The Star Online > Nation

Wednesday August 17, 2005

Under-enrolled schools not cost-effective to maintain

BY GAVIN GOMEZ

SUBANG JAYA: The problem of schools with enrolment of fewer than 150 pupils needs to be resolved once and for all, otherwise it will continue to drain government resources and finances. 

“If under-enrolled schools are allowed to continue operating, it will result in a vicious cycle with multiplying effects.  

“For example, the inability of these schools to achieve a desired standard will cause students’ performance to decline,” Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said when opening a seminar on the matter yesterday. 

Ministry statistics reveal that 60.6% of Tamil schools are under-enrolled; Chinese schools, 38.2%; and national schools, 25.2%. 

Hishammuddin: 'The turnover of teachers is very high'

He said that unless the needs of these under-enrolled schools could be met in a more cost-effective manner, the needs of other schools would be compromised. 

The disparity between urban and rural schools will become more pronounced if there are no new approaches to resolve the problem of the 2,260 under-enrolled schools in the country, he said.  

Hishammuddin said the ministry first needed to look at the effectiveness and weaknesses of existing programmes for these schools. 

“Then we can propose new approaches,” he said, adding that under-enrolled schools that do not improve on their student population risked being closed down. 

There are under-enrolled schools in every state with Sarawak topping the list with half of its schools affected. 

In Sabah, 67% of 1,060 primary schools are in rural areas and in Perak, 265 schools are under-enrolled, some of which are schools for orang asli children.  

The minister said many teachers had applied to transfer out of these schools once their compulsory three-year term was up. 

“The turnover of teachers is very high. Although we provide them with a hardship allowance, it is difficult for us to keep them there,” he added.  

“As far as the Government is concerned, we have done what we can. We have implemented every proposal, even building houses that cost RM600,000 per unit in Sarawak,” he said when asked what additional measures could be taken to persuade teachers to remain in under-enrolled schools. 

He urged participants at the seminar – comprising 270 school inspectors among other ministry staff, representatives of political parties and parent-teacher associations – to come up with positive, practical and realistic solutions to the problem.  

The Star Online > Nation

Sunday June 18, 2006

Smart Schools to be audited

BY RASLAN BAHAROM

BAGAN SERAI: How far have the billions of ringgit gone to make students and teachers savvy in information and communication technology? The Government has appointed a group of auditors to find out. 

Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said a consultancy firm, which was chosen from a list submitted by the Finance Ministry, would do the job. 

He added, however, the auditors were not on a witch-hunt. 

 have told them the job is not to find the fault of others. 

t is merely to go down (to the schools), identify the weaknesses and report back to us,? Hishammuddin told reporters after opening the SK Kuala Kurau (Baru) school near here yesterday. 

Asked on the amount already spent on the ministry's Smart School programme to promote ICT awareness, he said it was hard to make an estimation as it also involved the Energy, Water and Communications Ministry. 

He said that under the programme, laptops and LCD projectors are sent to teachers and trained by his ministry to use them. 

He added that his ministry supplied the computers and built the necessary computer labs for schools while the Energy, Water and Communications ministry took charge of the networking. 

孏herefore, the amount of funds already spent and what we are going to spend in the future can be coordinated, so that the move to create Smart Schools can be realised,?he said. 

ll this will be accounted for, including how many notebooks have been supplied to teachers, how many teachers had undergone computer courses and how many more teachers needed to be sent for such training.?nbsp;

Earlier in his speech, Hishammuddin said he had found out that some schools in the remote areas of Sarawak had been supplied with computers but they had yet to get proper electricity supply and had to work with underpowered generators. 

 have directed them to increase the capacity of their generators so that the computers can be used by their students,? he said. 

Hishammuddin said the Smart School programme was started to provide a chance for those in rural areas to be on par with students in urban areas.

