CHANGE MEANS THAT WHAT WAS BEFORE WASN'T PERFECT. PEOPLE WANT THINGS TO BE BETTER. - ESTHER DYSON

Datuk Dr Haji Muhiddin Bin Yusin Director, Education Department, Sabah	‘education infrastructural problems had put Sabah at the bottom of the list, especially in the interior.’ Julai 15, 2010
Sabah State Education Exco Datuk Hj. Masidi Manjun	“Sabah is a big land, where we need more allocations to address our educational needs, not only in the rural areas but also in the city. “We want the federal government to trust Sabahans to overcome our own education problems because we know our situation here,” Julai 15, 2010
Former Kinabalu (now Ranau) MP Datuk Dr Osman @ Othman Minudin	‘education development in Sabah would not progress accordingly so long as Putrajaya decides even small things like repairs of any damage to school buildings. 'Even this requires a Deputy Minister to come down and check before any allocation can be provided," “what then was the responsibility of the Sabah Education Department, "Why can't this department decide even those small matters?" July 10, 2011
Deputy Prime Minister also the Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin	“I think it is appropriate for us to re-delegate the power to the state, because Sabah and Sarawak are two big states. They are big in terms of the size of schools and the projects we want to carry out.” “So we have given the power to the director to see how the projects we carry out in the state can be managed together. I have asked the development unit in the ministry to study the capacity in the state even though we have agreed in principle but we don’t know whether they have the capacity to manage it,” 30 October, 2011

-----------

Education Ministry agrees to let Sabah manage projects

PENAMPANG 31st Oct: Sabah, through the state the Education Department, will be given the power to manage projects implemented by the Education Ministry.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said: “I think it is appropriate for us to re-delegate the power to the state, because Sabah and Sarawak are two big states. They are big in terms of the size of schools and the projects we want to carry out.”

Muhyiddin who is also the Education Minister said in the past the Education Ministry projects came under the supervision of the state Education Department director before they were managed by the ministry in recent years.

“So we have given the power to the director to see how the projects we carry out in the state can be managed together. I have asked the development unit in the ministry to study the capacity in the state even though we have agreed in principle but we don’t know whether they have the capacity to manage it,” he said.

He was speaking during a press conference after launching the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) 26th annual congress at the KDCA here yesterday.

He was asked to comment on PBS president Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan’s suggestion in his speech for the federal government to give Sabah contractors the opportunity to obtain contracts for projects funded by the federal government’s allocations.

“We don’t want to let them manage but later become disrupted by the absence of manpower or resources… but in principle I have agreed. Maybe at the early stage, small projects offered by the central government can be delegated first but for big projects we have to look at the capacity,” he said.

Among the criteria that needed to be looked at is integrity and review of the contractors in Sabah and Sarawak besides having a consultant to advise the ministry on the value of the projects and areas that need attention.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Prime Minister said the government’s decision to abolish the Teaching and Learning of Science and Maths in English (PPSMI) was not done in haste.

“It was done after thorough studies and a series of engagement with respective groups through roundtable sessions,” he said.

Muhyiddin was asked to comment on the Parents Action Group for Education (Page) who wanted the Prime Minister to reconsider the decision and give national schools an option to teach science and maths in English.

The Page claimed that more than 70,000 parents supported their cause.

“That is their right, it they want to do that we have no objection for them to air their views,” he said during the press conference yesterday.

However, he said the government and the bodies involved also had their views apart from the parents.

“We don’t know if we have the capability and enough teachers to teach the subjects in future,” he said while adding that it had been tested since the PPSMI was implemented and that was why the decision was made.

“We didn’t make a decision for the sake of making decision. They have to take into consideration all aspects and not the voice of 75,000 people. I have 5.3 million students, we have almost 10,000 schools and we have almost 500,000 teachers,” said Muhyiddin.

He said the government had compiled the data and information from across the country during the period when PPSMI was implemented to support the abolishment of the PPSMI.

In place of the PPSMI is the Upholding of the Malay Language and Strengthening the Command of English (MBMMBI) which had been implemented in all schools starting in 2011.

