Kedah to boost English proficiency |
- Kedah to boost English proficiency
- Teachers to see 80pc cut in workload, says DPM
- Chew unfazed by opposition tactics
- Work with Malaysia, urges Japan
- Two of four missing students found dead
- 'Finding plane is above politics'
| Kedah to boost English proficiency Posted: 18 Mar 2014 09:01 AM PDT 19 March 2014| last updated at 12:23AM Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir said the English subject was identified as one of the main factors affecting Kedah's overall academic results. As such, the state, via the Education Department would come up with more creative approaches to inculcate the students' interest in learning and using the language. "English proficiency is essential towards academic excellence and would be useful for graduates when they enter the job market. "We are not undermining Bahasa Malaysia as our mother tongue but we need to make sure our students have a good grasp of English as it is the international language," he said. "It is crucial for English language teachers to have mastery of the language and formulate creative methods to draw students' interest," he told a press conference after launching Waves of English 2014 at Wisma Darulaman. The Waves of English programme is the department's initiative in collaboration with the New Straits Times Press (NSTP) to help primary and secondary school students in Kedah excel in English via attractive learning methods. NSTP contributed 1,000 copies of New Straits Times for the event. Earlier in his speech, Mukhriz called for all quarters including the private sector to support the state government's initiative in improving English proficiency among school students in Kedah.  Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir (centre) reading a copy of the New Straits Times. Looking on is NST sales and circulation manager Kedah/Perlis Hawari Mohamed (left) and circulation department sales executive Mohd Rizan Romli. Pic by Sharul Hafiz Zam Related Articles  |
| Teachers to see 80pc cut in workload, says DPM Posted: 18 Mar 2014 09:01 AM PDT 19 March 2014| last updated at 12:49AM Taking heed of the grievances and complaints from teachers, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the School-based Assessment (PBS) had been fined-tuned and improved to reduce teachers' workload by between 70 and 80 per cent. Muhyiddin, who is also education minister, announced the good news in a press conference at Parliament yesterday. He also announced that the Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) examination would be replaced by the Form 3 Assessment (PT3) system starting this year. Under PT3, schools will be given the flexibility to administer, assess and award scores according to the standardised scoring guidelines set by the Examinations Board. With the fine-tuning of PBS, Muhyiddin said teachers could now focus more on the teaching and learning process in classrooms. By keeping the data offline, this will reduce teachers' workload significantly, he said. "It has been pointed out that it was burdensome for teachers to key in all important data, including proof and descriptors, into a central system. "Now, this is not necessary, as the data that the teachers have can be kept by them in their own systems, without them having to key in those details into the central system. "This can be done at their own time, given the situation and suitability." PBS is a transformation of the focus from examination to a more holistic education evaluation system. Since last year, teachers had complained that the task of keying in the data online was burdensome, aggravated by frequent breakdowns of the computer system. Teachers can evaluate students' learning abilities and developments based on their own observations under the Students' Education Development Guide. They are no longer required to prepare the Students' Progress File and Transit Record. Instead, they can do so in their own time. "For parents who wish to know the performance of their children, schools can prepare a performance report by holding monthly tests, mid-year examinations or final-year examinations," said Muhyiddin. The cabinet had decided, on Dec 17, 2010, to introduce school-based assessments as part of the education transformation programme, with its implementation starting in 2011 for primary schools and 2012 in secondary schools. Muyhiddin said a circular would be distributed to all schools, adding that if teachers required training on the new system, short courses would be conducted for them. "We hope this will lessen the burden on teachers and help them focus on quality teaching." Briefing sessions on the fine-tuned PBS concept and implementation will be held at state education departments and district education offices.  Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also education minister, speaking with members of the National Union of the Teaching Profession at Parliament yesterday. With him is Second Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh (left). Pic by Mohd Yusni Ariffin |
| Chew unfazed by opposition tactics Posted: 18 Mar 2014 09:01 AM PDT 19 March 2014| last updated at 12:25AM KAJANG: MCA vice-president Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun has rejected an offer by a senior Selangor executive councillor for her to pull out as Barisan Nasional's candidate for the Kajang by-election. She slammed Local Government, Research and Development exco Datuk Teng Chang Khim for offering her a local councillor post in exchange for her withdrawal from the by-election, slated for polling this Sunday. Chew said her return to mainstream politics was not because she was aiming for any post in MCA or the government. "If that was my aim, I would not have relinquished my post (as Wanita MCA chief and deputy women, family and community development minister). "I returned because I have a good cause and I believe in the party's struggle," Chew said during her walkabout in Taman Kantan Permai here yesterday. Chew resigned from her post in MCA and the Federal Government after Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek was elected as party president in 2010. Teng allegedly made the offer to Chew during his speech at a PKR ceramah here on Monday night. Chew said she was unfazed by "dirty tactics" employed against her, including a banner portraying her face on a bikini-clad woman. "If the banner was indeed theirs, I pity the opposition. This is certainly the opposite of the clean and fair image that they were trying to project." Chew said she was banking on her track record from when she was the Petaling Jaya Utara member of parliament. "I'm not riding on sympathy and my track record when I was an MP speaks volumes about what I can offer to the Kajang people." At a separate press conference, MCA deputy president Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong lambasted the opposition for using desperate tactics to discredit Chew and BN. He said the opposition should instead address issues such as the exorbitant hike in assessment rates in Kajang. In response, Teng said he had merely offered to ask DAP to propose a councillor's post for Chew in any constituency if she withdrew within 48 hours, as her campaign strategy was more suited to duties as a councillor. "My speech was taken out of context. Chew was bragging about her service during her time as an MP, such as inspecting drains. "I said Pakatan assemblymen talk about national issues, defence, economics and policies. "If there are drainage problems, it is a councillor's job," he said. The Election Commission has dismissed a claim by PKR candidate Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail that there was an abnormal increase in the number of early voters for the by-election.  Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun, the BN candidate in the Kajang by-election, meeting voters during a walkabout in Taman Kantan Permai, Kajang, yesterday. Pic by Asyraf Hamzah |
