School-based assessment system may replace exams

2010/06/23
NST

KUALA LUMPUR: A school-based assessment system may be used to replace an exam-oriented education system in the country, said Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, said the Examination Board would determine the type of questions that can be used by teachers for such assessment in schools.

"We will replace exams with an assessment system. It has not been finalised but a study has been done and found to be acceptable because such a system is used in many countries.

"The system might not be very different from other countries, provided the education system - how teachers teach and how students study - is not affected. The concern is how to evaluate achievement of students - through examinations or assessment," he told the Dewan Rakyat when winding up debate on the 10th Malaysia Plan, for his ministry, here today.

He added that the government would not make hasty decisions on policy matters like proposals to scrap the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) and Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) exams.

"Many experts have said that it should have been done long ago, why now? We have carried out a research and study since 2007 because we have a team to look into such issues," he said.

Muhyiddin said reducing public examinations would actually save the government money in aspects of management, human resource and the burden of teachers to carry out such examinations process.

As for revamping technical, vocational and skills education system to become part of the premier education system of the country, Muhyiddin said the government would increase the number of vocational schools and introduce new curriculums to cater for growing demands.

"I myself am going to chair the meeting at ministry level to look at the main changes involved in the revamp of vocational, curriculum, infrastructure, facilities and training," he said.

He added that the Education Ministry would also take over the implementation of the Permata Negara programme from 2012.

The Permata programme, a model for the national childcare and early childhood education curriculum, is an effort by the government to educate children below the age of five and the system had been expanded to 457 centres nationwide, benefiting 17,565 children so far.

Meanwhile, Muhyiddin said overall RM26.093 billion was allocated to the Education Ministry as a whole, to carry out 15,324 projects, including an additional 808 projects under the Economic Stimulus Package.

"Until June 15, 8,870 project have been successfully completed, 5,312 projects are in various stages of implementation and 942 will be carried forward to 10MP," he said.

Muhyiddin said as of May 31, 2010 the ministry had spent RM16.668 billion or 85.12 per cent of the overall allocation. -- BERNAMA

7,987 SPM Candidates Excel

NST
2010/03/11

PUTRAJAYA: 7,987 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) 2009 candidates registered excellent results (A+, A, and/or A-) for all subjects sat for compared to 6,277 in 2008.

Education director-general Tan Sri Alimuddin Mohd Dom said of the total 214 candidates had excellent grades (A+) in accordance with the new grading implemented last year.

He said the new top grade was introduced as a higher grade than 1A to further detail a candidate's excellence.

"I am glad to announce that on the whole the achievements of the candidates this time is something to be proud of, exceeding the achievements of last year.

"The achievements of the candidates increased from the aspect of numbers obtaining excellent certificates (A+, A and/or A-) and passing all subjects sat for," he said when announcing the analyses for the SPM and Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia (STAM) 2009 examinations at the Education Ministry here today.

He said 465,853 candidates registered for exams last year.

Alimuddin said of the 59,433 private candidates and candidates of private schoolS and agency-sponsored schools besides the Education Ministry, 41 candidates had excellent grades (A+).

He also announced that Gladys Tan Yee Kim from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Green Road, Kuching, Sarawak was the best student for SPM 2009 and Sekolah Menengah Sains Seremban, Negeri Sembilan as the best school.

He said of the 10 best students the other nine were Grace Kiew Sze-Ern (SMK (P) Sri Aman, Petaling Jaya, Selangor); Khadijah Ahmad Jais (SM Agama Persekutuan Labu, Negeri Sembilan); Akmal Hidayat Sabri (SMK Derma, Kangar, Perlis); Syamilah Mahali (Kolej Tunku Kurshiah Seremban, Negeri Sembilan); Lee Wei Ling (SMK Taman Melawati, Selangor); Nur Syuhadah Muhamad (SM Sains Tengku Muhammad Faris Petra, Kota Bharu, Kelantan); Lai Yin Kwin (SMK Tinggi Melaka, Melaka); Corinne Gunn Huey Min (SMK Taman Melawati, Selangor); and Hu May Khei (SMK Convent, Taiping, Perak).

He said the other nine best schools were Kolej Islam Sultan Alam Shah, Klang, Selangor; Sekolah Berasrama Penuh Integrasi (SBPI) Gombak, Jalan Sungai Pusu, Gombak, Kuala Lumpur; Sekolah Tun Fatimah, Johor Bahru, Johor; Sekolah Menengah Sains Alam Shah, Kuala Lumpur; SBPI Rawang, Selangor; Sekolah Menengah Sains Muar, Johor; SBPI Temerloh, Pahang; SMK Infant Jesus Convent, Johor Bahru, Johor and Kolej Tunku Kurshiah Seremban, Negeri Sembilan.

Alimuddin said of the 406,420 Education Ministry candidates who sat for the exam, 364,046 (90.8 per cent) obtained the SPM certificate compared to 347,443 (90.8 per cent) in 2008.

"Eventhough the percentage is the same there has been an increase in the number of candidates of 16,603. The achievement is stable as the previous year.

He said 199,155 (49.6 per cent) candidates passed all subjects taken compared to 181,419 (47.4 per cent) last year.

