Posts Tagged ‘Pahang’

award for SJKT Ladang Jeram for 10 years container classroom (and 5 more years added) use

August 8th, 2011
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The school is SJKT Ladang Jeram, Kuantan.

This is a photo of the said container classroom (from HRP website):

The container classroom has been in use for the past DECADE. Not one year, not two year.

I think the company that demolished the place 10 years ago is PASDEC Corporation, based on this reply from MOE:

Ministry of Education (MOE) would like to refer to an article published in THE STAR dated 23 July 2011 on the issue of – School uses container to curb classroom shortage.

Guru Besar memaklumkan bahawa Pengerusi Lembaga Pengelola merangkap Pengerusi PIBG telah mengadakan beberapa pertemuan dengan pihak Pasdec Corporation Sdn. Bhd untuk membincangkan isu tapak SJK (T) Ladang Jeram, Kuantan.

Dalam pertemuan terkini, antara Encik S. Jayakumar, Pengerusi PIBG SJK (T) Ladang Jeram, Kuantan dengan Encik Azhar bin Haji Ibrahim, Pengurus Koordinasi Projek Pasdec Corporation Sdn. Bhd telah memutuskan perkara berikut :

1.    Pihak Pasdec bersetuju memberi tapak  alternatif baru seluas 3 ekar sebagai tapak baru SJK (T) Ladang Jeram, Kuantan.

2.    Lokasi sebenar akan ditentukan kemudian oleh pihak Pasdec. Anggaran lokasi lebih kurang 2 km dari tapak sekolah kabin sekarang.

Pihak Pasdec masih membenarkan sekolah kabin sekarang beroperasi ditempat asal dalam jangkamasa 5 tahun lagi.

source: http://bpa.bernama.com/details.php?id=1944

 

 

So, the school will be using the container for another 5 years??? Syabas! Do we deserve this?

A TAMIL school at Ladang Jeram in Kuantan has been using a container as a classroom for the past decade, Tamil Nesan reports.

Beserah and Sungai Karang humanitarian and welfare society (Bakkis) president Wan Azlan Wan Salleh said it was a shame that this was still happening even after 54 years of independence.

He said he had spoken to headmaster P. Ravilogath, who said the school badly needed six classrooms to cater for its students.

Wan Azlan hoped that the visit by Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob’s special representative R. Gunasegaran to the school would bring about a solution to the decade-old problem.

The school building was reportedly demolished by a company, which took over the estate for commercial development 10 years ago on the condition it would build a six-classroom building and a temple.

However, there had been no development to date.

source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/7/23/nation/9156652&sec=nation

BN wins big in Merlimau and Kerdau

March 7th, 2011
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As expected, BN wins handsomely in the stronghold areas of Merlimau (Malacca) and Kerdau (Pahang).

In Merlimau, PAS candidate Yuhaizat Abdullah got 2,319 votes, while BN’s Roslan got 5,962 voters. Voter turnout was 79 per cent of the 10,679 voters and majority was 3,643 votes. This is an improvement from the previous majority, 2.615 votes.

In Kerdau,  BN candidate Syed Ibrahim Syed Ahmad defeated PAS’s Hassanuddin Salim by 4,960 votes to 2,336. This is an increased majority of 2,724 compared to 1,615-vote majority in 2008. Its even better than the 2004 GE results (2,565).  Voter turnout was 83 per cent of the 8,999 voters.

I’m not aware of the Indian votes (298 in Kerdau and 1,567 in Merlimau), but can be rest assured that most of the votes would have gone to BN. More so after PAS in Kelantan decided to ban lottery tickets. That surely chased away any “pity” votes the non-Muslim may have thought of giving. In the end, it was a walk in park for BN.

As an indication, the Chinese votes in Kerdau polling district, the only area with a substantial Chinese presence, saw BN  getting 428  votes while PAS got 216. In previous election, BN won the district with a thin majority of 37.

Oh yeah, as usual, there were calls of vote-buying, election goodies etc., but I think in these areas it would not have made much difference.

As mentioned by BN leaders, this is a big hit for PAS, but of course, the by-elections were done in BN strongholds, so the results are expected. Anyway, this is the 5th straight loss for PR coalition, after Galas, Tenang and Batu Sapi. I wonder how the results would be in a urban area.

How would these wins shape the coming months? Would there be a general election soon?

 

 

Reply on community request for private Chinese school in Kuantan

January 8th, 2011
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The following press statement was removed hours after it was posted on MOE website. (Un)Luckily, it was captured in BERNAMA and reported by Malaysiakini.

The truth hurts, doesn’t it?

Maybe this is also part of the reason why MIC talks about relocating schools and building new blocks only, but never about new schools.

