Sunday January 6, 2008
PUTRAJAYA: Parents who have already paid non-mandatory fees to school should treat the payment as a kind of contribution to the institution instead of seeking a refund.
Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said there were some parents who had never attended a single Parent-Teacher Association meeting and yet reacted angrily when asked to fork out these fees.
“These parents should instead be sincere in helping school authorities to enhance their children's performance,” he said, adding that there were some Chinese schools where the parents voluntarily paid up these fees in order to ensure that the students enjoyed facilities such as a well-stocked libraries and computers.
“The parents there are also proactive in helping the schools and coming up with activities that can benefit the students.
Topsy-turvy: Hishammuddin having a go at one of the contraptions at Putrajaya Wetlands Saturday, much to the excitement of those who attended his ministry’s Family Day celebration.
“However, there are some parents who insist on letting this burden be shouldered entirely by the schools,” he told reporters after attending the ministry's Family Day celebrations at Putrajaya Wetlands here yesterday.
On Friday, Hishammuddin said that schools could not force parents to pay additional fees as these were not mandatory but were decided by the schools and the PTAs.
Parents, he said, could also air their grouses to the ministry if they felt they were being forced to do so by the schools.
Many parents had complained about the imposition of additional fees in certain schools since the start of the new academic term on Thursday, with some claiming that the sum could reach above RM100 or RM200.
This was despite the Government's announcement that it would scrap school fees beginning this year.
However, Hishammuddin said that the ministry had no plans to streamline the payment of these additional fees because there were some parents who actually wished to contribute to the schools.
“Some of them may be millionaires and can afford to give the sum or in fact, more than what the schools ask for. We don't want to hinder them.
“But those who really cannot afford to do so, can ask for this sum back,” he said.
On the next general election, Hishammuddin, who is also the Barisan Nasional Youth chief said every component member in the coalition was to only field qualified candidates, who could afford to give their best.
“The rakyat are now more intelligent and critical in their evaluation of candidates.
“The component parties must choose carefully,” he said, adding that Barisan Youth was ready to face polls.
Hisham: View fees as donation
More Malaysians study in US
Thursday January 3, 2008
KUALA LUMPUR: The number of Malaysian students going to the United States last year was the highest in the last five years, much to the delight of the US Embassy here.
US ambassador to Malaysia James Keith said 33,000 visas in total were given to Malaysians in 2007, and of this, 1,642 were student visas.
“This is an increase of about 19% from the previous year, when 1,384 student visas were approved.
“I think you will all be very happy with your choice to study in the United States, which provides some of the best opportunities for higher education in the world,” he told a group of 18 Malaysian students before handing them their visas yesterday.
The embassy’s Consul-General Andrew T. Miller said the number of student visas approved in 2005 was 1,274, 1,322 in 2004 and 1,479 in 2003.
“In the 1980s, we had 17,000 Malaysian students in the US, but Sept 11 has certainly been a big blow to us.
“One of the reasons why the numbers dropped in the last few years was because people thought they weren’t going to get through our security clearance process,” he said.
“We want to remind everyone that our security process is now easier, unlike the visa interview five or six years ago. What students might have gone through then is very different from processes and systems in 2007,” he said.
Miller added that a student visa application could now be completed in four days.
Hisham: Never mind the uniform
MARAN: Attend school even if you do not have your uniforms on the first day of the new session.
“I am worried as there are students who have said they would not be attending school because their uniforms were lost or destroyed in the floods,” Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said at a gotong royong to clean up SK Paya Pasir, here yesterday.
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Setting an example: Hishammuddin (second from left), Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob (third from left) and Deputy Mentri Besar Datuk Tan Aminuddin Tan Ishak (fourth from left) cleaning up the floor of SK Paya Pasir in Maran yesterday. |
He said the Government wanted to see all pupils and students attend school on Jan 3.
“There will not be any punishment if they are not in their school uniforms,” Hishammuddin said, adding that the students should also not be embarrassed if they were without the uniforms.
He also urged textbook suppliers to double their effort to print the books so that they could be delivered on time.
The Meteorological Department has forecasted less rain over the coming days in all states except Sabah and Sarawak.
Moderate occasional rainfall is expected in Sarawak while rain is expected in eastern Sabah in the morning and western Sabah in the afternoon.
The statement said high tide was expected at several places off the peninsula, Sarawak and western Sabah for five days beginning today.
In PAHANG, the flood situation has improved, with the number of evacuees having dropped to 8,807 from 10,172 early yesterday.
The main road linking Pekan and Kuantan is still closed to all vehicles while Jalan Pekan-Paloh Hinai has been opened to heavy vehicles.
In KELANTAN, state Education Director Ismail Mohd Nor said schools would open for the new school year as scheduled on Jan 2 as the situation has returned to normal.
He said all school heads had been instructed to make the necessary preparations.
In JOHOR, the number of flood evacuees in the state continued to drop with only 266 people remaining in seven flood relief centres in Segamat. All roads in the state are now passable.
In ALOR STAR, all flood victims in Kedah have returned home and the water level at rivers have fallen below the danger level.
Ample education opportunities
Party president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting said this was because education was the key towards retaining the strength and competitive edge of the community.
