WHY 'KIRAM' IS DREAMING

Why 'Sultan' is dreaming

Kota Kinabalu 27/03/2013: Sabah was free from any claim when it achieved independence through the formation of the Federation of Malaysia, according to former State Archives Director, Datuk Datu Tigabelas Datu Zainal Abidin.

He said independence was achieved through five charters which made Sabah free from any claim either from the Sultan of Sulu, Sultan of Brunei or the British which once called North Borneo their own, i.e. British North Borneo.

He said this during his talk titled "Sulu's Claim on Sabah: True Facts" in conjunction with the Ops Daulat Security Briefing organised by the Information Department at Wisma Dang Bandang, Tuesday.

• The first charter, he said, was when the Sultan of Brunei made an agreement with Alfred Dent and Baron de Overbeck on Dec. 29, 1877 followed by
• the second charter when Sultan of Sulu made an agreement with Alfred Dent and Baron de Overbeck on Jan. 22, 1878.
• "The third charter was when the British gave the North Borneo Chartered Company the power to administer Sabah on Nov 1, 1881, followed by
• the fourth charter on July 9, 1963, when we signed an agreement to join with Sarawak, Singapore and the Malay Federation to be free from colonisation.
• "The fifth charter is when the United Nations announced that the majority of Sabah and Sarawak wanted to be part of the Federation of Malaysia," he said.

PEKADIN MAHU BUKU TEKS SEJARAH MALAYSIA DIKAJI SEMULA UNTUK PERINCI SEJARAH SABAH, SARAWAK SUSULAN KES LAHAD DATU

Pekadin mahu buku teks sejarah dikaji semula susulan kes Lahad Datu

KOTA KINABALU 26/03/2013- Persatuan Kebajikan dan Pendidikan Kadazandusun Murut Sabah (Pekadin) mahu Kementerian Pelajaran segera mengkaji semula kandungan buku teks sejarah Malaysia yang diajar di sekolah, terutama rentetan sejarah pentadbiran pra-kemerdekaan atau sebelum Sabah dan  Sarawak sama-sama membentuk persekutuan Malaysia.

Timbalan presidennya Nailin Gabintal berkata, terdapat keperluan yang mendesak untuk berbuat demikian ekoran kes pencerobohan pengganas, yang kononnya menuntut hak ke atas Sabah, di Lahad Datu baru-baru ini.

Katanya, buku teks sejarah Malaysia sedia ada lebih fokus kepada sejarah di Semenanjung Malaysia dan hanya sedikit sahaja sejarah mengenai Sabah dan Sarawak.

"Berdasarkan maklum balas dan tinjauan Pekadin, ramai generasi muda dan ada golongan dewasa yang masih 'samar-samar' fakta sejarah sebenar yang ada kaitan dengan kesultanan sulu sebelum Sabah mencapai kemerdekaan menerusi pembentukan negara Malaysia pada 16 September 1963.

SABAH DICEROBOH: UMS TUBUH PUSAT KAJIAN KESELAMATAN NEGARA

Sabah diceroboh: UMS tubuh pusat kajian keselamatan negara

KOTA KINABALU 13/03/2013- Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) akan menubuhkan sebuah pusat penyelidikan yang berfungsi sebagai pusat rujukan berkaitan hal ehwal negeri Sabah termasuk aspek keselamatan.

Naib Canselor UMS Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Harun Abdullah berkata cadangan penubuhan pusat tersebut tercetus atas keprihatinan UMS terhadap isu-isu semasa seperti insiden pencerobohan pengganas di Lahad Datu dan Semporna.

Katanya pusat yang dinamakan Pusat Kajian Strategik Sabah akan menumpukan skop kajian yang merangkumi sejarah dan kedaulatan negeri Sabah selain aspek perundangan, keselamatan dan hubungan antarabangsa.

EDUCATORS BAFFLED BY PLAN TO SHIP IN ENGLISH TEACHERS FROM INDIA

Educators baffled by plan to ship in English teachers from India

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 23 ― Putrajaya’s plan to import Indians to teach English in national schools appears to be meeting resistance from educators who doubt the government’s idea will help Malaysian students master the language.

Local English-language teachers and an education reform group polled by The Malaysian Insider voiced concern over what they saw as a short-term solution they said would unlikely benefit a multiracial class whose learning could be further hampered by coaches speaking in an unfamiliar accent.

“I think the question is, why do we need foreigners to teach Malaysians?”

MALAYSIA’S SLIDE IN MATHS, SCIENCE RANKINGS UNSURPRISING, SAYS PAGE

Malaysia’s slide in maths, science rankings unsurprising, says PAGE

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 22 — Malaysian students will continue their slide into mathematics and science mediocrity if the current education policies do not change, an education lobby group has warned.

Parent Action Group for Education’s (PAGE) response came after the latest results last Wednesday revealed Malaysia had continued its alarming slip down the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) ranking over the years.