| Work with Malaysia, urges Japan Posted: 18 Mar 2014 09:01 AM PDT 19 March 2014| last updated at 12:33AM JAPANESE ambassador to Malaysia Dr Makio Miyagawa has called on the global community to show solidarity with the people and government of Malaysia as the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines aircraft continues. Expressing his sympathy to the families of those on board, he said the international search-and-rescue (SAR) mission needed to cooperate to find the plane. "Japan is convinced that regional and global collaboration is extremely important for such search operations. It is not the time for complaints or blame. "We have no plans to suspend cooperative action with Malaysia but, rather, continue to expand assistance under the prevailing circumstances. "Initially based in the Gulf of Thailand, our SAR team has now refocused its search efforts on the southeast region of Indonesia." Miyagawa, who recently replaced former ambassador Shigeru Nakamura, praised Malaysia's handling of the situation given the circumstances it was in. "The Malaysian government is doing a very good job, especially the special team set up to handle the crisis. They are giving us a good amount of information in a timely manner." He denied any legal issues in conducting the SAR operation as permission had been obtained from the Indonesian govern-ment to search its waters and airspace. "This is Japan's first attempt to send an emergency rescue team for a search mission anywhere around the world, and any administrative issues would have been done in Tokyo." Bernama reported that the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) had offered Malaysia the help of its Information Fusion Centre (IFC) to locate flight MH370. "The IFC has a network of 13 military navies and 51 civilian shipping companies to report any unusual sightings in designated search areas," SAF said. IFC has international liaison officers stationed here from 13 countries that can help coordinate actions from Australia, Brunei, France, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Peru, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and the United States. SAF also said its F-50 MPA maritime patrol aircraft, which was deployed to the Butterworth Air Base on March 14, had returned to Singapore on Monday evening as Malaysian authorities had called off the SAR operations in the South China Sea and the Straits of Malacca.  An air force officer (left) walks with a Japanese translator near a Japanese Maritime Defence Force P3C patrol plane at the Royal Malaysian Air Force Base in Subang yesterday. |
| Two of four missing students found dead Posted: 18 Mar 2014 09:01 AM PDT 19 March 2014| last updated at 12:28AM Adam Asraf Azman and Muhamad Amir Ashraff Baharuddin, both 17, were found dead about 3.20pm in Sungai Gading, some 49 hours after they were discovered missing at 2.30pm on Sunday. Acting Kuala Kangsar district police chief Superintendent Ahmad Rabawi Abd Jalil said the bodies were discovered by the search and rescue team 13km from Kem Bina Negara Ulu Kenas, where they ascended. "We are still trying to ascertain their cause of death," he told reporters at the scene. Ahmad Rabawi said the search and rescue team was broken into groups of four to help bring down the bodies due to the absence of proper hiking track as well as being inaccessible by car. Both teen's bodies has since been brought down from Gunung Bubu. Meanwhile, two other friends - Muhamad Putera Rafii and Siti Azimah Mohd Fitri, also 17 -- were found safe six hours earlier, at about 9.30am. They were cooking by the banks of Sungai Gading when found by the search and rescue team. Both, unharmed, were sent to Kuala Kangsar Hospital for medical check-up.  Family members grieving over the two boys who were found dead in Sungai Gading yesterday. Pic by Supian Ahmad |
| 'Finding plane is above politics' Posted: 18 Mar 2014 09:01 AM PDT 19 March 2014| last updated at 12:41AM ACTING Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein has hit out at attempts to politicise the search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. He said the priority had always been to find the missing jetliner and drove home the point again during a media conference comprising local and foreign media yesterday. He said locating the aircraft was "bigger than politics" and called on everyone to focus on the mission at hand. "We have been consistent from the beginning that our focus has always been on finding the aircraft. "We did not bring this up (linking the disappearance of MH370 with the opposition). "The issue of politics was raised by foreign press, particularly CNN and the Daily Mail. "Our position in this issue is above politics." Hishammuddin, who is also defence minister, was responding to news reports claiming that MH370 pilot Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah was a fervent supporter of opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and that he might have been upset by Anwar's recent conviction for sodomy. At Parliament yesterday, Anwar admitted that Zaharie was related to his son-in-law, although he was reported to have said that he had no personal contact with the captain. Hishammuddin dismissed speculation that Malaysia was a hotbed for terrorists. "I was home minister for five years, so I've heard these accusations before. "Clearly, there is no basis for them, especially not with what we're facing today." He said the question of terrorism was first raised by the presence of two Iranian passengers. However, he said, the investigation by Interpol and other agencies had ruled out any evidence that MH370's disappearance could be linked to terrorism. "I categorically deny that Malaysia is a terrorist nest," he said. Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman echoed Hishammuddin's views, saying the authorities' objectives were clear. "Politics is not important. "I do not think anybody should seek cheap publicity over what has happened (as) this is a major catastrophe. "Therefore, all efforts should focus on locating MH370." Anifah also responded to questions on whether Malaysia had sought assistance from Iran, given the presence of two Iranian passengers as well as the country's superior satellite capabilities. He said the search-and-rescue operation had not identified a need for Iran to join in the search. "After detailed studies, we have found that there is no need for Wisma Putra to contact the Iranian government. I believe if the need arises, we will seek their assistance."  Acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein (left) and Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman at a press conference in Sepang yesterday. Pic by Mohd Fadli Hamzah |
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