, she
set up IDRISSI International School.
Her experience, resourcefulness and
forward-thinking mindset in the
education sector have made the school
Puan Zaliza Alias
Executive Director,
IDRISSI International School
The Most Admired International School in South East Asia, 2023

12. IDRISSI International School
is now an eco-school with a five-star
rating and a perfect balance
of indoor and outdoor learning
experiences.

14. Embracing the Process of Life-Long
Learning
The school has very well realised the
fact that great leaders are shaped by
great educators. This helps them to
become lifelong learners, which is an
essential factor in the growth of a
leader. Expressing her view about this,
Puan Zaliza Alias says, "In my opinion,
good educators and great leaders are
lifelong learners who are open to new
ideas, research and educational
practices. It is essential for one to
inject the idea that learning does not
end following one's age, trend or era.
It is a life-long process. Just like how
we need to refill ourselves daily with
proper food to nourish our bodies, it is
crucially important to embrace new
knowledge and innovation to support
the progress in classrooms and the
workplace."
Extending Beyond the Core
Curriculum
When curating the curriculum of the
school, special attention was given to
the atmosphere they wanted to groom
the students. Understanding that this
impacts the students' growth, Puan
Zaliza Alias explains, "Having animal
farms and herb gardens allow a
representation and practical
application of what was learned in the
classroom into the outdoors and real
life. The school, adhering to the Policy
of Eco-Development Integration, has
allowed the students and school to
fulfil the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) through deeper and
more rewarding activities such as
beach cleaning, conducting sustainable
events, public speaking on how
students of their age can make a
change for a better environment and
more."
School Vision
The school envisions
empowering
children and youth
to be the change.
Change in this
context includes how
one looks at things
and attempts to shift
something based on
environmental
awareness, global
issues and world
peace that are in line
with universal
human values and
practices.

16. "This distinction in IDRISSI has put a
new perspective into international
education, as it extends far beyond the
core curriculum," she further explains.
Aiming for Holistic and Overall
Development
Holistic growth of the students, along
with their overall development, is one
of the major factors that the school
aims for. The school conducts various
events to allow the students to explore
different sectors of student life.
Explaining how the school helps
students in their overall development,
Puan Zaliza Alias postulates, "In
addition to academic skills, the school
offers eco, outdoor trips that
encompass the earth, taking care of it,
making archery mandatory, coupled
with Value Education Programme,
Quranic, and Financial Literacy
Programme (FLiP) that give students
exposure to a well-rounded education.
With an emphasis on students'
advancement, this includes how the
An Educator's Advice
From an educator's and a mother's perspective, venturing
into education truly requires a relentless drive to help children get quality
education and fill the gaps needed in the existing education system. With
the shutdown of schools during the pandemic due to massive interruptions
to in-person learning, new challenges arose. There was no one-size-fits-all
solution when dealing with people, including teachers, students and
parents. This has called for schools to reflect on what works and shift from
what's not at such a rapid pace. Taking this lesson, it allows businesses in
the education sector to build resilience for any unforeseen crisis and
prepare a long-term plan to sustain.
-Puan Zaliza Alias
The school
o ers an eco-friendly
environment for the students to
enjoy learning and feel at home.
school encourages students to learn by
doing and understanding instead of
rote learning and memorising."
"On the other hand, the school believes
that happy students learn better. Our
curriculum is induced with a fun and
happy learning environment so that the
students will find love in what they are
learning and believe in what they are
pursuing. No matter how well-
constructed a curriculum is, it is the
students' happiness that