We can say similar things (not follow national education philosophy, not using national language, not using national exam) about international and private schools in Malaysia. But these schools seem to be increasing in numbers instead of maintaining status quo or decreasing.

Gesa kebenaran mendirikan Sekolah Menengah Swasta Cina di Kuantan (China Press: 29/12/2010) – MOE

MAKLUM BALAS LAPORAN AKHBAR

Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia (KPM) ingin merujuk kepada Berita dalam Akhbar China Press bertarikh  29 Disember 2010 (A11) –Komuniti Cina di Pahang gesa kebenaran mendirikan Sekolah Menengah Swasta Cina di Kuantan segera diuruskan.

Pembinaan sekolah swasta Cina di Kuantan (SMPC) tidak boleh dipertimbangkan pada masa ini dan pada masa akan datang. Ini kerana dasar kerajaan ialah mengekalkan 60 buah SMPC yang sedia ada (status quo). Pembinaan SMPC tidak mencerminkan konsep pendidikan secara holistik di mana SMPC tidak menggunakan kurikulum yang ditetapkan oleh KPM iaitu tidak akur dengan Dasar Pendidikan Kebangsaan. Sekolah ini juga menggunakan kurikulum sendiri, Bahasa Cina sebagai bahasa pengantar dan murid-muridnya menduduki peperiksaan yang dikelolakan sendiri oleh Lembaga Peperiksaan Malaysia Independent Chinese Secondary School (MICSS). Peperiksaan yang diduduki oleh murid SMPC seperti The Unified Examination Certificate (UEC).

Kerajaan ingin melihat perpaduan di antara kaum terus kekal dan mempunyai sikap hormat-menghormati antara satu sama lain. Sehubungan itu, kerajaan menggalakkan semua kaum di negara ini belajar di sekolah bantuan penuh kerajaan atau sekolah jenis kebangsaan yang mendapat bantuan daripada kerajaan.

Pertambahan murid di kawasan berkenaan boleh disalurkan ke sekolah bantuan penuh kerajaan sedia ada di kawasan berkenaan. Pembinaan sekolah hendaklah mengikut perancangan oleh KPM yang dibuat oleh Bahagian Perancangan dan Penyelidikan Dasar Pendidikan, KPM.

Status quo penubuhan sekolah menengah swasta kekal seperti sedia ada. Permohonan untuk menubuhkan sekolah swasta Cina yang baru tidak disokong.

CORPORATE COMMUNICATION UNIT

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION MALAYSIA

source: http://web6.bernama.com/bpa/details.php?id=886

The Malaysiakini report:

An education ministry statement on its website on the rejection of a proposal to revive an independent Chinese high school in Pahang was taken down a few hours after it was posted. 

The statement by the ministry’s corporate communications department said the proposal was turned down because it was government policy not to increase the number of independent Chinese schools. 

The ministry was responding to a report on the proposal by Chinese daily China Press on Dec 29, 2010. 

The statement was spotted on the education ministry website this afternoon and several major Chinese dailies ran news flashes on the matter. 

It was taken down from the website a few hours later, with no explanation being given. 

However, the statement was archived by national news agencyBernama and can be accessed through its ‘Response From Government Agencies’ page. 

Asked about the statement, Deputy Education Minister Wee Ka Siong confirmed that it was retracted.

“It is no longer there. It was taken down,” he said when contacted.

“It is a major decision… everything will be announced by the prime minister or deputy prime minister (later).”

PM approved proposal

China Press’s exclusive report said that the Pahang Chinese community were urging the government to approve the application for the school as they have been waiting for the greenlight since September last year. 

The report quoted United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong) Pahang chairperson as saying that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had approved the establishment of the school as a branch of the Kuala Lumpur Chong Hwa independent high school.

A piece of land, donated by the community, had already been earmarked for the school. 

However, the education ministry statement states that the proposal “cannot be considered either now or in the future” because it is government policy to continue the status quo, which is maintaining the current number of independent Chinese high schools at 60.

“The government wants to see unity and mutual respect among different races. Hence, the government encourages all ethnic groups in this country to study in fully-aided government schools or national schools,” read the statement. 

The statement pointed out that independent Chinese high schools do not use the education ministry syllabus, adopt Mandarin as the teaching medium and their students sit for an independent examination operated by Dong Zong.

Fishing for Chinese votes?

It adds that fully-aided public schools are capable of absorbing any increase in student population in the area. 

Previously, there were eight independent Chinese high schools in Pahang that were maintained by the Chinese community but all were closed down due to various reasons. 

The Chinese community there made several attempts to revive these schools since the 1990s to no avail. 

Their hopes were reignited after the Najib administration provided greater recognition of independent Chinese high schools by allowing United Examination Certificate (UEC) graduates to enroll in teacher training colleges. 

