Samy urges estates to set up study centres

/* June 19th, 2007 by poobalan | View blog reactions No comments »
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Set up study centres for children, estates urged

Other News & Views
Compiled by TAN SIN CHOW, A. RAMAN AND KENNETH LEE
 

ESTATES should set up study centres, as in some estate homes schoolchildren are unable to study at night due to family circumstances. 

Tamil Nesan reported that MIC president and Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu made this call after officially opening the study centre in Sungai Rela estate, Sungai Siput, last Sunday. 

He said the establishment of study centres in the estates would give children the opportunity to gather and discuss their school education.  

They would also be able to study in a peaceful environment.

Grandlotus Travel Agencies wins visa processing tender for India

/* June 19th, 2007 by poobalan | View blog reactions 1 comment »
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Travel agency to handle visa service for India
 

KUALA LUMPUR: The Indian High Commission here has outsourced the processing of visas to a local travel agency. 

Indian High Commissioner to Malaysia Ashok Kantha said that from Aug 1, Grandlotus Travel Agencies Sdn Bhd would collect visa applications from those intending to visit India, and submit them to the high commission for vetting and affixing of visa stamps in the passports. 

He said the company was chosen from 23 that had submitted bids for the outsourcing of visa applications. 

“The high commission received 82,000 applications for visas last year, with a growth of between 8% to 10% in the last three years,” he said. 

He added that Malaysia was the third country where the processing was outsourced, after the United States and Britain. 

He was speaking to reporters after witnessing the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the high commission's First Secretary, Sudhir Kumar Mehrotra, and Grandlotus chairman K. Thangavelu here yesterday. 

Grandlotus will set up processing centres here, and in Penang and Johor Baru.

2007 IPTA Intake Statistics

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total applied: 68,110
total qualified (min 2.00): 53,400
total accepted: 40,116
 
24,924 bumiputras (62.1%)
12,745 Chinese (31.8%)
2,447 Indians (6.1%). 
 
Medic place: 925
Dentistry: 205
Pharmacy: 280

Students can now print offer letters directly from website

By KAREN CHAPMAN

source: The Star 19/6/2007

PUTRAJAYA: Students who have obtained places at a public university can now print the offer letters direct from the institution’s website. 

Previously they had to wait for the letters through the post, leading to problems when these arrived late. 

Higher Education Management Department director-general Prof Datuk Dr Hassan Said said he had directed universities to send out offer letters from today but students also had the option of downloading them. 

“This will enable those living in the peninsula and accepted into universities in Sabah and Sarawak, or vice-versa, more time to prepare,” he said at a press conference yesterday to announce this year’s public university admission figures. 

Prof Hassan said out of the 68,110 applicants to public universities this year, 53,400 had the minimum qualification of a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.00. 

“From these, 40,116 have been accepted for the 2007/08 academic year, a slight increase over last year’s figure of 40,016,” he said.  

Of the total accepted, 24,924 are bumiputras (62.1%), 12,745 Chinese (31.8%) and 2,447 Indians (6.1%). 

Places offered for medicine and dentistry remain the same as last year, at 925 and 205 respectively, with 280 for pharmacy this year, compared with 285 last year. 

On the cut-off point for entry into medicine, Prof Hassan said the ministry had not had time to analyse the figures as it had only completed the selection process on Sunday.  

“The cut-off point is high. From my personal observation, it is those with around 95 or 96 marks who got into medicine, but this is only an estimate,” he said. 

He said that since last year, entry into public universities had been based on both academic achievement (90%) and co-curriculum involvement (10%). 

This year, however, the co-curriculum marks came from the Education Ministry, not from what students themselves had input when applying, he added. 

According to him, there were candidates with high CGPA scores who did not get their first choice as they had low marks for co-curriculum involvement.  

“Students have to be wise when choosing their courses and the universities,” he said. 

On candidates with high marks who had not obtained courses of their choice, Prof Hassan said the ministry had tried to offer them options similar to the ones they had asked for. 

The ministry has also set up a counter at its premises here where students can check the status of their application or receive counselling up to June 29.  

MTUC plans to hold pickets

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i was passing by JPM yesterday morning when loads of people converged there. Some came in chartered buses, while others drove. There were easily 300 people at that time. Lots of Indians.
 
poobalan
 
 
MTUC plans to hold pickets
 

PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) plans to stage pickets at various places in the country if the Government does not respond positively to its request for a minimum wage and cost of living allowance (cola) for private sector employees. 

It has given the Government a one-week ultimatum to respond. 

It plans to picket simultaneously in Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, Bangi, Shah Alam, Klang, Johor, Kuching and Penang next Monday between 5pm and 6.30pm. 

It is seeking legislation to fix a minimum wage of RM900 as well as cola at RM300.  

MTUC president Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud and secretary-general G. Rajasekaran were among nine people who presented a five-page memorandum to the Prime Minister’s senior private secretary, Ahmad Yaakob, at 11.30am yesterday. 

Syed Shahir said he was told that Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is in Russia and would be returning only next week. 

“The picket will go on as scheduled,” he said. 

Syed Shahir told reporters that 40% of the 10 million workforce in the private sector were earning salaries below the poverty income level of RM691 per month and that it was timely for their request to be fulfilled now that the civil service had been given a pay rise and increased cola. 

“The minimum salary in the civil service should be a benchmark for the private sector to follow,” he said, citing an example of a hospital attendant who had initially earned RM490 and was now earning RM600 salary and RM300 cola, amounting to RM900.

No plan for special investment fund for Indians

/* June 18th, 2007 by poobalan | View blog reactions No comments »
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how did we reach the 3% target figure? It should be 8% at least.
 
 
No plan for special investment fund for Indians
 
BERNAMA
KUALA LUMPUR, MON:
 

THE government has no plan to set up a special investment fund to uplift the economic position of the Indian community, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Senator Datuk Abdul Rahman Suliman said the government had however used various mechanisms to help raise the economic position of the community and to ensure that the targeted three per cent equity ownership by Indians during the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP) period was achieved.

“Various efforts have also been undertaken to widen the participation of Indians in the economy and help uplift their economic status so that they are not left behind in development,” he said.

Abdul Rahman was replying to a question from K. Devamamy (BN-Cameron Highlands) on the mechanisms to enable Indians achieve three per cent equity ownership during the 9MP period.

Abdul Rahman said the mechanisms included the investment schemes of Perbadanan Nasional Berhad, such as Amanah Saham Wawasan 2020, Amanah Saham Nasional, Amanah Saham Gemilang, Amanah Saham Nasional 3, expanding access to financial assistance and training for Indian entrepreneurs as well as providing business licences to encourage them to venture into business.
Replying to a supplementary question, from Datuk Mohd Zaid Ibrahim (BN-Kota Baharu), on the equity targets for other ethnic groups such as the Dayak, Orang Asli and Kadazan, Abdul Rahman said the government would continue to focus on the eradication of poverty among the people regardless of their ethnic groups.

“We want to reduce hardcore poverty, which is at 5.7 per cent, by 2010. This is our most important target.

“Our agenda is to try and ensure that all ethnic groups are able to participate in and benefit from the programme,” he said.