17. will keep them driven and
engaged in achieving their learning
goals at school," she further adds.
A Global School for Future Global
Citizens
It is not an unknown fact that
international schools with recognised
international curricula help bring
education all across the world on the
same page. Talking about building the
genesis of such a global society, Puan
Zaliza Alias explains, "As the saying
goes, it takes a village to raise a child;
hence, it will take a global village to
educate children of different
communities and backgrounds in the
world that are characterised as
diverse."
"With so much of our life counting on
how prepared we are for situations that
face us, our role as an international
school educator is to prepare children
to be future-ready. A clear
understanding of what a global village
means will help them break through
cultural, language and communication
barriers. In that respect, they will gain
tremendous opportunities to work with
different
people, achieve
bigger things and be
better involved with larger
communities regardless of age groups,
cultures, ethnicities, races, religions,
languages and skin colours," she
further adds.
A Unique Eco-Friendly School
The school's infrastructure is situated
in an eco-friendly environment to
boost the oxygen levels in the
atmosphere to better develop cognitive
abilities and accelerate the growth of
the students. Highlighting the facilities
school offers to its students, Puan
Zaliza Alias says, "The school offers an
eco-friendly environment for the
students to enjoy learning and feel at
home. The facilities include air-
conditioned classrooms, a science lab,
a computer lab, an art studio,
libraries, a garden, a mini petting
farm, a cafe, a basketball court, a
futsal area and boarding (EduCity
campus)."
Creating a Positive Impact
on Society
Education institutes are considered
trendsetters in the world and have
immense power for the empowerment
of society and IDRISSI International
Schools being an emblem of
empowerment, has contributed
immensely to society since its
inception.
Shedding some light on such impacts,
the school management postulates,
"Following the Cambridge
International curriculum infused with
eco and value-based education, our
community, consisting of teachers,
students, parents and staff has been
actively involved in environmental

18. Core Values
The school adheres
firmly to the Environmental,
Social and Governance (ESG)
measure to ensure the school's
performance is sustained
throughout the years. The
adherence to the three values
has brought positive effects on
students, educators and staff's
development to a greater
degree.

19. actions; including Sembang @WWF,
beach cleaning, rhu planting and other
social actions; including Pandemic
Passage Art Exhibition for COVID-19
patients, charity bake sales for
orphanage homes, education sharing
with a refugee school and more."
Envisioning the Future
Laying the roadmap for the future and
sharing some with us, Puan Zaliza
Alias says, "IDRISSI School is part of
the leading K-12 education ecosystem
built by GAINS Education Group,
which is also the holding company of
Genius Aulad; the pioneer of English-
based Islamic preschool in Malaysia of
more than 20 years and Sekolah Tinta;
a STEM school with the national
syllabus. The success of IDRISSI
School and all the schools in the
GAINS ecosystem is highly fueled by
the passion for filling the gaps and
needs in different aspects of
education."
"Over the years, IDRISSI School has
managed to attract global investors
through its implementation of life
values education and academic
excellence, and it is hoped to spawn a
good network of local and
international campuses after Johor
and Qatar. Always on the lookout for
the betterment in education, we are
also ready to dive into providing
cutting-edge ed-tech solutions to be
incorporated in teaching and
learning at all our schools," she further
adds.

20. October 2022 | 18 | www.theknowledgereview.com

21. Impact
of
Globalization
Education System
risk to regional economic stability and
cohesion. The common assumption
among commentators in the West has
been that the crisis will result in
disenchantment with supposedly Asian
methods of economic and political
administration and further
'convergence' with western norms.
Others are coming to a different
conclusion, namely that adhering to
Western methods makes Asian
societies more vulnerable to the evils
of global capitalism and more exposed
to forces that undermine enduring
cultural and social norms, despite the
fact that there is evidence that some
Asian countries have moved in this
direction. The result of this discussion
will significantly affect the security
situation in the region.
Advancing Education Space
Janauary 2023 | 19 | www.theknowledgereview.com
South East Asia's
on
he long-term repercussions of
Tglobalization on Asian
communities have risen to the
centre of policy deliberations in the
area as the effects of an unprecedented
economic crisis continue to spread
across Asia. Even in the years of Asia's
economic growth, there was a spirited
discussion among academics and
regional leaders about how the outside
world affected the area. Asian concerns
about forces of globalization were at
least partially expressed in the debate
that arose in the early 1990s about
perceived distinctions between Asian
and Western 'values.'
The financial crisis in Asia has given
this debate a fuel stabilizer. Now,
prominent, mainstream Asian thinkers
from India to Malaysia to Japan are
warning that globalization may pose a
T

