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.

William and Kate to arrive in KL on Sept 13

LONDON: Britain’s Prince William and his wife Catherine bring their royal star power to Southeast Asia and the Pacific this week as part of a tour marking Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee.

The nine-day trip will feature the former Kate Middleton’s first speech in a foreign country, as she continues to learn the ropes of the British monarchy following her marriage to William last year.

The tour of Singapore, Malaysia, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu will also include a poignant tribute to William’s mother Diana Princess of Wales who died in a car crash in Paris 15 years ago.

Britain’s younger royals are touring the globe throughout 2012 as part of celebrations marking the 60-year reign of William’s grandmother the queen as they seek to maintain their relevance in a changing world.

“The aim of the tour is to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee” said Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, principal private secretary and equerry to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as they are known under royal protocol.

“The Duke and Duchess will use the tour to pay tribute — through what they do and say and who they meet — to the Queen’s lifetime and dedication to the mix of peoples and cultures that make up all of Her Majesty’s realms and the Commonwealth.

“The tour will comprise a mixture of formal and informal moments which reflect these aims and Duke and Duchess’s characters and interests.”

William and Catherine will stop first in Singapore — which gained independence from Britain in 1963 along with Malaysia before separating from Malaysia two years later — from Tuesday until Thursday.

Their first engagement will be an orchid naming ceremony in Singapore when flowers will be named after them. One of them will be named after Princess Diana.

First speech abroad

They will then go on to Malaysia, where they will tour Kuala Lumpur and Borneo’s Sabah state from Sept 13-15.

It is in Malaysia that Catherine will give her first speech abroad, addressing staff and patients at a hospice.
The pair will then travel to the Solomon Islands, a former British protectorate northeast of Australia, between Sept 16-18 before a final stop in the tiny nation of Tuvalu from September 18-19.

The royals are also expected to take part in sporting activities and wear traditional dress when they visit the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu, as well as travel by canoe at one point.

Queen Elizabeth is head of state in the Solomons and Tuvalu, both of which are members of the Commonwealth.

Catherine has already revealed that William, second in line to the British throne, has been making some special preparations ahead of the trip.

“William’s been practising his dance moves,” the duchess joked as the couple met Solomon Islands’ governor general Sir Frank Kabui at a reception in June.

“We’re extremely excited. Both of us have never been anywhere near there,” William said during the event at London’s historic Guildhall.

The wedding of William and Catherine, both 30, in April 2011 was watched on television by up to two billion people around the world and helped breathe new life into Britain’s monarchy after years of crisis.


Source- AFP

Pandelela to study sports science at UM

National diving queen Pandelela Rinong Pamg will pursue her study in the field of sports science at Universiti Malaya (UM) and is currently awaiting confirmation of admission to the university.

The Olympic bronze medalist said she had chosen to pursue her study in UM as the university was closer to her training centre in Bukit Jalil.

“I have a transport issue. If I were to study in a university located far from Bukit Jalil, I will have problems to travel between the two locations.

“Furthermore, my teammate, Brian (Nickson Lomas) is also studying there (UM),” she told reporters after attending the launch of new Oris wristwatch in Kuala Lumpur today.

Present was her fellow Olympian, track cyclist Mohd Azizulhasni Awang.

Earlier, Pandelela and Mohd Azizulhasni each received the newly-launched wristwatch, which was given in honour of their success and contributions to the sports industry, especially at the recently-concluded London Olympics 2012.

The 19-year-old diver also expressed hope that she would be able to commit to the study field of her choice and that she would be able to popularise and contribute more to the development of the sport of diving in the future.

At present, she said she had no commitment to any championship.

“After the Olympic Games, there's no other championship for me. The coach has given me the time off to attend interviews and the like,” said the Sarawak-born diver.

Source- Bernama

Will the cops call these 'seditious acts' as well?

For the first time ever, the authorities are on the hunt for individuals accused of showing disrespect for public figures by means of stepping on their photograph or in one case, baring a bottom at their photograph.

