Dika College, one of the leading Early Childhood Education institutions in Malaysia held its first alumni reunion recently. Taking place 12 years after it was established, the occasion was themed ‘A Day to Remember’. Held at Empire Subang, it was attended by more than 200 members of its alumni who are now educators and advocates of Early Childhood Education (ECE) in the country.

At the event, former graduates were seen reconnecting with old friends and faculty members. The occasion also provided the opportunity for the attendees to network with like-minded people who are committed to ECE. Among them was the Chairman of Dika College, Y, Bhg. Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Abdul Rahmad Arshad who shared his thoughts and passion for ECE while catching up with alumni members.

Aptly, a moment was called to reflect and celebrate Dika College’s milestones including its establishment 12 years ago. To the delight of the former students, Dika’s faculty took to the stage with a special song composed to memoralise Dika College’s journey and values.

In his speech, Tan Sri Abdul Rahman who is the founder of Dika College said he is proud to see how the ECE institution has grown in leaps and bounds to what it is today, as a prominent brand and expert in the field of ECE in Malaysia. Based on its philosophy that teaching is an art, Dika College has always aspired to cultivate teachers that are not merely trained to teach. “It is more than simply transferring knowledge to students. Teachers at Dika College are inspired to teach young children to be independent as well as knowledgeable,” said Tan Sri. He added that teaching young children is a creative process that involves the constant need to keep up with the advancements in the ECE field locally as well as on the international level.

For its first official gathering since Dika College was established, the CEO, Pua Chee Ling said that the reunion turned out to be a great success. “We had students from our first cohort and almost every other cohort since then join us for this event. A lot of our alumni didn’t have the chance to meet up with their friends after graduation, so this event brought them back together. There was lots of chatter and laughter as memories were recalled. It felt like a one big family gathering.”

The occasion was made more memorable as it was also Tan Sri’s birthday, which was commemorated with a cake cutting ceremony. To show appreciation for his effort and guidance in steering Dika College for the past 12 years, the management also presented him with a special gift. The reunion wouldn’t have been a great success had it not been for the event committee and the academic staff says Pua. “I would like to thank them all for their tireless effort and spirit of togetherness in making the event truly a memorable one for all of us including the special performances put up on that day. Bravo to the team!”

Dika College was established in 2004, with only four students in its first enrolment. Today, more than 500 graduates have walked the doors of the institution that is specialised in the field of Special Education and Early Childhood Education.