He said of that total 68,131 (17 per cent) had at least grade C for all subjects compared to 60,902 (15.9 per cent) in 2008.

"This achievement shows a good increase. However, the number of candidates who failed or obtained G grade increased, that is 4,626 (1.15 per cent) in 2009 compared to 2,589 (0.67 per cent) in 2008," he said.

Alimuddin said 538 candidates who had special needs for various disabilities sat for the 2009 SPM exam compared to 481 candidates in 2008 and of that number 251 (51.9 per cebt) obtained the SPM certificate compared to 208 (47.8 per cent) in 2008.

He said two candidates with impaired eyesight got four A+, three As and four A- for 11 subjects sat for and one had four A+, three As and three A- for 10 subjects sat for.

"Two more candidates with various handicaps did very well when both got eight A+, two As for 10 subjects taken," he said.

He said the achievements of urban and rural students was better compared to the previous year as 5,942 urban students and 1,243 rural students did well in all subjects compared to 4,750 urban students and 989 rural students in 2008.

He said the divide between urban and rural students was narrowed in performance in core subjects like English, Science and Moral Education.

Alimuddin said however efforts to reduce the performance divide between urban and rural students needed to be increased especially in Bahasa Melayu, History, Mathematics and Islamic Studies.

He said based on average school grades, 66 schools were in the Excellent category, 278 (Good), 1,654 (Satisfactory) and 143 (Potential) and this showed that the efforts of the ministry to enhance schools' performance was successfully implemented.

Alimuddin said the number of students who passed the Bahasa Melayu and English language papers in the SPM exam last year charted an increase compared to the previous year.

He said 364,046 students passed Bahasa Melayu in last year's exam compared to 347,443 in 2008 and 302,501 passed English compared to 282,471 the previous year.

He said the government was striving towards entrenching Bahasa Melayu and strengthening English so that the performance in both these subjects can be enhanced.

In JOHOR BAHARU, 1,010 candidates obtained excellent grades(A+, A and/or A-) in all subjects sat for including 29 who had A+ for all subjects sat for.

State education director Sufa'at Tumin said 39 schools had 100 per cent passes while the state average grade was 5.32.

"Overall, the Johor SPM results are something to be proud of. 42,370 candidates got the SPM certificate compared to 40,379 in the previous year," he said.

Sufa'at said 23,625 candidates passed all subjects taken and of that number 8,173 had at least a C grade in all subjects taken.

He said Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Infant Jesus Convent, Johor Baharu, student Tan Yen Ling, was the best student with 14A+s.

In ALOR SETAR, Kedah education director Shahidan Abd Rahman said the SPM results in the state showed an average grade of 5.560.

"Among schools that registered excellent results were SBPI Kubang Pasu, SMK Sultanah Asma, SM Sultan Abdul Halim, SMK Sultan Badlishah, SM Sains Pokok Sena, SM Sains Sultan Mohamad Jiwa, SMK Ibrahim, SMK Keat Hwa and SMK Agama Sik," he said in a media statement here today.

Shahidan said nine candidates got A+ in all subjects taken while 408 (1.33 per cent) had A+, A and A- in all subjects sat for.

In SEREMBAN, Deputy state education director Jamali Salam said 15 candidates had A+ in all subjects. They were among 590 candidates who were excellent students with A+, A and A- in all subjects taken.

"Felda schools showed good performance. There were four excellent students as opposed to none the previous year," he said.

In KUALA LUMPUR, 669 candidates had excellent grades of A+, A and A- with 21 having A+ in all subjects taken.

Kuala Lumpur education director Mohd Adenan Deraman said the results were good as 17,681 candidates earned the SPM certificate compared to 16,789 the previous year.

Four schools registered excellent results and they were Sekolah Menengah (SM) Alam Shah, Sekolah Menengah Sains Seri Puteri, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Aminuddin Baki and SM Sains Selangor.

In PENANG, state education director Ibrahim Ahmad said 26 students had A+ while 717 had a combination of A+, A and A- in all subjects taken.

"The achievements of fully government aided schools is good and 17,373 candidates out of 20,042 or 87.71 per cent will receive the SPM certificate.

Ibrahim said 20 schools in the state registered 100 per cent passes and among them were SMK (P) St George, SMKA Al-Irshad, SMK Dato Onn, SMK Penang Free and SMK Bukit Jambul.

In KANGAR, state education director Mansor Lat said the results were better this time where 4,255 candidates out of 4,696 will get the SPM certificate.

Seven candidates got A+ in all subjects taken while seven schools registered 100 per cent passes compared to six last year.

English boost for 7 schools

NST
2010/02/04
By Nusaybah Mohd Asri

KUALA LUMPUR: The Federal Territory Zakat (tithe) Collection Centre-FT Islamic Council (PPZ-MAIWP) has agreed to sponsor RM20,000 worth of Berita Harian and New Straits Times newspapers and Malaysia 50 Years history books to selected schools.

Seven schools that have started receiving copies of the newspapers are Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Perempuan (P) Jalan Ipoh, SMK Puteri Titiwangsa, SMK Sinar Bintang, SMK Raja Ali, Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Cheras, SK Bandar Tun Razak (2) and SK Seri Anggerik.

These schools have been getting 50 copies of Berita Harian and another 50 copies of the New Straits Times every week on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday starting Feb 2.