The Star Online > Nation

Tuesday June 20, 2006

Learn from mistakes, says Hisham

PENANG: Problems in the past, like schools not being completed in time or being poorly constructed, will not be repeated in the 9th Malaysia Plan, according to Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein. 

㜁hat was in the past had already happened, and we will learn from the mistakes so that they will not be repeated,?he told reporters after opening the national schools sports meet at the City Stadium here yesterday. 

Commenting on a report in a Malay daily that a school in Rawang failed to be completed as scheduled in 2003, Hishamuddin said the contractor should have approached the ministry to try to solve its problem before the matter was raised in the press. 

 am sick of excuses. If you can㦙 do it, say so. It is a sin when (the problem results in) children not being able to go to school,?he said. 

(Education Ministry secretary-general Datuk Dr Zulkarnain Awang said they were in the process of getting a new contractor to complete the school, and that it would be completed by the year's end.) 

Disclosing that two or three new sports schools would be built in addition to the existing two (in Kuala Lumpur and Johor), Hishammuddin said:  hope state governments will identify suitable locations (for the schools) but not choose slopes. I will also not permit schools to be built on swampy areas.?nbsp;

On the options given by the Cabinet to the 332 graduate teachers who had been transferred to Johor ?which includes reporting to the schools concerned first and applying for a transfer later ?Hishamuddin said there had been mixed responses. 

He said that while the affected teachers were dissatisfied, the options were fair to parents of children studying in schools without teachers as well as the teachers who had faced the experience previously.  

Sunday June 25, 2006

Getting the marks right BY KAREN CHAPMAN THE Education Ministry will monitor the entry of applicants into public universities. For the 2006/2007 academic year, intake into public institutions of higher education will be based on academic achievement (90%) as well as co-curricular participation in school (10%).  Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said he has directed the ministry's parliamentary secretary P. Komala Devi and the Schools Division to be in charge.  “If there are cases where students say they don't have any marks for co-curriculum activities because there was a lack of a school field, we will study the matter.   “It shouldn't be a problem because besides sports, students can also participate in associations or uniformed units,” he said after receiving a courtesy call from a Vietnamese delegation led by Ho Chi Minh City's People's Committee vice chairman Prof Nguyen Thien Nhan at his office on June 20.  On Monday, Higher Education Management Department director-general Prof Datuk Dr Hassan Said announced that students are given up to 10 marks for co-curriculum participation. Only a student’s two highest scores from his involvement in either associations, sports, uniformed units or national service will be taken into consideration. National service trainees received six points. 

Prof Nguyen paid a courtesy call on Hishammuddin at the latter’s office.

The Star Online > Nation

Friday June 30, 2006

Cellphone ban stays despite flick on bullies

PUTRAJAYA: The ban on mobile phones in schools still stands although one had helped in exposing the case where a Form One student was beaten up by his fellow schoolmates.  

Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, while happy that a mobile phone had helped in the case, however said the incident did not give students the freedom to bring mobile phones to schools. 

“My officers are not happy that a camera phone was used to record the incident but if it was not used, we would not have known. The police may not have had any evidence,” he said after his ministry's post-Cabinet meeting yesterday. 

Hishammuddin said his stand on mobile phones remained. 

Hishammuddin: hat I do not want is the sensationalising of issues?/div>

The incident was recorded on a camera phone and posted on the Internet. 

Hishammuddin, who established a hotline to report bullying, said efforts to overcome the problem was a struggle. 

He said he was happy with his deputy Datuk Noh Omar’s performance since taking over the four committees on discipline, set up after the death Mohd Farid Ibrahim at SM Agama Datuk Kelana Petra Maamor in Seremban in 2004. 

“What I do not want is the sensationalising of issues, especially when a probe is on.”  

The Star Online > Nation

Monday July 3, 2006

Top schools get extra boost to excel further

KUANTAN: Schools which achieve excellence are being identified by the Education Ministry to help elevate the quality of the national education system, Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said. 