“We expected the results to be that ... If we continue what we’re doing now, we’ll continue to do worse,”

SYSTEM TO BLAME FOR ILLITERATE STUDENTS — STU CHIEF

System to blame for illiterate students — STU chief

KUCHING 20/12/2012: It is “normal” for our education system to produce illiterates even after they have reached Form Five.

“Over the last 20 years, I have come across students of Form Four and Form Five who can’t even read and write. And these students are from an urban school, not a rural school.

“It is ‘normal’ for our education system to produce students who can’t read and write even after more than 10 years in formal education,” Sarawak Teachers’ Union president William Ghani Bina told The Borneo Post.

ARE MALAYSIAN GRADUATES DOOMED TO MEDIOCRITY?

Are Malaysian graduates doomed to mediocrity?

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 4 — Almost everyone complains about them: wanting high pay but not willing to put in the hours. Hankering for instant fame but with little substance to show. Becoming famous for very little talent. Demanding for work-life balance just so they can party after 5pm, or be with their boy/girlfriend. And some bring their parents into the picture; parents call up would be employers to demand why their child’s demands are not being met. None of them want to work in the trenches — life is too short to work hard. So now Putrajaya has stepped in with funds to make the unemployable, well, employable.

MAJORITY OF TEACHERS NOT PROFICIENT IN ENGLISH

Majority of teachers not proficient in English

GEORGE TOWN 26/09/2012: It has been revealed that two-thirds of 70,000 English teachers in the country failed to reach a proficient English level.

Education Ministry deputy director-general Datuk Dr Khair Mohamad Yusof said it was one of the two major findings of a survey which required the teachers to sit for the Cambridge Placement Test.

“When we did the initial profiling of the English teachers in Malaysia, we found that two-thirds of the teachers did not meet the proficiency level,” said Dr Khair, who was one of the speakers at a forum held at the G Hotel here on Monday.

GENERATION Y NO LONGER GOING FOR 'SAFE' STUDY OPTIONS

Generation Y no longer going for 'safe' study options

IN DEMAND: Receptive to changing career patterns and market trends

KUALA LUMPUR 24 September 2012: COLLEGES are reporting a surge in non-conventional courses from wedding planning, golf resort management to traditional Chinese medicine as Generation Y seeks lucrative careers.

Industry experts and a deputy minister said the diminishing preoccupation safe study choices, such as medicine, dentistry, engineering, coincided with big changes in the world of employment.

"The old job classification is not relevant in this day and age. Jobs are not title or designation-based any more. It is a matter of fact, creativity and talent-based," said Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.

KETIDAKHADIRAN GURU SATU PEMBAZIRAN

Ketidakhadiran guru satu pembaziran

Setiap negara di Asia mempunyai fenomena yang berbeza dari aspek pembangunan pendidikan. Selain menetapkan standard yang tinggi seperti Singapura, India dan China pula berdepan dengan ancaman pendidikan yang mendukacitakan.

PADA hari-hari tertentu di sekolah rendah di India, satu daripada empat orang guru akan hilang. Ia merupakan satu pembaziran ilmu bagi sebuah negara yang menampung penduduk muda sebagai tiket untuk menempah status kuasa besar.

Di daerah miskin dan pertanian, Baghpat di Uttar Pradesh, sebuah negeri yang merupakan rumah kepada hampir 200 juta orang, nisbah satu daripada enam orang rakyat India, masalah ketidakhadiran menimpa kedua-dua pihak, murid-murid dan guru-guru.

INCLUDE SABAH’S HISTORY, CULTURE IN NATIONAL EDUCATION SYSTEM – MASIDI

Include Sabah’s history, culture in national education system – Masidi

KOTA KINABALU September 14, 2012: Effort should be taken to incorporate more of Sabah’s history and culture into the national education system, said Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun.

He said this is to promote better understanding among other Malaysians and help address racial issues that stem from lack of understanding of Sabah’s culture among other Malaysians.

Masidi, who is also Sabah education exco, said the most recent controversy involving a blogger describing the Sumazau as a cult and worship dance was a saddening reminder of reality that many outside Sabah were completely ignorant about the State’s culture and tradition.

“Although we have been in the same country for almost 50 years, many people in other parts of this great nation don’t even understand our culture,”

DR M'S DEVIL COMMENTS STIR UP FEAR & DISQUIET

THE WHISPERS OF SATAN? Dr M's Devil comments stir up fear & disquiet

Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad’s latest blog-posting is still causing shock waves to reverberate around the nation. An unguarded reference to his ruling coalition UMNO-BN as the "Devil we know, than the Angel (the Opposition) we don’t know" has caused many tongues to wag and heads to shake.

Most English speakers would recognize the metaphor that he used to point out that Malaysians should vote in the BN at the next general election which is looming. But surprise, surprise…every one is taking his word literally and this is indeed food for thought for himself and the BN government.