The 10 schools that received the Malaysia 50 Years history books are SMK (P) Bandaraya, SMK Taman Setiawangsa, SMK Bandar Tun Razak, SMK Taman Maluri, SM Alam Shah Putrajaya, SK Taman Setiawangsa, SK (1) Batu 4 Jalan Ipoh, SK Wangsa Jaya, SK Setapak Indah and SK Jalan Peel.

The books were published by the publication unit of the Information, Communications and Culture Ministry and the Star Publication.

PPZ-MAIWP chairman Datuk Mustafa Abdul Rahman said the sponsorship programme was a token of appreciation for these schools that had succeeded in increasing the amount of tithes through salary deductions of their staff, including teachers and headmasters.

Mustafa also said PPZ-MAIWP would provide financial assistance to the schools to organise "programmes of excellence" and students' personality development activities.

"We will consider giving financial assistance if, needed, as the programmes can help enhance students' achievements in the primary and secondary schools.

"I hope our sponsorship programme can instil awareness among students on the importance of paying tithes as well as being focused in their studies." he said.

Also present was Bangsar-Pudu Education Department deputy director Jamaluddin Abdullah.

Malaysia's Top 20 Schools Named

NST
2010/01/25

PUTRAJAYA: Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today announced that 20 schools - 14 secondary and six primary - had been accorded the status of high performance schools (SBTs).

Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, said of the 14 secondary schools, 10 were fully residential schools and the rest day schools.

"These schools were chosen from among schools that showed outstanding performance in the field of academia, co-curriculum and niche areas.

"The schools will be guided and monitored closely to ensure they continue to attain even higher levels of performance," he told reporters at his office here today.

The 10 fully residential schools are Sekolah Tun Fatimah (Johor Bahru), Sekolah Dato' Abdul Razak (Seremban), Malay College Kuala Kangsar, Sekolah Seri Puteri (Cyberjaya), Sekolah Menengah Sultan Abdul Halim (Jitra), Kolej Tunku Kurshiah (Seremban), Kolej Islam Sultan Alam Shah (Klang), Sekolah Menengah Sains (SMS) Tuanku Syed Putra (Perlis), Sekolah Sultan Alam Shah (Putrajaya) and SMS Muzaffar Syah (Melaka).

The four day schools are Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) (P) Sri Aman(Petaling Jaya), SMK Aminuddin Baki (Kuala Lumpur), SMK Sultanah Asma (Alor Setar) and SMK (P) St. George (Penang).

The six primary schools are Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Seri Bintang Utara (KL),SK Taman Tun Dr Ismail 1 (KL), SK Bukit Damansara (KL), SK Zainab (2) (Kota Bharu), SK Convent Kota (Taiping), SK Bandar Baru Uda 2 (Johor Bahru).

At the same time, Muhyiddin stressed that SBTs were not elite schools which benefited only a limited number of students.

Instead, he said each school in the country had the same opportunity and a level playing field to be recognised as SBTs.

"Any school that meets the targets of excellence and criteria set (by the Education Ministry) will be recognised as a SBTs and get the same privileges," he said.

Muhyiddin said the ministry targeted to have 30 SBTs by next year and 50 in 2012.

He said the rationale in having SBTs was to raise the quality of the best schools in the country to be world class, produce outstanding students and narrow the gap between schools within the system.

He said SBTs would be given additional autonomy to pursue innovation in school management and raise the productivity of students.

As for curriculum, he said, it would be flexible in terms of teaching and learning as well as syllabi for compulsory and elective subjects, conforming to public examinations and use of the national language as the medium of instruction or multiple languages.

Beside these, Muhyiddin said the schools concerned were also given leeway in fixing the minimum periods for subjects, extending schooling hours and allowing students to complete their studies a year earlier, just like the express promotion system that was introduced previously.


In terms of budget ownership, he said a lump sum grant would be channelled to the schools at the beginning of each year and that they would have the full flexibility to spend as needed and were exempted from the ministry's centralised procurement system.

"Every school has its own budget, but with this status, they will be given additional funds and they can use the money as needed," he said, adding that the grant might be less than RM1 million but had not been fixed yet as this depended on the size of the SBT.

He also said management of staff at these schools would be based on meritocracy and not seniority, besides flexibility given for the paying of overtime and performance incentives.

"There will also be flexibility to re-assign under performing staff and delegation of functions based on academic and non-academic reasons," he said.

Muhyiddin said the SBTs would be appraised yearly based on their annual reports with the appropriate performance indicators and inspections by the ministry's officers in accordance to the revised Malaysian Education Quality Standard.

In relation to this, he said the SBTs would have to fullfil six criterias - attain academic excellence, produce outstanding students, win awards at the national and international level, community work and networking with other schools and higher learning institutions, both locally and internationally.

One of the roles the SBTs would have to play was having their teachers to act as mentors to teachers in other schools through the "immersion" programme involving principals, headmasters and teachers, he said.

Towards maintaing their status as SBTs, he said their strategic plans, management structure, academic and co-curriculum programmes should serve as benchmarks for other schools, locally and abroad.

Muhyiddin said that schools in rural areas could also be selected as SBTs if they fullfilled the criterias set.

