A group of 30 students from the School of Business (SOBIZ) at INTI International College Penang stepped out of the classroom to see how Malaysia’s key institutions operate in practice.
Students from INTI International College Penang during their visit to Parliament Malaysia, where they observed the setting in which national debates and decisions take place.
Over two days, they gained a closer look at the country’s financial, legislative, and judicial systems, observing how decisions are debated, policies are formed, and systems are carried out in practice. The experiential learning visit, held from 11 to 12 March 2026, was organised by the IICP Law and Economics Society.
Their visits brought them into three institutions, each offering a different perspective on how the country functions. At Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery, students explored how monetary policy, inflation, and financial systems influence everyday life. At Istana Kehakiman, they gained insight into the judiciary’s role in upholding the rule of law. At Parliament Malaysia, they stood in the setting where national debates take place and decisions are made.
For many, it was this final visit that left the strongest impression.
“Being there made everything feel tangible,” said Taruneesh A/L Sri Sangar, a student from the School of Business. “What we learn in lectures can sometimes feel abstract, but this experience helped me understand how decisions at the national level directly affect society and our daily lives.”
Students from INTI International College Penang at Istana Kehakiman, gaining insight into the judiciary’s role in upholding the rule of law.
The visit was designed to bridge that gap between theory and practice. According to Ang Wei Zhi, lecturer and advisor from the faculty, seeing institutions up close allows students to connect concepts with reality in a way that textbooks cannot.
“When students see how institutions function firsthand, they gain a clearer and more meaningful understanding of how governance, law, and economic systems intersect and impact everyday life,” he said.
Observing how these institutions operate and interact also prompted students to think more critically about their role in society, giving them a broader perspective on governance and the responsibilities that come with it.
Chief Executive of INTI International College Penang, Hemalatha Murugiah, said such exposure is important as students prepare to navigate an increasingly complex environment.
“Experiential learning helps students connect what they learn in class with how systems operate in the real world. By engaging directly with Malaysia’s key institutions, they develop a clearer understanding of how decisions are made and the role they can play within that system,” she said.
For the students, the experience offered something lectures alone could not, a clearer sense of how the systems they study take shape, and where they fit within them.