“We are in the midst of identifying these schools according to their groups such as national school, national-type school, fully-residential school, technical school, religious school, centennial school and smart school. 

“With this move, we hope these schools will introduce a variety of programmes to help them to be more competitive and emerge top of the crop,” he said in his speech during the opening of SM Cenderawasih near here yesterday. His speech was read out by his deputy Datuk Hon Choon Kim. 

Hishammuddin said the ministry was also ready to give some autonomy to these earmarked schools to design suitable approaches for them to excel further. 

“We hope that by adopting this initiative, the country’s education system will be recognised and respected by others.”  

He also said due emphasis would be given to three main aspects in future school expansion plans under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.  

“Firstly, the location must be suitable and not swampy, on hillslopes or muddy areas. 

“Secondly, the site must have basic amenities such as access road, water and electricity supply. 

“There must also be proper planning to ensure the problem of under enrolment will not occur,” he said.  

The Star Online > Nation

Friday July 14, 2006

Giving states a bigger say

By LEANNE GOH AND KAREN CHAPMAN

PUTRAJAYA: To solve the problem of a mismatch in the supply and demand of teachers in different states, the Education Ministry is looking at ecentralising?the training and hiring of teachers. 

This means that each state will identify its own teacher needs ?the number required and the options they need to have ?and train sufficient educators for their schools.  

ight now, it is centralised and we decide on the allocation of teachers, but we are considering decentralising it either at the state or district level as we want to empower the state to decide on its needs,?said Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein. 

For example, if teachers want to teach in Johor, they could be trained in the state and need to know the state needs for specific subject teachers.  

fter being trained, it is incumbent on them to teach in that state,?he said after the ministry post-Cabinet meeting yesterday. 

Asked what would happen if the teacher needed a transfer to follow his or her spouse to another state, the minister said such requests might not be entertained.  

孏eaching would be like any other job. There will be no job guarantee if you need to go elsewhere. In the past, this has made a mockery of our planning, so in future, you have to take this into account before you decide to become a teacher.?nbsp;

Hishammuddin added that before, teachers could be accommodated due to a shortage, but now there was an excess.  

He said, however, details of the decentralisation plan had not been worked out. But he stressed that public perception on teaching had to change as the Government wanted only capable and committed teachers. 

He said teacher training was a complex issue as one-third of the civil service comprised teachers.  

Last month, 332 newly-graduated teachers, who had enrolled in full-time degree programmes on half-pay leave under the Education Ministry Special Programme for Non-Graduate Teachers, were stunned to receive news that the ministry was transferring them out of their home states.  

They are mostly married with families.  

Hishammuddin also announced that the ministry would improve the ratio of teachers to classes from 1.5 teachers per class to 1.7 per class. 

This will result in an increase of 33,104 teachers for primary and secondary schools.  

In phase one over the next two years, there will be additional 13,297 teachers for secondary schools, and 19,807 for primary schools in phase two from 2009 to 2012. 

He said the increase in the number of teachers was the result of a Cabinet decision on Wednesday to approve a joint memorandum between the Education and Higher Education Ministries on the need to overcome the imbalance in teacher placements and the need to improve the quality of education in the country. . 

孏his is a historical decision as the teacher classroom ratio has not changed since 1982,?he added.  

The Star Online > Nation

Sunday July 16, 2006

15 years left to reach world status

KETEREH (Kelantan): There are 15 years left for the national education system to reach international status, in line with the aspiration of Vision 2020 to make Malaysia a developed nation. 

Stating this, Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the education system would be reviewed in stages over the coming years to speed up the process.  

The first stage involved the creation of more teaching posts, he said, adding that this would cost the country “millions of ringgit.” 

This had to be done to ensure the teaching profession was equipped to develop quality human capital, Hishammuddin told reporters after opening the Kelantan inter-school futsal and netball competitions at SMK Kok Lanas here yesterday. 