"I know not all the 10,000 schools (in the country) can reach this status, but irrespective of whether they are urban or rural schools, they stand an equal chance to be accorded SBT status.

"But if the (rural) schools are constrained because they do not have the same facilities as their urban counterparts, we will speed up action to narrow the gap," he said. -- BERNAMA

800 Laptops For Year 6 Teachers

NST
2010/01/08
By Satiman Jamin

KUALA TERENGGANU: The state government will distribute 800 free laptop computers next month to teachers who are teaching Year Six students.

Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said said this was in line with the state government drive to use e-learning as a tool to boost students' performance in the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR).

"We don't want teachers to use textbooks when their students are all using e-books. Teachers should also set an example and start using them."

Ahmad was speaking at the awards presentation of 3,600 students who scored 5As in last year's UPSR examination at Stadium Negeri here yesterday.

He said the teachers would undergo training courses to ensure they have the necessary skills and competency to use the e-learning methods in class.

He said the state government was negotiating with Intel Corporation Malaysia to incorporate a software program in the teachers' laptops that will enable them to manage and monitor their students' laptops.

"We don't want the students to open the e-textbook of another subject while the teacher is teaching Mathematics."

Ahmad said that although it would cost millions of ringgit, the state government viewed the programme as an important aspect to improve the learning by e-book project.

"My vision is for the future generation in the state to be IT-savvy. This is part of our objective in making Terengganu a corridor of knowledge (Anjung Ilmu)."

New Curriculum For 2011

NST
2010/01/03
By Sonia Ramachandran

KUALA LUMPUR: A new primary school curriculum will be introduced in 2011, with fewer subjects and a more interactive teaching approach.

The new curriculum, called Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Rendah or KSSR, will see some subjects combined, and new ones created with themes on nationhood and patriotism.

It will apply to national and vernacular schools.

It is learnt that modules will be used to teach pupils in place of textbooks.

KSSR will be introduced in Year One next year, and advance through primary school together with the pupils as they go up to the next level of education.

At the same time, KIA2M or the Early Intervention Programme for Reading andWriting — introduced in 2006 to ensure all pupils can read and write by the end of their primary school years — will be abolished.

Education director-general Tan Sri Alimuddin Mohd Dom told the New Sunday Times that the KSSR would represent a “transformation in education”.

It will not replace the present New Primary School Curriculum or KBSR but exist alongside it.

“KSSR’smain aimis to strengthen the command of Bahasa Malaysia and English among primary school pupils.

“The teaching and learning approach will be more interactive and interesting, especially for the teaching of the two languages in line with the Education Ministry’s policy to strengthen both languages as the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English comes to an end that year. ” Alimuddin said teachers were being prepared for the KSSR.

On the scrapping of the KIA2M, Alimuddin said it was not because it was unsuccessful.

“It is more because of situational circumstances. With the onset of the KSSR in 2011, the need for an intervention programme such as the one offered through KIA2M is no longer relevant.

“This is because the learning and content standards that are outlined in KSSR are specifically aimed towards ensuring pupils acquire basic literacy skills by the end of Year 3.” This is also in line with the second National Key Result Areas (NKRA) for the ministry —to ensure all primary school pupils have basic literacy skills after three years of formal schooling.

Also to be introduced next year, said Alimuddin, is the National Standard-Based Preschool Curriculum (KSPK) for five and six-year-olds.

“This curriculum will be used by all preschools in the country, whether they are government pre-schools, those operated by agencies such as the Community Development Department (Kemas), Tadika Perpaduan, or privately- run.

“This is to ensure the aspirations, principles and aims inherent in the curriculum are captured by all pupils through the education they receive at that level.” He said this would also help the ministry realise its first NKRA, which is to ensure 87 per cent pre-school enrolment by 2012.

The KSPK, said Alimuddin, would also involve a new approach in teaching and learning.

“More music and singing would be incorporated into the syllabus.

“More time would also be allocated for English.”

SEA Games: Malaysia beats Vietnam 1-0 in final

The Star

BY ERIC SAMUEL

VIENTIANE: Malaysia finally ended its 20-year gold drought in the SEA Games men’s football competition, when it defeated Vietnam 1-0 in the final played at the Main Stadium of the National Sports Complex in Vientiane on Thursday.

The National Under-23 boys, who came here as non-medal prospects, pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the Games to win the gold.

Malaysia last won the football gold in the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games in 1989, with a 1-0 victory over Singapore.

Vietnam's Mai Xuan Hop (right) weeps as the Malaysians celebrate their 1-0
victory in the Laos SEA Games football final. Mai's own goal proved
to be the'decisive winner' for the Malaysians. - AP Photo

The ‘winner’ came courtesy of an own goal by Vietnam’s Mai Xuan Hop’s in the 84th minute of a toughly-fought final. The football gold medal was also Malaysia’s 40th gold medal in Vientiane.

The victory was all the more sweeter as the Malaysians had lost 1-3 to Vietnam in a group match on Dec 6.

Earlier, the young Malaysians had knocked out defending champions Thailand 2-1 in the group stage to win a place in the semi-finals.

Then in the last four, they downed Laos 3-1 in front of a sell-out 20,000 fans.

