tuan syarifah rossyidah binti tuan naiwi
146874
group 39
2008/09/10
518,616 sit UPSR exam
PUTRAJAYA: A total of 518,616 pupils are sitting the three-day Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) examination at 8,171 centres throughout the country which began yesterday.
They are the first batch of pupils to sit the examination since they started studying Science and Mathematics in English, introduced in 2003.
Director-general of Education Datuk Alimuddin Mohd Dom said their results would partly determine whether the two subjects would continue to be taught in English.
“However, the questions for the two subjects will be bilingual,” he said after visiting Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Putrajaya Presinct 11 (1) here yesterday.
Alimuddin said many other factors would be considered to determine the continuation of the policy.
These include views and suggestions from various quarters through roundtable discussions.
Two roundtable discussions were held on July 27 and Aug 27 and two more will be held this month.
The discussions involved teachers and students of primary and secondary schools in both urban and rural areas. Discussions with politicians are scheduled for next month.
Alimuddin also said that beginning this year, students picked for fully-residential schools would have to sit for an aptitude test to determine their disposition and readiness.
“The pioneer test will be conducted by the Malaysian Examinations Board in 600 schools after the UPSR exam.”
There are 6,000 places in 54 fully-residential schools and 750 more places will be available if five more such schools are completed next year.
Applications can be made till Oct 31 and results will be known by Dec 15.
Comment : Teaching science and mathematic in English is an issue in education in Malaysia. There are public who support the government in way to improve the English among Malaysia students and certain who against it. This is the first year students who learn these subjects site for Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) . The results will consider if it is be continue the policy or not. For me, it is the good way to help students adapt the good English. But now, we only wait announcement by education government.
2008/09/23
African student killed in brawl
KUALA LUMPUR: An African was killed and two others injured in a fight involving 10 men in Wangsa Maju on Sunday.
Abdul Aziz Mohd, 22, died at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital at 11pm, while his 21-year-old friend was warded there.
The third injured African was given outpatient treatment.
All three were International Islamic University students who had arrived two months ago and were undergoing English courses prior to studying for their degrees.
City Criminal Investigation Department chief Senior Assistant Commissioner II Ku Chin Wah said the foreign student was stabbed in the chest during a fight at the Wangsa Maju LRT station at 9pm.
He said police arrested three men early yesterday.
They have been remanded for a week.
Ku said police were still investigating the motive for the clash.
Comment : It is an embarrassed when foreign student killed in a fight with Malaysians. It is not the culture that we should show to them. In the fight involved 10 men, an African was killed and two students injured who are study in International Islamic University. Police remanded the suspects to knew the motive of fighting.
2008/09/11
Oil lamp tradition keeps on burning
PEKAN: A boutique hotel here is turned into a beacon at night with the lighting of hundreds of oil lamps or pelita.
The Melati Inn staff have also used their creativity to create a star and other structures decorated with the oil lamps.
Lt Col (rtd) Che Dan Mat, the managing director of Polo Inn Sdn Bhd which owns the hotel, said villagers here used to light dozens of pelita to brighten their house compounds during Ramadan.
However, the culture was no longer practised since there was electricity in the area.
Melati Inn manager Abdul Jamil Mohamad said his staff had used bamboo to build the different structures which were then decorated with the oil lamps.
“It’s a beautiful decoration used by the older generation.
“We hope the younger ones can learn about this culture,” he said, adding that the hotel was also the former palace of Datuk Maria Menado, the veteran actress known for her role as pontianak (Malay vampire). She lived there after marrying the late Sultan Abu Bakar Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mu’adzam Shah in 1963.
Comment : Oil lamps tradition is now practice in the boutique hotel in Pekan. They used their creativity to decorate beautiful oil lamps variety. In the older, oil lamps is used to lighten house compounds but now we have colorful light. Maybe the next generation will not know about the existence of oil lamps before. So, we now should always practices to used oil lamps hope this culture never forgotten.
2008/09/23
Mum gone, kids must fend for themselves
By : Desmond Davidson
KUCHING: Hari Raya is just a week away, but for 16-year-old Siti Nia Romezza and her four siblings, the celebration holds no meaning.
Without parents, they have no one but each other for company. The painful memory of their father dying a week after Hari Raya last year is still raw.
When their mother, Dayangku Ira Erfiza Awangku Perseh, 33, disappeared one night last month, the world came crashing down.
As Hari Raya approaches, they seek comfort in each other and carry on with life.
The three brothers and two sisters live in a dilapidated rented house at the Laruh Settlement. The family moved there last year after their father died.
The eldest of the children, 17-year-old Mitrahad Hairum, is now the breadwinner, but his meagre income as a general worker can hardly make ends meet. Although relatives help pay the RM200 monthly rent, money is still short.
Siti Nia, as the second in the family, had to drop out of school to take over the role of “mother” to her younger brothers Amir Mustaqim, 13, Mohd Qhairum, 3, and sister Dewi Nirwana Sari, 4.
“Hari Raya this year has no meaning for us,” said Siti Nia.
She said life had been hard after their father died, and harder when their mother left, but they are trying to make do with what they have.
“I envy our relatives, friends and neighbours when they tell us of the new baju kurung they have for Hari Raya, or the nice pair of shoes they had just bought. We just have enough to survive,” she said, adding that they only had enough rice to last until the end of the month.
Although they yearn to celebrate Hari Raya like they did in happier times, Mitrahad and Siti Nia keep their act together for the younger ones.
They only hope for their mother’s return and the family to become whole again
Comment : When I read the sad story about the family, I can’t imagine if I in their situation. I feel sorry because in the develop country now we still have the case like that. Do not have mother and father. How their mother is because afford to leave her children. Now, the family who is poor not afford to celebrate Hari Raya like others. I hope their mother will back to support their children life and take care of them. In the age now, they have to study and not responsible to be man in family.
2008/09/23
Missing man’s body recovered
PORT DICKSON: A woman’s search for her husband who failed to return home ended on a sad note when his body was found in a lane to an oil palm plantation in Kampung Pachitan, near here.
The body of Tan Beng Huah, 63, was found by his brother who had gone out to look for him.
He had not returned after going out for a drink with his friends on Sunday evening.
Initial investigations showed that the victim was attacked with a sharp object as there were bruises on his face and the back of his head.
Comment : A husband who was not returned home actually was murdered after he is attacked with a sharp object. Tan Beng Huah,63 not returned home on Sunday evening after have a tea with his friends. Police investigate this case to find motive the murder.
2008/08/31
Number of virus cases falls
PUTRAJAYA: The Health Ministry said yesterday there has been a fall in the number of reported Chikungunya cases.
The ministry’s disease control division director Datuk Dr Hasan Abdul Rahman said there were 179 reports of Chikungunya cases nationwide between Aug 17 and 23, 34 cases fewer than the previous week.
Dr Hasan said the cases reported in the latest period were 124 in Johor, Malacca (42), Perak (10) and one case each in Putrajaya, Pahang and Selangor.
He said up till now no deaths had been reported.
He said the total number of cases reported this year stood at 1,479 with Johor having the highest number (897), followed by Malacca (363), Perak (98), Negri Sembilan (89), Selangor (25), Pahang (four) and Kuala Lumpur (three).
He said only 207 cases (14 per cent) needed treatment in hospitals while the rest required outpatient treatment. — Bernama
Comment : Chikungunya cases decrease from the week before. This cases happened in Johor, Malacca, Perak, Negri Sembilan, Selangor, Pahang and Kuala Lumpur. Differ than before, only few cases stay in hospitals while the rest get outpatient treatment. The cases decrease when public take precaution after remind about it by Health Department.