The Star Online: Nation
The Star Online: Nation |
- Raising the bar of education
- Nepali feeling lonely as friends flee country
- Set up child psychology unit, says Wee
| Posted: The implementation of the Malaysia Education Blueprint (MEB) 2013-2015 will elevate the country's education system to the top third of the world's best education systems. National Education Dialogue panellist Datuk Kamal D E Quadra said the plan outlines various aspirations through 11 shifts implemented in three waves to meet the needs of all citizens and to develop the country. He said the government has taken a bold step to transform the education system for the better. "It will benefit Malaysia and Malaysians. If everything is put in place as proposed in the blueprint, we should be moving towards the right direction," he said. Among the factors that will assist the government to improve the quality of education is to intensify internal and external performance management with a clear Key Performance Index that places high expectations on every individual. The system will emphasise on capability building to help individuals achieve their goals, reward outstanding performance and address the problem of low performance with greater tact. Kamal, who has 41 years' experience in education, said students should be approached based on their abilities and capabilities. "There is no point of pushing them too hard because they may just get demoralised when their peers are way ahead of them. "And when they have reached a level where they can no longer cope, they will continue to fall," explained the Sabahan. As such, he proposed the introduction of two syllabi – one for beginners and another for the more advanced. "Who knows through such an approach, it would help create interest among the beginners to move further ahead to a more advanced syllabus. "Otherwise, they are equipped with the basics, which would allow them to pull through later in life," he said. Kamal pointed out that while Sabah students often get bad reviews for their poor command of English, "our students are doing very well in other subjects. "So it is not fair to judge them over one bad subject". The Yayasan Sabah College Board of Directors chairman made his proposal during the consultation period for MEB 2013-2025. He said the approach is not meant to segregate the students, but rather to create an avenue for special attention be given to those who need more help. On a higher level, Kamal said there is a need to further promote vocational and technical subjects and skills in line with current market needs for industrial-based sectors such as the oil and gas industry. "Take our college as an example, we have a welding course and even before the students graduate a few companies have come to check how many graduates we can produce. "There is a demand in that field. But sometimes, the problem lies with the parents as some do not see the job prospects. "Society needs to change their mindset and perception on jobs. It does not mean work that dirties your hands is bad," said Kamal who was the former Sabah Education Department director. He added that sufficient funding is necessary to ensure that teachers are equipped with the right tools. "In the case of Sabah, we need a level playing field so both teachers in the urban and rural areas will be able to enjoy the benefits of these changes. "I also believe that apart from improving student performance, the teachers must also be equally good. The world is changing fast and our challenge is also to modernise the teachers as well. "They have to be tech-savvy as it would help them progress in their work." |
| Nepali feeling lonely as friends flee country Posted: GEORGE TOWN: Security guard Padam Limbu, 25, has no qualms about the crackdown against illegal immigrants as he has a valid work permit. The Nepali, however, will be lacking companionship as most of his housemates are fleeing the country as they do not have proper documentation. "Some of my friends paid RM4,000 to RM5,000 each to agents promising them valid work permits. They waited for one to two years, but to no avail. "I think they were conned," Limbu said, adding that his housemates were already packing their belongings yesterday. Limbu, who is a father of a two-year-old boy, last returned to his country in April. Meanwhile, Merchantrade Asia Sdn Bhd officer-in-charge R. Chandra Mohan said business would go on as usual as they only provided service to those with valid documents. Merchantrade is a company specialising in helping migrant workers remit money to their home countries. "We only entertain those with legal documents. "We will only proceed with the transaction after seeing passports and other documents from our customers. "Most of our customers are from the Philippines, Indonesia, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka and Vietnam," he said when met at his office. A foreign caretaker at a grocery shop, who declined to be named, said all his colleagues have valid documents. "Our boss will only employ those with proper documents," he said at his shop in Jalan Gurdwara. Related stories:Illegals play hide-and-seek Illegals have tales of misery and victimisation to tell Escape routes plugged as crackdown begins Karaoke GROs caught hiding in secret passageway MEF wants easier absorption of foreign workers |
| Set up child psychology unit, says Wee Posted: YONG PENG: The Education Ministry needs to set up a child psychology unit to address mental health issues among students in schools, said MCA Youth chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong. He said if situation permitted, the ministry should start recruiting more child psychologists as one of the measures to help students. He said that counselling teachers alone were inadequate to address psychiatric issues and that it was time to go to the next level and think about establishing an advanced psychology unit dedicated to mental health services for students. "There is a difference between child psychologists and counselling teachers, as the former requires more extensive training in order to give appropriate advice and treatment," he said when asked to comment on recent suicide cases involving students in the country. Dr Wee, a former deputy Education Minister, said when he was with the ministry he had come across several suicide cases involving students. Some of the suicide cases were linked to broken homes, depression, and health problems among others, he said during an interview yesterday. Dr Wee said in countries such as Singapore, there are about 40 child psychologists working with the Ministry of Education, while Malaysia just relied on counselling teachers. "Certain issues faced by the students are complicated and only a child psychologist would know how to handle the situation and provide professional intervention. "I hope the ministry will look into this," he said. The latest student suicide took place last Saturday when a Form Five student with a previous psychiatric record was found hanged at his double-storey home at Taman Bandar Baru, Kampar. The 17-year-old boy from SMK Sentosa hanged himself using his school tie at the house staircase. Last Wednesday, a 20-year-old college student, believed to be suffering from stress after having to re-sit six exam papers, fell to her death from the 10th floor of a flat in Tanjung Bungah in Penang. The Tunku Abdul Rahman College (TARC) accounting student was found sprawled in a pool of blood by residents who alerted the police. |
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