There is no denying that the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant stress worldwide and impacted practically every aspect of human activity. The impacts of this deadly virus on education are not seen as gaining much-needed focus from the scientific research community. The majority of educational institutions globally switched to online instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there were considerable differences in the technical readiness of various nations. In this regard, the study’s attempt to provide a way forward for how the educational sector ought to manage the challenges brought on by COVID-19 issues in support of online educational activities. Since some of the consequences that resulted have an impact on the educational sector, the answers presumably also should have included innovations that would improve scientific research to lessen its effects. Particularly, it appears there is still much that has to be done about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the educational sector. Hence, this perspective review study aims to explore the potential relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and the educational sector while suggesting a way forward.

This study compares Human Resource Development (HRD) in Vietnam and Malaysia, looking at their methods, problems, and institutional frameworks in the context of ASEAN economic integration and Industry 4.0. Based on Cho and McLean’s (2004) integrated HRD model, this paper looks at recent research (from 2018 to 2023) to look at important topics such globalization, demographic changes, vocational training alignment, and technology disruption. Vietnam has a vast workforce, but it still has problems with low productivity, skill mismatches, and not being ready for the global market. On the other hand, Malaysia’s institutional HRD structures are making more progress, even though its workforce is getting older and not everyone is adapting to digital transformation at the same rate. The study shows that we need HRD policies that are tailored to each industry, training that is delivered in a decentralized way, and stronger relationships between the public and commercial sectors. It also stresses how important it is for national HRD policies to include global competences and initiatives that help everyone learn new skills. The study adds a unique framework for comparing HRD and gives policymakers, educators, and practitioners useful information, even though it is constrained by its use of secondary data. Future study should use mixed-methods to confirm results and look into interventions that work in specific situations. The study shows that Vietnam and Malaysia need personalized, inclusive, and forward thinking HRD systems to produce strong and competitive workforces in the post-pandemic, digital driven global economy.

This study examines the viability and user acceptance of a Cultural Healing Virtual Museum as a novel method for enhancing employee well-being and psychological health in organizational environments. The research shows how combining art and design can create engaging cultural experiences, looking at how visual appeal, space layout, and interactive technology can help reduce stress, build emotional strength, and teach employees about culture. The study focuses on middle-aged working individuals, especially those facing stress and sub-health issues, utilizing a mixed-methods approach with 381 participants. Notably, 87.14% of participants reported awareness of the concept of cultural healing, and over 78% indicated a willingness to engage with immersive cultural wellness tools. Research indicates a pronounced inclination toward culturally relevant virtual settings that integrate traditional healing practices—such as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), calligraphy, and meditation themes—with modern digital aesthetics. The findings demonstrate that art-based immersive components markedly improve emotional well-being, cultivate trust in organizational health programs, and elevate the propensity to participate in preventative self-care activities. Principal elements influencing engagement comprised visual coherence, symbolic significance, and emotional impact. Even though most feedback was positive, some participants expressed concerns about how comfortable they were with technology and using virtual reality, pointing out the need for easy training and designs that include everyone. These findings suggest that immersive wellness strategies rooted in art and heritage can contribute directly to human capital development by boosting proactive health behavior and reducing psychological strain. This research highlights the possibility of incorporating art, cultural heritage, and immersive technology into workplace wellness initiatives to bolster employee well-being, improve psychological health, and facilitate human capital development.

The failure to achieve sustainable development in South Africa is due to the inability to deliver quality and adequate health services that would lead to the achievement of sustainable human security. As we live in an era of digital technology, Machine Learning (ML) has not yet permeated the healthcare sector in South Africa. Its effects on promoting quality health services for sustainable human security have not attracted much academic attention in South Africa and across the African continent. Hospitals still face numerous challenges that have hindered achieving adequate health services. For this reason, the healthcare sector in South Africa continues to suffer from numerous challenges, including inadequate finances, poor governance, long waiting times, shortages of medical staff, and poor medical record keeping. These challenges have affected health services provision and thus pose threats to the achievement of sustainable security. The paper found that ML technology enables adequate health services that alleviate disease burden and thus lead to sustainable human security. It speeds up medical treatment, enabling medical workers to deliver health services accurately and reducing the financial cost of medical treatments. ML assists in the prevention of pandemic outbreaks and as well as monitoring their potential epidemic outbreaks. It protects and keeps medical records and makes them readily available when patients visit any hospital. The paper used a qualitative research design that used an exploratory approach to collect and analyse data.

This article examines the factors influencing sustainable entrepreneurship (SE) in Arab countries, focusing on economic, social, and technological dimensions. Using data from various sources and structural equation modeling, the study explores the relationships between these factors and SE sustainability. The findings reveal that economic factors, such as GDP per capita and foreign direct investment (FDI), positively influence SE sustainability, emphasizing the need for a conducive economic environment. Social factors, measured by Internet usage and the Human Development Index (HDI), also significantly impact SE sustainability, highlighting the importance of access to information and education. However, technological factors like patent applications and high-tech exports did not show a significant positive relationship with SE sustainability, suggesting a minimal direct impact on SE longevity in Arab countries. These insights have implications for policymakers, stressing the importance of fostering economic growth and enhancing social infrastructure to support sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems. Despite its robust methodology, the study has limitations, such as incomplete data for certain countries, affecting the generalizability of the findings. Future research could explore additional factors influencing SE sustainability, further investigate the role of technology, and expand the geographical scope to include more Arab countries.