----------

KPM Setuju Turunkan Kuasa Kepada Sabah, Sarawak Urus Projek Pendidikan

PENAMPANG Okt 31, 2011: Kementerian Pelajaran bersetuju menurunkan kuasa kepada Pengarah Pelajaran Negeri Sabah dan Sarawak untuk menguruskan pemberian kontrak projek pembangunan pendidikan di kedua-dua negeri itu.

Ketika mengumumkan perkara itu, Timbalan Perdana Menteri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin berkata terdapat kewajaran untuk menurunkan kuasa itu memandangkan Sabah dan Sarawak merupakan dua negeri yang besar terutama daripada segi jumlah atau saiz sekolah.

"Sebenarnya dulu memang begitu...projek pendidikan di Sabah dan Sarawak di bawah jabatan kita yang ada di peringkat negeri tetapi beberapa tahun kebelakangan ini ia diurus pula oleh kementerian.

"Saya dapati memang ada kewajaran untuk kita turunkan balik kuasa kepada Sabah dan sarawak. Satu cara ialah memberi kuasa kepada pengarah negeri untuk melihat bagaimana projek tertentu yang kita laksanakan di peringkat negeri boleh sama diuruskan," katanya kepada pemberita selepas merasmikan Persidangan Tahunan Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) ke-26 di KDCA, dekat sini, Ahad.

Muhyiddin yang juga Menteri Pelajaran berkata demikian ketika diminta mengulas saranan presiden PBS Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan dalam ucapannya agar kerajaan Persekutuan memberi peluang kepada kontraktor-kontraktor Sabah untuk memperoleh kontrak bagi program yang mendapat peruntukan kerajaan Persekutuan.

Sehubungan itu, beliau meminta bahagian pembangunan kementerian supaya meneliti "keupayaan yang ada" terutama bagi kedua-dua negeri itu untuk menguruskan kontrak pembangunan pendidikan.

"Walaupun kita sudah setuju pada dasar, kita mahu tahu "dia ada kapasiti" kah atau tidak untuk uruskan...kita tidak mahu lepas tu terganggu kerana tak ada tenaga manusia atau sumber yang ada untuk menguruskannya.

"Tetapi secara prinsipnya saya sudah setuju dan mungkin pada peringkat awal projek kecil yang kita biasa buat yang ditawarkan di peringkat pusat kita boleh turunkan dulu...mungkin di bawah RM5 juta yang tak melibatkan kontrak yang besar...kontrak yang besar kita nak tengok kapasiti dulu," katanya.

Bagaimanapun, Muhyiddin berkata beberapa faktor yang perlu diambil kira termasuk kontraktor yang ditawarkan projek pendidikan mesti berwibawa.

"Juruperuding juga mesti ada. Setiap kerja ada juruperunding yang beri nasihat termasuk nilai kontrak dan bidang-bidang yang perlu diteliti sebelum kita laksanakan sesuatu projek (pembangunan pendidikan).

Mengenai gesaan Kumpulan Tindakan Ibu Bapa bagi Pendidikan (PAGE) Sabah kepada kerajaan Persekutuan untuk membenarkan sekolah kerajaan, jenis kebangsaan membuat pilihan mengajar subjek Sains dan Matematik dalam bahasa Inggeris, Muhyiddin berkata mereka berhak untuk menyampaikan pandangan mereka berhubung perkara itu.

"Tetapi kita pun dalam kerajaan dan badan-badan yang terlibat juga ada pandangan. Pandangan kita bukan sahaja setakat kehendak ibu bapa mungkin kalau ditanya mereka kata "ya" sahaja mereka tidak mengetahui latar belakang...adakah keupayaan dan adakah guru-guru bahasa Inggeris cukup.

"Ini sudah kita uji sejak kita perkenalkan PPSMI (Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sains dan Matematik dalam Bahsa Inggeris) bukan baru dan sebab itu kita buat keputusan sebegini (Sains dan Matematik diajar dalam Bahasa Melayu). Kita ada 5.3 juta pelajar dan kita ada hampir 10,000 sekolah dan kita ada lebih kurang hampir 500,000 guru...jadi tentunya maklumat yang peroleh itu menyeluruh dan mengambil semua faktor," katanya.

Beliau berkata keputusan itu dibuat bukan secara terburu-buru tetapi melalui kajian yang mendalam demi kebaikan semua pihak.