Maths And Science Classes: A Lesson Learned

NST

2009/11/23

From B. Suresh Ram in Bandung

THE Education Ministry may emulate the model used by Chinese schools for the teaching of Mathematics and Science in national schools.

This followed the good results achieved by Chinese schools in the two subjects in the recent Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR), Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said.

Muhyiddin, who is also education minister, said Education directorgeneral Tan Sri Alimuddin Mohd Dom would review and study the performance of pupils in national and vernacular schools, as well as in urban and rural schools.

“We may emulate this (vernacular schools’ model) in national schools,” he said at the end of his three-day working visit here.

He was commenting on the UPSR results announced last week.

Research showed that Chinese schools emphasised practical work for pupils, especially homework.

Discipline is also the utmost in these schools.

Activities and sports in these schools also helped build pupils’ IQ and EQ (emotional intelligence quotient).

Muhyiddin said it was also essential to address the performance gap between rural and urban school pupils.

“There is still a gap. We need to analyse this and find ways to close this gap.” He, however, said he was encouraged by the improved results.

Overall, pupils, especially those in rural schools, showed an improvement.

A total of 48,171 pupils, or 9.51 per cent of 506,620, who sat the exam scored straight A s.

Last year, 46,641 (9.19 per cent) of 507,320 UPSR candidates scored all As.

The number of pupils with good results (minimum C) also increased to 63.03 per cent compared with 62.56 per cent last year, while only 0.64 per cent scored all Es compared with 0.66 per cent last year.

Overall, the gap between rural and urban pupils was narrowing.

This could be seen in the contraction in the overall achievement disparity between rural and urban pupils.

The gap between the number of rural and urban pupils scoring five As this year was 3.64 per cent compared with 4.22 per cent last year.

The gap in the number of pupils who obtained good results between the two areas was 5.55 per cent this year compared with 6.25 per cent last year.

Found: Schoolkids who got lost in Gunung Lambak

The Star

KLUANG: Four students of SM Sultan Abdul Jalil who lost their way while climbing Gunung Lambak here on Tuesday were found by a rescue team on Wednesday.

The four students, Meor Shahidan Meor Azman, Normayzurah Nor Salam, Nor Fazlin Mohd Zin and Nurul Afiqah Zulkiflee, all aged 13, were found by a General Operations Force (GOF) team at about 1.35pm.

Kluang district Safety Committee chairman Abdul Razak Mohd Salleh said the four Form One students, who had started climbing the 510m high mountain at about 10am on Tuesday, realised that they had lost their way at about 2pm.

“It was not a school trip. They had decided to climb the mountain on their own. Realising that they had lost their way, one of them contacted a family member via a handphone,” he told reporters here.

He added that the rescue operation team which comprised 60 members from the army, GOF, Civil Defence Department, Rela and the Fire and Rescue Department, started the search at 4pm Tuesday when the four could not be contacted after their handphones ran out of power.

Abdul Razak, who is also the Kluang district officer, said the search and rescue operation continued their search throughout Tuesday night before they were found near Kampung Datuk Abdul Rahman Yassin.

He added that though the students were pale and weak, none of them suffered any injuries; they were however sent to the Kluang Hospital for observation. -- Bernama

Acid Attack Schoolgirl To Skip SPM This Year

The Star

GEORGE TOWN: The Form Five schoolgirl whose eyesight was affected after her face was splashed with acid will not be taking the SPM examination this year after all.

Tan Hui Linn, 17, who had earliest stated her intention of sitting for the examination this year, is applying to postpone her sitting to next year.

Her brother, Jun Hong, said she told him that she wanted to wait for her eyes to recover so she could make an all-out effort to study and prepare herself for the SPM next year.

“She said she wanted to focus on getting her eyes treated first and has promised to listen to the doctor’s orders,” he said Monday.

Jun Hong, a Universiti Utara Malaysia student, said his sister was now applying cream to her face so her wound could heal faster.

Hui Linn, who has been moved from the intensive care unit to a normal ward at the Sungai Buloh Hospital in Selangor, still has her right arm and leg wrapped in bandages while the burnt skin on her face has started to peel off.

She was transferred from the Penang Hospital to the Sungai Buloh Hospital on Oct 31.

Asked what was the first thing she would do once she was out of the hospital, Jun Hong said his sister wanted to have a good meal as she was sick of hospital food.

“Her classmates call her up and chat with her sometimes, keeping her informed on the latest gossips in school while she keeps them updated on her recovery,” he said.

Jun Hong said doctors had placed a special lens into Tan’s left eye to repair her cornea, adding that the lens had to be replaced weekly.

“My aunts are taking turns to take care of her,” he added.

Hui Linn and her mother, Chong Swee Lin, 50, were sleeping in their Jalan Tan Sri Teh Ewe Lim home here at 3am on Oct 24 when her 53-year-old father allegedly came in and splashed acid on them. Chong, who was badly burnt, died about 10 hours later.

Hui Linn sustained 60% burns on her face and upper torso. Her father has since been charged with murdering Chong and causing grievous hurt to her.

2 Sit UPSR Exam In Hospitals

NST

KUALA LUMPUR: Two students who are down with influenza A (H1N1) symptoms are among the 517,908 candidates nationwide who are sitting the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) examination which begins today.