The Cabinet sanctioned the move at its last meeting, he said, reiterating that it was the first time in 24 years that the Government was increasing the number of teachers.  

Besides this, there would also be more courses tailored to meet the country’s education needs, he said, adding that teachers would also be granted more options and higher fringe benefits. 

Hishammuddin said teachers played a crucial role in determining if the national education standard reached international benchmarking. 

“As the teaching profession receives the necessary injection of knowledge, funding and support, they are expected to repay the Government by ensuring the standards of imparting knowledge are similar in both rural and urban settings. 

“Teachers must be willing to serve in rural areas and provide excellent education,” he added. 

On another matter, Hishammuddin, who is Umno Youth chief and head of the Barisan Nasional Youth wing, said he would direct members of these wings to work together to increase Malaysia’s voice in the international arena on the plight of Palestinians. 

He said he would send envoys from the wings to meet youth and non-governmental groups in the Organisation of Islamic Conference and the Non-Aligned Movement to seek support. 

“We will upgrade our international networking to fight for the cause of the Palestinians, as our present effort has gone unnoticed by the world powers,” he said. 

He said the Umno Youth international affairs bureau would work closely with Peace Malaysia to raise awareness among young Malaysians on the plight of the Palestinians, which were facing another round of bloodshed in the hands of Israel.  

The Star Online > Nation

Friday July 21, 2006

Hisham RM1b shopping list

PUTRAJAYA: The Education Ministry has identified 54 new school projects and 220 refurbishment projects worth RM1.03bil for immediate rollout under the 9th Malaysia Plan. 

A total of RM835.3mil will be used to build nine primary schools, 10 residential schools and 35 secondary schools while RM195mil has been allocated for the 220 refurbishment projects.  

Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said a further RM980.5mil had been allocated for education projects for the rest of the year. 

㜁e are ready, and all the projects announced by the Prime Minister can be implemented immediately,?he told reporters after his ministry post-Cabinet meeting yesterday.  

ducation projects need to be implemented soon because if they are delayed, it is our children who will be the losers.?nbsp;

Hishammuddin also reiterated his ministry stand on blacklisting contractors who failed to deliver under the 8th Malaysia Plan (8MP).  

㜁e will not tolerate contractors who breach the trust the Government has on them,?he said.  

孏here were many schools and computer laboratories shoddily built by contractors under the 8MP, and they will never be given a second chance. 

㜁e will also not tolerate bribery and are looking at how we can take action against errant contractor,?he said.  

Hishammuddin added that his ministry was finalising the draft for the education master plan, which would make all education plans and projects transparent to the public.  

Is the Malaysia education system failed to get these people to understand the word;

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Repayment of Mara loans up 30pc

27 Jun 2006

PETALING JAYA: Repayment of Mara business and study loans increased by 30 per cent this year, but debtors still owe RM500 million.

According to Entrepreneur Development and Co-operative Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, about 100,000 people owed Mara money, up from 144,000 last year.

Ministry director-general Datuk Zamani Mohd Noor said Mara had collected RM50 million up to March compared with RM29 million last year, adding that Mara’s target was to collect RM200 million a year to clear all debts by 2010.

At the end of last year, more than 80,000 were in arrears in their repayments to Mara, of whom 50,000 were in default. The names of defaulters were published on the Ministry of Education website five months ago.

Non-payment of Mara loans has been a chronic problem, despite what Zamani described as "more than generous" repayment terms, but it was only this year that Mara took action.

A "shame" list was published in newspapers, defaulters’ credit was blacklisted, and their children were denied admission to Mara institutions of higher learning.

Khaled was opening a seminar for Mara district officers, accompanied by Zamani. Khaled said Mara was planning to train 150,000 entrepreneurs during the Ninth Malaysia Plan period, encouraging them to venture into businesses higher up the value chain, such as retail. He told district officers they must be aware of government projects in their districts and notify the ministry of problems or delays.