Maszlee wants society to share teachers' success stories

Education Minister Maszlee Malik wants society to share stories of the successes of teachers they know to inspire other educators.

Referring to the character of a firm headmistress Geeta Rani (above) in the Tamil film Raatchasi (female demon) from India, he believed there were many Geeta Rani in the country.

“We want to give our appreciation to these superheroines. There are many more of these unsung heroes. We urge parents or students who know of a great principal, headmasters or teachers to share about them with the Education Ministry,” he said.

He said this after attending a special screening of Raatchasi together with the publisher and director of the film at a shopping complex in Puchong today. The screening was also attended by over 100 teachers, headmasters and district education officers in the Klang Valley.

Raatchasi, directed by S Gowthamraj is about a firm and brave headmistress. The character Geeta Rani played by actress Jyotika faces a myriad of challenges in bringing changes at a weak school with lazy teachers.

Her firmness eventually brought success when all the pupils performed excellently in sports and important examinations with the aid of teachers, parents and the local community.

Maszlee said the aspiration of Geeta Rani could be applied in the national education scenario such as turning a school not only into a medium to educate but also as something belonging to society and returning it to society.

“Similarly too, we saw Geeta eating together with her pupils. I also encourage our teachers to do this, especially when we will be starting the free breakfast programme for pupils from next year,” he said.

Earlier, the Raatchasi film production from India was reported to have expressed their appreciation to Maszlee over his support for the film.

The company addressed a two-page letter to Maszlee, who praised the storyline in the film in the effort to develop the national education system.

In fact, Jyotika also expressed her appreciation to Maszlee through her husband’s Twitter account.

Source - Bernama

Maszlee sees Tamil film 'Raatchasi' as interpreting his aspirations

Education Minister Maszlee Malik describes the Tamil film Raatchasi as having portrayed the policies and changes that were being made for implementation in the country's education.

He said the film had interpreted his aspirations, which included the Free Breakfast Programme initiative to see the teachers being able to sit down and have meals with the students.

Maszlee said the film had an extraordinary storyline and proper character played by the main actress, Jyothika.

“Unlike watching the film as the education minister, I reflected every chapter to the situation in our country.

“Geetha Rani plays the character of a great superhero. She proves to us that major changes are not something impossible,” Maszlee said on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram entries yesterday, after watching the film with his officers a day earlier.

Raatchasi, directed by Sy Gowthamraj, shows Jyothika going through the challenges of being a stern headmistress wanting to improve the situation at the dilapidated school run by the government.

Maszlee said the film touched on student failures where the character Geetha had succeeded in getting everyone involved in resolving the issue on student failures, including the police.

“This is what we are trying to do. We want to ensure that enforcement is being carried out on all angles so that there will no longer be any more student failures,” he said.

He also shared the character of Geetha meeting all the parents and forming a Parents and Community Association to ensure that parents were actively involved in their children's education.

Maszlee said making education a collective vision of everyone was his biggest aspiration as he was confident that education was capable of becoming the objective of the local community. In fact, education would improve their living standards.

He also called on everyone, including all teachers, parents and students, to watch the film.

Lately, the film went viral among social media users, especially Malay netizens, because they were attracted to the storyline.

Source- Bernama

No place for Tamil language in Kedah

COMMENT The state in Peninsular Malaysia that came under heavy Tamil influence was Kedah.

Before the advent of the Cholas about 1,000 years ago, Kedah was under the domain of the Srivijaya Dynasty for considerable period of time.

It is ironical, the state that derives its name from Tamil word Kedaram, has the least respect and recognition for the advancement of the Tamil language and Tamil schools.

For that matter, even the Tamil school that is located in the sprawling Bujang Valley, containing rich treasures of the Indian past, is in most deplorable state.

While Kedah might boast of a rich ancient Hindu/Indian past, both the federal government and the state governments have little to improve the lives of Indians, descendants of those who were brought from South India to work as indentured labourers.

After 58 years of political independence, Indians in Kedah, the vast majority of them being rural and urban workers, have been left out of the development mainstream. 

The most important identity marker of Tamils in Kedah seems to be Hindu temples, which more visible today than before as result of plantation land going for the development.

Other than temples, there is nothing Indians can look forward in a state where  the former Malaysian prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, originated.

Like the other peninsula states, there is open discrimination of Indians in the public service: very few Indians actually gain employment in the government bureaucracy or the civil service. Indians are left out in the state-linked government companies, some gain employment as drivers and office boys.

New education blueprint - salient points

Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin unveiled the country's new education blueprint today, a process which began in October last year when the government embarked on a national dialogue with the aim of revamping the education system.

Below are the salient points from the blueprint. Members of the public will be able to view the blueprint during open days in the next three months. The final plan will be presented to cabinet in December.

Language

• All Year 1 to Year 3 students to undergo Literacy and Numeracy screening (Linus) twice a year in both English and Bahasa Malaysia (currently Linus tests are done only for BM).

• After-school remedial classes for Years 4-6 (to phase out 'remove' classes for those with problems with English and BM after Year 6 by 2017).

• All English teachers must pass Cambridge placement tests within the next two years.

• Accelerated pathway for high performers: 5 years (instead of 6) for UPSR and 4 years (instead of 5) for SPM.

• Benchmark mathematics and science tests on the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) and Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (Timss).

• 11 years of compulsory schooling (up from 6 years). By 2020, all school leavers have SPM or equivalent qualifications.

• All special needs students in equipped special schools by 2025.

• Each child to learn a third language by 2025 (starting with Chinese, Tamil and Arabic). Spanish, French and Japanese will be offered later.

Matriculation studies: One-off offer for 557 Indians

The Education Ministry is to make a one-off offer to 557 eligible Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) Indian students to take up places for matriculation courses for the 2012/2013 academic year.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the offer was made to the students under the third intake to fill places in 13 government matriculation colleges.

The eligible students will receive their offer letters by July 11 and they would have to register on July 18, he said in a statement today.

Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, said a total of 1,539 Indian students had been offered places to attend matriculation courses at the ministry's matriculation colleges in the 2012/2013 academic session which began on June 4.

Of the total, Muhyiddin said, 943 students had registered at government matriculation colleges.

On Feb 27, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak announced that the quota for the Indian community to attend courses at government matriculation colleges would be increased by 1,000 places for the 2012/2013 session.

Following the announcement, Muhyiddin said, the ministry offered 1,000 places to students from the Indian community for entry into matriculation colleges in the first intake on April 25.

Another 539 places were offered in the second intake on June 7, he said.

At last year's MIC general assembly, party president G Palanivel requested the government to provide 1,000 additional places for Indian students to attend the matriculation programme. 

Source - Bernama