Education director-general Tan Sri Alimuddin Mohd Dom said preparations had been made for the students, one in Johor and the other in Penang, to sit the examination in hospitals.

He said these were among the measures taken to curb the spread of influenza A (H1N1) among UPSR candidates who were sitting the examination at 8,289 centres nationwide.

The Education Ministry had allocated about RM5 million for masks, hand sanitisers and thermometers for UPSR candidates, he said here yesterday.

He said an isolation room was available at all examination centres to accommodate those with a body temperature of above 37.5oC during screenings, which would be conducted upon their arrival at the centres. - Bernama

Buying beer? Let’s see your MyKad then

The Star

PETALING JAYA: Those buying alcoholic beverages from convenience stores in Selangor may have to produce their MyKad to show that they are non-Muslims and above the age of 18.

This move is in line with the state government’s decision that convenience stores should practise self-regulation in the sale of alcoholic beverages instead of banning its sale in Muslim-majority areas.

State executive councillor Ronnie Liu said the law prohibited the sale of alcohol to youths below 18 and Muslims, and storekeepers were just doing their part to make sure the law was adhered to.

“It is not that the cashier has the right to ask for your identity card but it is the law that they cannot sell alcohol to these groups and they have to make sure they are not breaking the law.

“The shopkeeper may ask them to show their identity card. Otherwise he might be penalised for selling alcohol to Muslims or the underaged,” he said.

Citing convenience store chain 7-Eleven as an example, he said it was clearly stated that the company would sack employees if they were to sell alcohol to Muslims.

On Muslim employees handling alcoholic drinks, Liu said he was of the opinion that they had a right to be employed as the Federal Constitution is silent on the matter.

“It is okay to work in hotels, airlines and other places where some alcohol is offered, as long as they don’t drink,” he said.

DPM: Those who started Maths, Science in English can continue

The Star

PERTH (Australia): Students who started studying Mathematics and Science in English can continue to do so until they finish their secondary school education.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said he wanted to allay the concerns expressed by parents.

“The Cabinet discussed and agreed to this as some of my colleagues expressed their concerns about students who started studying the two subjects in English and would be in Years Four to Six, and Forms Four and Five when the new policy is implemented in 2012,” he told Malaysian media during a breakfast meeting at the end of his five-day working trip here. (He returned to Kuala Lumpur later in the evening.)

Muhyiddin who is Education Minister, said students who had started learning the two subjects in English would continue to be taught in English, and have the option of answering questions in either English or Bahasa Malaysia.

“This is what I meant by a “soft landing” as students will be given time to get used to the new policy,” he said.

When he announced last month that the Government had decided to reverse the Teaching of Mathematics and Science in English (PPSMI) policy and revert to Bahasa Malaysia in national schools and Chinese and Tamil in vernacular schools, he stressed that the Government wanted a “soft landing”.

This, he added, was why the new policy would begin in 2012, as this would enable the ministry to have enough time to make the necessary preparations.

The reversal in policy means that from 2012 students in Years One and Four and Forms One and Four in national primary and secondary schools would study the two subjects in Bahasa Malaysia while those in vernacular schools would be taught in their mother tongue (Chinese and Tamil).

The PPSMI policy was implemented in phases, beginning with Year One, Form One and Lower Six students in 2003.

At the same time, Muhyiddin said some schools with “different situations” could start teaching the two subjects in Bahasa Malaysia, but with the condition that students continue to be given the option of answering questions in either language.

Meanwhile, Muhyiddin apologised for the actions of the Federal Territory Education Department officers when asked about the 70 parents who found themselves locked out of SMK Seri Hartamas when they tried to convene an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to discuss the reversal of the PPSMI policy.

“I apologise to the parents as it is not fair to them. They want to discuss important questions and are doing so in a proper manner.

“They are not doing it in the streets,” he said.

He said the education department officers should allow the parent-teacher associations (PTA) to express their feelings as it was only fair for them to do so.

“I am not a dictator and the PTA can submit their memorandum or letter to me,” he said.

SMK Sri Hartamas PTA vice-chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said she and the others only wanted to express their views and not protest.

They had earlier obtained permission to hold the EGM at SMK Sri Hartamas but it was withdrawn on Friday resulting in the parents being forced to gather outside the school compound.

Muhyiddin said he was glad the PPSMI policy had benefited some students.

“They proved the policy could work but the problem is that it is isolated and (does) not (cater to) the whole country.

“I want to ask the community whether they think a flexible approach in a policy can be carried out,” he said.

On his meeting with Malaysian students in Perth, Muhyiddin said he had directed Malaysian High Commissioner to Australia Datuk Salman Ahmad and Consul-General of Malaysia to Western Australia Hamidah Ashari to look into the feasibility of setting up a Malaysian Students Department here.

“We need to know if we can afford it,” he said, adding there were 3,000 Malaysian students in Perth.

English Teachers In Rural Areas To Get Extra Incentives

The Star

SEREMBAN: English teachers will be given additional incentives to teach in rural schools, said Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

He said these incentives would be over and above those already accorded to teachers currently serving in rural areas.

“We have no choice but to do this as the command of English among pupils in rural schools is poor,” he said.

Muhyiddin said the ministry had yet to finalise the additional incentives.

