TVET in Numbers
3 min read
ACCORDING TO THE Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia produced about 255,000 graduates in 2020, approximately 86% of which were from the academic track, and 1...
September 2026
The September Issue Is Out Now! Penang Monthly’s September issue explores the vibrant world of Penang’s pasar malam, highlighting their food, culture, community, traditions, and evolving role in island life.
Arts-ED: Getting People to Know Each Other
3 min read
PENANG-BASED ARTS-ED works at finding creative ways to connect culturally-diverse young Malaysians. Besides making sure that the young learn art techniques, it...
With E-learning, Universal Education Finally Comes of Age
3 min read
LIKE SO MANY generations before me have done I associate learning with schools with buildings to which little uniformed boys and girls trudge before the day get...
![Farizan bin Darus: A Lifetime Serving Penang and the Civil Service [Part One]](https://host.forward.edu.my/pm_storage/public/13960/penang-profile.jpg)
Farizan bin Darus: A Lifetime Serving Penang and the Civil Service [Part One]
6 min read
AFTER A LIFETIME in the civil service, Dato' Seri Haji Farizan bin Darus finally retired from the powerful position of State Secretary for Penang State in 2019....
The Man Who Sets Up Chowrasta Market Every Morning
1 min read
At 3am, when the fried bee hoon seller arrives, Tan helps her set up the stove before proceeding to the more demanding task of moving the pots and trays of food from the economical rice seller’s car to her stall.
Staying Fit in a Food Paradise
5 min read
There is something to eat at every street corner in Penang, at any time of day. Unfortunately, all that delicious food – combined with our sedentary lifes...
A History of Malayalees in Penang: Part Two: The Second Wave – White-Collar Workers, Nationalists and Legislators (1920s-1957)
12 min read
The early wave of Malayalee immigrants was largely Muslim.While the first wave of Malayalees contributed primarily to the physical and commercial developm...
Jelutong – Gone Upmarket
2 min read
Vibrant and full of history, Jelutong straddles the new and the old, its high-rise apartments towering over pre-war shophouses, zinc-roofed automobile workshops and quaint fishing boats.
Why Meet the 21st century with 20th century Mindsets?
3 min read
Why Meet the 21st century with 20th century Mindsets?We should not forget that in the days before social media and news websites, the flow of information &n...
Long May They Hawk
6 min read
These photos are a tribute to the hawkers of Penang – many of whom have supplied good food for generations and, in more subtle ways, glimpses of their culture, language and history. This series of portraits is a celebration of their variety and omnipresence in our society.
Social Media and the Self
3 min read
What is it about social media that turns us so easily into converts and addicts?This is not a difficult question to answer, really. It is immediate; it prov...
Social Growth Factors in Numbers
4 min read
In recent years, Penang’s robust economic performance, bolstered by immense foreign investment and its manufacturing and service sectors, is an encouragin...
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