“The Chinese community is a strong and independent lot. This is why the MCA has developed several strategies in the field of education to ensure they stay that way,” he said during the Kampar MCA division 58th anniversary dinner on Wednesday.
The strategies, added Ong, were addition, relocation and expansion.
“We have moved towards building more Chinese schools, relocating those that are under-enrolled and expanding some to provide better facilities,” he said.
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Joyous occasion: Ong (centre), Perak MCA chairman Datuk Ong Ka Chuan (second from right), Kampar MCA division chief Datuk Lee Chee Leong (third from right) and other MCA members cutting the division’s anniversary cake on Wednesday. |
“These early leavers can develop their skills, from sewing to mechanics and even cooking,” he said.
For entrance into local universities, the MCA had successfully helped 78% of Chinese students to obtain places, he said.
“A large percentage of them have also gotten PTPTN (National Higher Education Fund) loans,” he said.
Ong said MCA’s Lifelong Learning Campaign also promoted the importance of educating mature students.
He urged the Chinese community to ensure the MCA’s political strength was retained so that the rights of the community could be protected.
Najib: School calendar to be adjusted if flooding continues
TUMPAT: Students in flood-affected areas may get to enjoy longer school holidays if the situation does not return to normal, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said.
He said this was because some schools were flooded while others had been turned into flood relief centres.
“We'll make adjustments to the school calendar if necessary,” he told reporters after presenting food aid and cattle for Hari Raya Haji at SK Bunohan here yesterday.
The year-end school holidays will end on Jan 1 for some states and Jan 2 for the others.
Najib said 28 schools in Kelantan were affected by the floods which began to hit the state on Dec 8.
More low-lying and coastal areas are at risk of being flooded while the situation in the affected areas may worsen with the high tide phenomenon forecast to start on Friday.
The Meteorological Department had said the high tide would peak from Dec 23 to 26 and was expected to last until Dec 29.
Najib advised those living in such areas as well as near rivers to exercise caution as the sea level may rise and contribute to more flooding.
He reminded parents to keep a close watch on their children and prevent them from playing in floodwaters as most of the 29 flood fatalities in Kelantan, Pahang and Johor were children.
Najib said he was satisfied with the management of relief aid in Kelantan, thanks to close cooperation between the federal and state government.
Classes for juvenile prisoners
KAJANG: The Education Ministry will work with the Prisons Department to enable juveniles behind bars to continue with their studies and sit for public examinations.
Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said juvenile prisoners currently had no access to education programmes other than what was carried out by non-governmental organisations.
“We want to ensure that everyone has access to education,” he told reporters yesterday after opening a national seminar on student disciplinary regulations.
Hishammuddin said he would also discuss the matter with Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Fu Ah Kiow.
“What we need is some space so we can send teachers into the prisons to teach juveniles,” he said.
More details would be announced in early January, he added.
On another matter, Hishammuddin said the disciplinary regulations being used in schools now were drafted under Education Ordinance 1957.
“There have been no changes since then. Based on the rapid development and the changes in student disciplinary problems, it is appropriate that new regulations be drafted,” he said.
The ministry had come up with a draft of new regulations after carefully studying various other legislation, including the Children’s Act and the Dangerous Drugs Act, and obtaining the views of the community, he said.
“We hope the draft can be further fine-tuned into a comprehensive mechanism,” he said.
He said that, based on statistics from 2002 to 2006, the number of students involved in crime stood at 0.02%, which could be considered low.
“But however small the number, it still means we have a problem which must be overcome,” he added.
According to Hishammuddin, the ministry has recorded an overall drop in disciplinary cases among students.
A comparison between January to June last year and the corresponding period this year showed a percentage point decrease of 0.15% to 1.13% this year, he added.
UPSR, PMR name change
THE Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) and Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) examinations will be known as Pentaksiran Sekolah Rendah (PSR) and and Pentaksiran Sekolah Menengah Rendah (PSMR) respectively from 2011, Utusan Malaysia reported.
However, here will be no change to the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia.
According to the Malaysian Examination Syndicate's Psychometrics Unit head Dr Jamil Adimin, the move was made to conform with the National Education Assessment System.
He said the new system would include assessments for academic performance, co-curricular activities, behaviour, physical education and psychometric tests.
“After the school assesses the students, the central assessment unit will review the marks given by the school according to the school’s performance in the public examinations,” he said, adding that this method was being used in developed countries and schools would not be able to question reviews by the syndicate.
“The syndicate will be able to detect any 'extraordinary' marking by the schools through this system,” he said.
He said that with the change, the name of the syndicate would also be changed to the National Assessment Authority.
> Berita Harian reported that two civil servants in Negri Sembilan would have their salaries cut to compensate for their carelessness which brought about losses of more than RM60,000 to the state government.
State Secretary Datuk Norzam Mohd Nor said the first case involved a civil servant who was careless in handling fees and payments and incurred a loss of RM52,000.
The second, he said, was another case of negligence, which resulted in state government vehicles being involved in road accidents where the repairs cost the government tens of thousands of ringgit.
“The decision to cut the employees' salaries was made after the disciplinary committee heard our explanations and reviewed the evidence,” he said.