He said the ministry would also send the best English teachers to these schools to help pupils.

“The ministry has in principle agreed to place the best English teachers in these schools. Good English teachers will be given priority if they want to move to these schools,” he said.

Muhyiddin said the concept would be similar to “Teach For Australia” where good teachers volunteered to serve in remote areas to help pupils who did not have access to facilities common in urban areas.

“We will model our programme after the one in Australia. Teachers must be prepared to make sacrifices and we will in return grant them additional incentives,” he said.

Since 2007, teachers posted to remote areas were given a special allowance of either RM1,500, RM1,000 or RM500 depending on the location they were in.

He was speaking to reporters after opening the National Headmasters’ Education Convention and the National Headmasters Council delegates conference here.

Muhyiddin said the ministry would also set up special English laboratories and encourage English literature in schools.

Another measure is to get retirees to teach.

“We are also looking at the content of the curriculum to ensure the teaching of English is effective,” he said adding that teachers would also be encouraged to use teaching aids such as the linguaphone.

(Linguaphone is one of the world’s leading language training provider of self-study and assisted learning language training solutions).

On the additional 13,000 English teachers the ministry hoped to recruit in the next few years, he said most would be from public and private universities and language institutes.

He said less than 10 per cent would be foreign teachers.

English Teachers For Pre-schools

NST
2009/07/21
Hamidah Atan

Pre-schools will be part of the national education system and will be provided with trained English teachers, deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced this morning.

The education minister observed that students in such pre-schools learnt basic English in less than a year.

“The children were able to study and speak in English. My idea is that we should make learning of English at pre-schools a thrust in the early learning process. We will, therefore, add pre-schools to our education system,’ he told 3,000 educators, teachers and ministry officials at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre yesterday.

The meeting was part of efforts to explain the government's decision to revert to the teaching of science and mathematics in Bahasa Malaysia.

Mathematics and Science To Be Taught In BM, Vernacular Languages

The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: The Cabinet has decided that the medium of instruction for Maths and Science will revert to Bahasa Malaysia in national schools and mother-tongue languages in national-type schools from 2012 onwards.

The reversal of the Teaching of Math and Science in English (PPSMI) policy will be done in stages, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said on Wednesday.

He however added that there will be greater emphasis on learning the English language.

English literature will be re-introduced, as will subjects on grammar and composition.

Beginning 2012, students in Year One and Year Four in primary schools, and Form One and Form Four in secondary schools, will learn Math and Science in Bahasa Malaysia.

The change will not affect those in Form Six and Matriculation.

The two subjects will be taught in two languages until 2014 for other students, he said.

“The gap between rural and urban students has widened since PPSMI started.

“Only 19.2% of secondary teachers and 9.96% of primary teachers were sufficiently proficient in English,” he said, explaining the Government’s decision to revert to the old system.

On efforts to emphasise the learning of English, the number of English teachers would be increased by 13,933 -- retirees would be hired, as well as foreigners if need be.

Primary schools will also increase English classes by 90 minutes a week.

There have been calls from various groups for the policy to revert to before 2003, when the subjects were taught in Bahasa Malaysia in national schools, and either in Chinese or Tamil in national-type schools.

The issue has seen a rare alliance between Malay and Chinese educationists, who are against the switch, although there are also calls by many parents and entrepreneurs for English to be maintained.

Seremban School Closed Till July 5

The Star

SEREMBAN: Chung Hwa High School near here has become the latest school to be ordered closed after a Form Three student tested positive for the influenza A (H1N1) virus yesterday.

The private school will be closed from today and classes will resume on July 6, its headmaster Sua Sin Zang said.

The girl was believed to have been infected by her 22-year-old brother who had returned for his semester break from Australia on Monday.

Meanwhile, health director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican said a 15-month-old toddler who was under home quarantine has been infected with the H1N1 virus, bringing the total number of cases to 124.

There were 12 new cases as of yesterday morning, of which 11 were imported, including four from Jakarta, which was a first.

Of the 12 cases, six involved children, including the toddler who was the 17th local transmission case.

Dr Ismail expressed concern whether those under the seven-day home quarantine abided by the ministry’s 10 precautionary steps.

The boy, he said, had no overseas travel history but his mother had visited Phuket and became the country’s 86th case.

All passengers and crew on affected flights are advised to contact the ministry or call the current hotline numbers at 03-88810200 or 03-88810300.

On news reports that the SJK (C) Jalan Davidson principal had returned to the school while still on his seven-day home quarantine, Dr Ismail said they would investigate the matter, adding that there had been no cases of people jumping quarantine so far.

In George Town, Pulau Tikus assemblyman Koay Teng Hai, who returned from China on June 19, has been put under home quarantine as a precautionary measure after he complained of headache and sore throat.

State Health, Welfare, Caring Society and Environment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said swab samples from Koay have been taken for testing.

Michael Jackson Dies

NST

LOS ANGELES, Fri: Pop icon Michael Jackson died on Thursday after suffering a cardiac arrest, multiple US media outlets reported, sending shockwaves around the entertainment world.

The Los Angeles Times and TMZ.com celebrity news website reported Jackson, 50, died after suffering an arrest just after 12:00 pm (1900 GMT) local time and paramedics were unable to revive him.