22. The Asia-Pacific Center gathered a
group of esteemed government leaders
and academics for three days of
intensive conversations to explore
Asian perspectives on globalization
and to look at how the phenomenon is
changing the region's security
situation. The discussion helped to
clarify ideas about how ties in the
region may or may not change in the
next years, despite the fact that
thinking about the effects of
globalization is still very much in its
infancy.
Security in the Region and
Globalization
The impacts of globalization on the
security landscape in Asia are diverse.
Globalization may be altering
interactions between nations in
addition to the political and economic
conditions within individual states.
This effect is not always detrimental.
Several participants claimed that the
forces of globalization have in some
ways increased stability in the area.
Deeper economic integration and the
formation of regional 'growth
triangles,' like the Johor-Riau-
Singapore triangle in Southeast Asia,
have decreased the likelihood of war;
the extraordinary interdependence
brought on by globalization
incentivizes states to work together. In
fact, the 'absence of war' in Southeast
Asia in recent years must be attributed,
at least in part, to the forces of
globalization, according to an
Indonesian researcher.
Globalization has had some negative
effects on the regional security
situation, though. Other conventional
security problems in the region seem
resistant to the effects of globalization;
in fact, globalization may even serve to
exacerbate long-standing conflicts.
Globalization may reduce the
likelihood of war in some parts of the
region. The effects of globalization are
also creating new difficulties that will
put regional governments' capacity for
co-operation to the test. Participants
associated a number of worries with
globalization, including:
New consequences: Several
participants connected the impact of
globalization to the emergence of new
'transnational' problems. Numerous of
these issues are long-term dangers that
generally do not fall under the purview
of foreign policy. These threats'
transnational nature presents a
conundrum for Asian nations as well. A
significant challenge for the region in
the coming century will be building
institutional ability to address these
issues, both domestically and
internationally. Among these fresh
dangers are:
Ÿ Climate impact and energy - The
importance of sea lanes and
transportation routes has increased
as a result of Asia's rapid economic
growth and region's rising reliance
on energy imports. Energy use in
the area has also increased, which
has worsened environmental
damage that numerous participants
connected to social instability.
Ÿ Water and Food security -
Pressure on food and water
supplies has intensified due to the
growing issue of environmental
degradation and the region's
expanding population. Water
availability was mentioned by
numerous participants as a possible
source of conflict in the future,
despite the fact that advancements
in agricultural technology appear to
be likely to ameliorate difficulties
with food security.
Ÿ Diaspora - International migration
has dramatically increased as a
result of factors including the
quickly expanding populations in
many of the developing world,
porous national boundaries, and
differences in the rates of economic
growth. Southeast Asia is already
experiencing tensions related to
migration; during the financial
crisis, Malaysia sent out troops and
navy vessels to control the flow of
Indonesian migrants.
Ÿ Threats from organized crime and
other 'non-state' entities. Organized
crime networks, terrorists,
traffickers in illegal goods like
narcotics and weapons, and even
human smugglers are less
constrained in their operations as a
result of easier access to
communication and transportation
channels and the increased
permeability of state boundaries.
Some participants speculated that
these risks could end up being
among the most dangerous in the
twenty-first century.
Conclusion
Asia must stop trashing the west for its
part in promoting globalization, and
vice versa. The discussion quickly
turned to the fact that western nations
have also been affected by
globalization, and that addressing its
problems will take up a significant
portion of the policy agendas in
Washington, London, Paris, and Bonn
well into the twenty-first century. The
persistence of Republican presidential
candidate Pat Buchanan's particular
style of populist isolationism, as well
as the concerns raised by the Y2K bug
among millennial, show that worry
about globalization affects even
Americans.
January 2023 | 20 | www.theknowledgereview.com