For the first time ever, the federal government also awarded scholarships for high-scoring UEC graduates. 

This has been widely seen as an attempt to shore up support from the Chinese community ahead of possible snap polls.

Two Tamil schools in Bera

January 25th, 2010
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This is a good news indeed (although RM1.4 to RM1.5 million per schools is quite inadequate. We most likely have to repeat the pleas in another 4-5 years time). They are not new schools, but actually new buildings. If you search using keywords like “Kemayan” and “Menteri” at the MOE’s schools directory, you’ll find info about these schools, including their status (operational). And I expect the students to be less than 200 in each school as previous statistics indicate enrolment of less than 160 each.

The land status is not indicated, but the MOE directory lists the schools as “sekolah bantuan kerajaan”.

The federal government has approved RM2.97 million to build two Tamil primary schools in the district this year, Bera Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on Sunday.

The Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister said RM1.5 million had been allocated for the construction of Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil (SJKT) Kemayan and RM1.47 million for SJKT Ladang Menteri.

“Tenders for the construction of the two schools will be called soon,” he said, adding that site-clearing work had already begun for the Ladang Menteri school.

Ismail Sabri made the announcement at the launch of the “Ponggal” (harvest) festival organised by the Bera Indian Cultural Organisation, at the Kemayan Subramaniar Temple here.

He reminded the people to be wary of attempts by opposition politicians to confuse them.

“The opposition brings up various issues to create chaos. Even the construction of these two schools is politicised. They claim that the government will not build the schools in Bera as there are only a small number of Indians in the district and, as such, the existing schools are sufficient,” he said. – from Bernama.

Mini market owner goes to court for 3rd time

December 10th, 2009
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I’m sure everyone’s familiar with the case of  mini market owner Subramaniam who have been summoned few times by the local council. The court ruled recently that the summons are invalid as the local council don’t have authority to haul someone to court via summons (that’s what I understood). Efforts are underway to change the law, so while that is happening, let’s look at the news below.

Questions are abound. Why wasn’t he given license after 2005? Was he offered an alternative place which he declined? Did he commit some crime like not paying fees or duit kopi(!)? Or was the place marked for development? Or did he vote for the other side? Or someone jealous of his business? Was he selling unauthorised items? Or any complaints on cleanliness by residents? Did he cheat customers? Any sane person would like to know why the license was not renewed, but newspaper did not mention it. When the information is not forthcoming, can you blame people like me for guessing all kinds of reasons?

Would it been different if the owner was not an Indian or Chinese? I like to say no, but well, we being Second (or is it Fourth?) Class citizen and all…

I remember the Pahang Indian Chamber of Commerce making some noise, that’s about it.

Mini-market owner Subra maniam Gopal was charged for the third time this year in the magistrate’s court here with the same four offences of operating his business in 2006 without a licence from the Temerloh Municipal Council.

Once again, Subramaniam, 50, pleaded not guilty to four charges of operating the GSM Mini Market on 10A Jalan Besar Lanchang in Lanchang, Pahang, without a licence on March 10, March 17, April 18 and June 6 in 2006.

Magistrate Ida Rahayu Sharif fixed Jan 26 for mention of the case after his counsel Datuk M. Ramachelvam told the court that they would be raising preliminary objections and Deputy Public Prosecutor Ellyna Othman did not object.

On Dec 1, High Court Judicial Commissioner Akhtar Tahir had released the grounds of his judgment for his Sept 11 landmark decision that Section 120 of the Local Government Act, which had been used by the council to prosecute Subramaniam the first time round, was unconstitutional because it empowered the council to institute prosecutions when Article 145(3) of the Federal Constitution gave that right solely to the Attorney-General.

It is believed the same objection will be taken against yesterday’s charges.

On Nov 22, the Sunday Star frontpaged the Sept 11 judgment and ramifications for local councils nationwide.

In his oral judgment that day, JC Akhtar had also ordered Subramaniam be given a discharge not amounting to an acquittal.

On the following Tuesday, the council served Subramaniam with fresh summonses from the council for the same offences and he was charged on Nov 25 for a second time.

After his not guilty plea was taken, Ida Rahayu allowed DPP Nurshafini Mustafa’s application for a discharge not amounting to an acquittal as the council had applied wrongly for the summonses.

Outside the court yesterday, Subramaniam said he had been running his shop since 1979 and had always had a licence until 2005 when the council rejected his application for a renewal.

“I do not have any alternative to earn a living. I have children studying overseas to support.

“What is happening to me now is not fair as I have been running this business for so many years and I have to continue doing this. Let me live in peace,” he said.

Ramachelvan said his client was in a bind whether to stop or continue with the business because it was his livelihood.