Currently, the police have identified 11 individuals accused of performing such acts during the eve of Merdeka Day at Dataran Merdeka.

Thus far, a handful of people have surrendered themselves to the police and in one case, a teenager was even put in handcuffs for her alleged crime.

However, it has been pointed out that the 11 are subjects of selective persecution, exacerbated by the haste in investigations and the uncanny ability of the police to identify them with such uncanny accuracy.

The police, however, have denied taking sides and vowed to probe similar instances involving Pakatan Rakyat leaders, provided police reports are lodged.

Sodomy II trial judge: Man of many moods

INTERVIEW Justice Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah was described as initially open when conducting the Anwar Ibrahim Sodomy II trial, but as soon as his ruling on ordering the prosecution to provide the witness list and other key documents was overturned by the upper courts, he appeared to have changed his stand.

Queen's Counsel Mark Trowell, the author of ‘The Trial of Anwar Ibrahim Sodomy II', said he found Zabidin to be fair after giving the ruling in favour of the defence, unlike (former Federal Court judge) Augustine Paul, who presided on Anwar's abuse of power trial.

Trowell, who observed both trials on behalf of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and LawAsia, has worked extensively both as defence counsel and prosecutor in Australia.

Zabidin made the ruling in favour of Opposition Leader Anwar at the pre-trial stage, resulting in the prosecution appealing the decision. The Court of Appeal subsequently overturned the decision and this was upheld by the Federal Court.

Following Zabidin's ruling, Anwar's lawyers were allowed to inspect the CCTV recordings made at the Desa Damansara condominium, the witness statements of complainant Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, Hospital Pusrawi's Dr Osman Abdul Hamid and other witnesses, along with the witness list and medical reports.

Sports icon Hamzah Abu Samah passes away

National sports icon and the Olympic Council of Malaysia’s honorary life president Hamzah Abu Samah passed away at 3.30pm today at the University Malaya Medical Centre, due to old age.

The death of Hamzah, 88, was confirmed by his wife Zainon Hussain when contacted by Bernama today.

Apart from being a cabinet minister heading various ministries until his decision to quit in September 1980, Hamzah was the president of the Olympic Council of Malaysia from 1976 to 1998; vice-president of the Islamic Solidarity Sport Federation (1985-1994); vice-president of the General Association of the Asian Sports Federation (1988-1998); vice-president of the Olympic Council of Asia (1982-1986); vice-president of the Commonwealth Games Federation (1982-1998); and honorary life president of the Southeast Asian Games Federation since 1977.

He was also president of the Football Association of Malaysia (1976-1983); honorary president of the Football Association of Malaysia since 1983; president of the Asian Football Confederation (1978-1994); honorary president of the Asian Football Confederation since 1994; vice-president of FIFA (1982-1990); honorary executive member of FIFA since 1990; president of the Malaysian Cricket Association (1969-1990); and president of the Malaysia Taekwondo Association (1987-1999).

He was a member of the International Olympic Committee from 1978 to 2004 and was appointed honorary member since 2004.

Source- Bernama

'Saiful not like a normal sexual abuse victim'

For Mark Trowell, an experienced Australian criminal lawyer, alleged sodomy victim Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan does not strike him as a "normal" sexual assault victim.

The author of ‘The trial of Anwar Ibrahim, Sodomy II', which has been on the bookshelves since last week, said it appeared Saiful loved to hog the media limelight and he did not mind it - not at all like any other sexual assault victim.

Trowell, who is also an observer for the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and LawAsia in courts around the world, said it was also not normal for a sexual assault victim not to have a bath for two days.

"I am made to understand that a Muslim, after sexual intercourse, is required to have the ritual bath before he or she can perform prayers. So, the question remains as to how Saiful did his prayers.

"In my 25 years of experience in criminal law, I have never seen someone not bathing for two days to preserve forensic evidence.

"On the contrary, I feel the victim would want to quickly have a shower to remove the perpetrator's body smell.