The Times cited multiple city and law enforcement officials as confirming the pop icon’s death.

Jackson’s manager Tohme E. Tohme was not immediately available for comment when contacted by AFP. Officials at UCLA Medical Center where Jackson was treated also could not be reached for comment.

National and local television networks showed hundreds of media gathered at UCLA Medical Center for what appeared to be a briefing. CNN was unable to confirm the death, stating that Jackson was in a coma.

Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Devin Gales did not confirm Jackson’s identity but said paramedics went to an address corresponding to the star’s home at 12:21 pm (1921 GMT) and the person was taken to UCLA Medical Center.

An unidentified family member earlier told TMZ — the first outlet to report that Jackson had suffered a cardiac arrest — that the star was in “really bad shape.”

Michael’s father Joe Jackson told E! Online he was aware of the emergency but did not know further details.

“I am in Las Vegas, but yes, people in Los Angeles called me and are with Michael and tell me he was taken to the hospital,” he said. “I am not sure what’s wrong. I am waiting to hear back from them.”

The reports came as Jackson prepared to make a keenly anticipated concert comeback in London, his first series of shows in more than a decade and the first since his 2005 acquittal on child molestation charges.

However those concerts — billed as the “final curtain” — had been thrown into doubt after Jackson pushed back the opening dates last month.

Organizers of the concerts at the time stressed the delay was not linked to Jackson’s health.

In a press conference from the United States broadcast over the Internet, AEG Live president Randy Phillips was asked about Jackson’s health and said: “I would trade my body for his tomorrow. He’s in fantastic shape.”

While Jackson reigned as the “King of Pop” in the 1980s, his once-stellar career had been overshadowed by his colorful public behavior, his startling physical transformation and multiple allegations of child abuse.

Jackson lived as a virtual recluse following his 2005 acquittal on charges, including child molestation and plotting to kidnap his young accuser.

Despite his acquittal, the trial was a body blow from which the pop music superstar struggled to recover.

Four years later, Jackson is still worshipped by fans for revolutionising music, dance and music videos at the peak of his success.

The attention however paid to him in recent years has been less flattering, focusing on apparent cosmetic surgery — which he denies — his baby dangling antics and a decade of swirling child abuse allegations.

Born on August 29, 1958, Jackson made his show business debut with four of his older brothers in the Jackson Five pop group, and went on to lead the stage clan with a piping soprano and dazzling dance moves.

By 1969, the group had signed a contract with Motown Records, becoming one of the last great acts to emerge from the legendary label.

The Jacksons produced seven platinum singles for Motown, selling over a million, and three multi-platinum albums, selling more than two million. They moved to CBS’s Epic Records in 1976.

Despite the early success, Jackson was to recall those years as unhappy and lonely ones. Eventually the family act broke up, as Jackson went solo.

In 1979, Quincy Jones produced Jackson’s first solo album for Epic, “Off the Wall,” a huge disco-oriented success that sold 10 million copies.

They teamed up again in 1982 for what would be Jackson’s breakthrough album as a composer and co-producer, “Thriller,” which became the top-selling album of all time, with sales exceeding 41 million.

A(H1N1): Seri Cempaka School Closed As Well

The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: The Seri Cempaka International School in Batu 9, Cheras here has been closed for a week, Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lay said on Tuesday, after a student tested positive for Influenza A(H1N1).

The number of cases nationwide increased to 69 with 10 new cases, he said, with two of them being local transmissions.

SJK (C) Jalan Davidson here and SRK Assunta 2 in Petaling Jaya were closed earlier after students were confirmed with the virus.

SMK Seksyen 9 Shah Alam, SMK Damansara Utama in Petaling Jaya and SM Wangsa Maju in Kuala Lumpur have each had one class stopped from Monday.

Meanwhile, Education Ministry director-general Tan Sri Alimuddin Md Dom says parents with children in the affected schools can keep them at home for the rest of the week if they are worried or the children feel unwell.

"All they would need to do is to inform the school; there is no need for a medical certificate from a doctor," he said.

Math & Science In English: Final Decision In July

The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: The Government will make its decision on the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English (better known by its Malay acronym PPSMI) early next month, Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said.

He said the Government’s full analysis and the ministry paper on the PPSMI policy have been completed and will be handed over to the Cabinet for deliberation soon.

“We will make a full announcement by early July.

“Whatever decision that comes out will be for the people’s benefit and goes in line with the Prime Minister’s ‘people first’ vision,” he told Parliament.

He said that a study conducted by the ministry and researchers from local universities revealed that overall, teachers and students achieved only a moderate level of knowledge in English.

“The ministry’s focus then is to improve English knowledge among teachers and students by improving the training programme for teachers and improving the learning of English in schools.

“We are looking into introducing English literature in schools to improve students’ knowledge of the language, and the functions of the school computer laboratories will also be upgraded with better software and equipment for the teaching of English subject.

“The Ministry also wants to resolve the gap between the achievements in English of students in the urban and rural areas since the PPSMI policy was introduced in phases in 2003.

“The final decision in the implementation of the PPSMI policy will also look into the policy’s effect on students in both urban and rural areas,” he said in reply to Dr Tan Seng Giaw (DAP-Kepong).