NATION

Sunday Star, 13 May 2012

DPM: 10 to 15 more years

By KANG SOON CHEN and A. RUBAN educate@thestar.com.my
SHAH ALAM: It will take another 10 to 15 years for the countrys education system to be on par or better than that of developed nations. Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the realistic target was set so that the existing education system could be reviewed and benchmarked against the developed countries. The people have high expectations of the standard of the education system in the country. Our benchmark is not just to be excellent but par excellence in comparison with the developed countries, Muhyiddin said in his speech when launching the 10th anniversary celebration of SK Bukit Jelutong yesterday. Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, added that although the present benchmark was good, it was still not up to international standards. We want to benchmark ourselves against the developed nations and not with the countries which are lagging behind in their development, he added. The quality of teachers is the first issue that will be addressed in our effort to boost the education system. We will look into teacher training and the roles played by teachers inside and outside of the classroom in the review, he added. The Government had formed a panel last year comprising educationists and corporate leaders to review the education system in nine priority areas. The priorities include teachers, school leaders, school quality, curriculum and evaluation and multilingual proficiency. The blueprint for education reforms would be ready by August after taking into account all findings and feedback from the ongoing series of dialogues with the public and interested parties from now till July. Muhyiddin also said the low poverty rate of 2% was the result of the education system in the country. No one can deny that our education system has contributed to the success that we enjoy today, he said. He also announced an allocation of RM2mil for the schools new hall. SK Bukit Jelutong has over 2,500 pupils.

Education system will be on par or better than that of developed nations

We want to benchmark ourselves against the developed nations and not with the countries which are lagging behind.
tan sri muhyiddin yassin

All for one: The R.aGE team (from right), Goh, Nair, Entaban, Soon, and Tariq with the Outstanding achievement in Print Media prize during the Red Ribbon Media award ceremony in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

MIC chief wants Lim to apologise

GEORGE TOWN: MIC president Senator Datuk Seri G. Palanivel is disappointed with Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng for making a sensitive remark that Hindu shrines might be threatened if Umno returns to power. He said Lim should apologise for uttering such an irresponsible statement with racist undertone. It is wrong to say that if Umno or Barisan holds the power, Hindu temples would be demolished because the fact is that we are focusing on our Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) to assist the Indian community, said Palanivel, who is also Minister in the Prime Ministers Department. Lims statement in Bahasa Malaysia (via video recording shown to the media on Tuesday) was confirmed as: Sekiranya Umno kembali berkuasa, saya rasa semua kuil Hindu terancam (If Umno returns to power, I feel all Hindu shrines will be in danger). The current (Federal) Government is concerned about building more Hindu temples than demolishing them, said Palanivel after giving aid worth RM2.285mil to 51 Hindu temples as well as Indian nongovernmental organisations here yesterday. This is the first time that the (Federal) Government is allocating a huge sum of money to the Indian community in Penang, he stressed.

R.AGE team takes second award for AIDs awareness

PUTRAJAYA: A special pullout to raise awareness on young peoples exposure to HIV/AIDS won The Stars R.AGE team their second Red Ribbon Media Award from the Malaysian AIDS Foundation (MAF). The Stars R.AGE team comprising Ivy Soon, Melody L. Goh, Niki Cheong, Sharmila Nair, Nasa Maria Entaban, Ian Yee and Qishin Tariq won the award for Outstanding Achievement in Print Media. R.AGE had previously won in 2008. The Red Ribbon Media Awards 2012 were presented to coincide with from the morbid messages of despair to one of hope, said MAC president Tan Sri Mohd Zaman Khan, during the ceremony at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre here yesterday. Malaysian AIDS Foundation chairman Prof Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman said although treatment may have come a long way, stigma towards those living with HIV/AIDS persisted. The media plays an important role in shaping the publics mind, to make a more accepting society, she said. The R.AGE team received the award for their Dont Blow Your Future pullout in December 2010 in conjunction with World AIDS Day. Kosmo!s Suhana Veru and Utusan Malaysias Rosmah Mohd Dain were the other recipients from the mainstream print media. Practitioners from non-traditional media and broadcast media, as well as Red Ribbon celebrity supporters including Fahrin Ahmad and Dayang Nurfaizah were also honoured. Winners of each category received a specially designed trophy, RM5,000 in cash and a M.A.C Cosmetics prize package.

the Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC)s 20th anniversary celebrations and recognises journalists for their contributions in championing awareness about the HIV/AIDS cause. Our media partners have helped change public opinion about HIV

Indonesia knows what is right or wrong, says Subra

PETALING JAYA: Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam has quashed claims by a non-governmental organisation that Malaysia is not safe for foreign workers, saying his Indonesian counterpart understands the situation. Indonesia understands what NGOs do. They have NGOs too. They understand the role of NGOs and the media and the statement by NGO leaders. But they also understand what is right or wrong, he said, adding that the Indonesian Manpower and Transmigration Minister whom he met a few days ago at an Asean ministerial meeting in Cambodia, understood the situation. Dr Subramaniam was speaking at a press conference at a Workers Day gathering in Serdang, near here, yesterday. He was commenting on remarks by Tenaganita executive director Irene Fernandez in an interview with The Jakarta Post that Malaysia was not a safe place for Indonesian workers as it does not have a legal framework to protect migrant workers. He said her statement was irresponsible and, according to the laws, inaccurate. In Malaysia, except for one or two sectors, foreign workers are given the same treatment as Malaysian workers. Some foreign workers are even union members and this is allowed under the law. They are treated equally when negotiations are carried out. There is no difference, he said. Dr Subramaniam said local and foreign domestic maids were also treated equally, adding that the employer was bound by a contract to ensure their welfare was protected.