LACK OF QUALITY TEACHERS WILL HAMPER REFORMS, SAYS EXPERT

Lack of quality teachers will hamper reforms, says expert

RANJIT: Profession being seen as last option for graduates

PETALING JAYA AUGUST 27, 2012: THE education system needs a total overhaul of not only its curriculum but also basic infrastructure. Educationist Dr Ranjit Singh Malhi said the problem with the schools was not the students but shortage of quality teachers.

"Our education system is being screwed up by the poor quality of teachers and an overdose of social re-engineering, and no amount of education reforms is going to help if we do not address this stark reality," he said in response to the government's plans to reform the education system.

PARENTS URGED TO WORK HAND-IN-HAND WITH TEACHERS

Parents urged to work hand-in-hand with teachers

RANAU August 27, 2012: Parents have been urged to work together with teachers to ensure that their children in Primary 1 and 2 will be able to master the basic art of reading, writing and basic arithmetic (3R) under the Literacy and Numeracy Screenings (LINUS) initiative established since 2010.

The headmaster of Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Pekan Ranau Mostajah @ Zunaidi Dullah insisted that parents played a very crucial role in assisting the school and especially teachers by transforming the teaching and learning methods to educate Year 1 students so that they could master the basic skills as per the LINUS initiative.

PEKADIN HAILS MOVE TO UPGRADE VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS

PEKADIN hails move to upgrade vocational schools

KOTA KINABALU 21st May, 2012: The Sabah Kadazandusun Murut Welfare and Education Association (Pekadin), which has been very vocal about the establishment of a Kadazandusun Murut College in Sabah, has hailed the government’s move to accord college status to vocational schools nationwide to by 2013.

Its vice-president Simon Molubi said the initiative was timely and should be supported by all for a fluid transformation of the national education system.

'TRANSFER BACK SABAH TEACHERS'

'Transfer back Sabah teachers'

Kota Kinabalu May 20, 2012: Teachers should be posted to their states of origin with the aim of raising the standards of education in their own backyard.

Most of the participants especially educators and leaders of Parents and Teachers Associations (PTAs) made this suggestion at a dialogue on the National Education Blueprint 2012 at 1Borneo Hypermall, Saturday.

If adopted, they said the placement of teachers would enhance education performance as well as quality in the respective states as what had been proven in Terengganu.

WHY COLLEGE ISN'T FOR EVERYONE

Why College Isn't for Everyone

By Richard Vedder on April 09, 2012

A person who compares the annual earnings of college and high school graduates would no doubt conclude that higher education is a good investment—the present value of the college earnings premium (the better part of $1 million) seemingly far outdistances college costs, yielding a high rate of return. But for many, attending college is unequivocally not the right decision on purely economic grounds.

LOCAL GRADUATES FALL SHORT OF EMPLOYERS’ EXPECTATIONS

Local graduates fall short of employers’ expectations

KUALA LUMPUR 5th March, 2012: Graduates emerging from the Malaysian education system are failing to meet the expectations of prospective employers due to a lack of critical thinking skills and poor communication.

This has resulted in employers having to provide additional training to fit them into their respective job scopes while many graduates have to accept employment that does not correspond with their qualifications.

Malaysian-based education, human resource and recruitment consultants feel there is a need for a sound foundation in critical thinking to be incorporated into the education system to prepare future generations for the employment market.

TOO MANY NURSES BEING TRAINED AND TOO FEW JOBS FOR THEM, THE FAULT LIES WITH THE GOVERNMENT'S POOR PLANNING FOR NURSE INTAKE FOR PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS

Too many nurses chasing too few jobs

PETALING JAYA Feb 2, 2012: Is the government simply incompetent when it comes to the glut of nurses or are the Health Ministry and Higher Education Ministry officers on the take?

Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) feels that there is more than meets the eye and it is suspicious that private colleges are greasing the palms of these officers.

Yearly, private colleges are producing about 12,000 fully trained nurses but there are only 1,000 to 1,500 nursing jobs in the private sector each year, according to PSM central committee member and Sungai Siput MP Dr D Michael Jeyakumar.

STUDENTS SHOULD BE EXPOSED TO NEW OR NON-CONVENTIONAL FIELDS WHILE IN HIGH SCHOOL

'Tell pupils of career options'

16 January 2012 : Students should be introduced to wider career options at school, Malaysian Association of Private Colleges and Universities  president Datuk Dr Parmjit Singh said.

He said counsellors in schools played an important role in keeping the students updated and informed on alternative industries.

"It will be too late to change what they want to pursue at the tertiary level once they have completed high school studies.

"The best time to introduce new courses to our bright students is in high school. Counsellors in schools should be trained and exposed to various fields of studies so that they can give necessary guidance to the students,"