* Alice Smith International School (KLASS)
* Australian International School, Malaysia
* Fairview International School
* Garden International School (GIS) Homepage
* International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL)
* Sayfol International School
* Mont'Kiara International School Homepage
* Mutiara Grammar International School
^^ There are a lot more schools than that...

An open letter to Mustapa

from the star: link (http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/3/11/focus/13632347&sec=focus)

Dear Sir,

Firstly, allow me to congratulate you on your new posting. It must be said though that you are not to be envied, for you are now faced with a Herculean task.

But, where are my manners? You have no idea who I am. I could be a complete nutcase.

Well, I’m an academic in a Malaysian public university. Which some people might consider a nutcase, anyway. But I’m very proud to be an academic.

It’s a noble profession, and it matters not that my students earn more than me within a few years of graduating and that little children run screaming from my hideously outdated clothes. It’s a calling to be an academic, and I care passionately about it.

That is why I’m writing to you. You see, there is much that is wrong with our universities and much that can be done by the Ministry to put things right.

You may not believe that my one purpose in writing to you is the improvement of our institutions, but let me assure you, we true academics (as opposed to wannabe politicians in lecturers’ clothes) don’t have hidden agendas.

Over the past few years, there has been this mantra chanted by the Government and university leaders: “We want our universities to be world-class universities.” Unfortunately, this mantra does not have any explanatory notes, so we don’t really know what “world-class” means. However, let us assume that a world-class university has the following:

# Graduates who are employable, not only here but also abroad;

# Academic staff who are respected worldwide;

# Research and publications that are recognised by reputable international journals/publishers;

# An academic programme that is recognised worldwide;

# An academic atmosphere that can attract quality national and foreign students and staff.

If we accept these criteria as valid, what then can be done to achieve it?

Universities are not hampers

Universities are not rewards to be handed out. It has happened in Terengganu and the same has been promised to Kelantan. “Vote for us and we will give you a university.”

This may make political sense, but it does not make any academic sense. A lot of planning is needed to ensure that the resources are sufficient to create a university of quality.

Malaysia is not a very rich country – we can’t afford petrol subsidies, for goodness’ sake – and we definitely can’t afford to stretch our limited economic and intellectual resources to build universities in such a blasé manner.

Universities are not fast-food joints

They should instead be high-class restaurants. Universities have to be elitist in order to produce quality research and graduates.

An elitist university means that only the best candidates are taken in as students and only the best staff are hired. Classes and exams can then be pitched at a higher standard.

Furthermore, the resulting smaller student numbers mean seminars and tutorials can be truly conducive to discussions, and lecturers will have less of a teaching burden in order to concentrate on research.

This is not to say that higher education as a whole must be elitist. There are other forms of higher education institutions that can cater to school leavers who don’t make the cut, such as polytechnics and community colleges.

If you love your universities, you must set them free

Academics and students must be free to think and to express themselves.

Yes, I understand that this is Malaysia and freedom is seen as a dirty word by some, but without it, there is little hope of achieving “world-class” universities.

Intellectualism cannot grow in a repressive atmosphere.

We all know that in this country, there are many laws that restrict our freedom to express ourselves, but the irony is that for lecturers and students there are additional laws levelled at them.

You must be aware of the University and University Colleges Act – that wonderful piece of legislation designed to ensure that university students are little more than secondary school pupils.

You may not be aware, however, of the Statutory Bodies Discipline and Surcharge Act which affects academics who are the employees of statutory bodies.

According to this law, we can’t say anything for or against government policy without getting ministerial permission first.

Now, this may be all right for a mathematician quietly thinking up new formulae with which to calculate the possibility of Malaysia ever qualifying for the World Cup.

But for social scientists, it is akin to having the Malaysian football team play football without using their feet (which is perhaps something that they do anyway, looking at previous results).

The simple fact of the matter is that universities should first and foremost be the birthplace of ideas and original thought, discussion and debate, and this can’t be achieved with such laws hung around our necks.

And in case you’re worried that greater freedom will make our campuses hotbeds of radicalism, please let me put your fears to rest.

The number of students in this day and age who really care about matters beyond Akademi Fantasia is very small indeed.

Most students just want to graduate and as quickly as possible get into debt to pay for their three-bedroom flat and Proton Waja.

Universities need Mandelas

If there is one thing that Malaysian universities need, it is good leadership. And by a good leader, I mean a Vice-Chancellor who has the qualities of an outstanding intellectual, manager and diplomat, who can ensure that academic principles are paramount, not political expediency.

That promotions are given based on merit, not patronage. That students are treated like adults, not children. And finally, that the university is run on the highest ideals of civilisation and intellectualism, not self-aggrandisement and base toadying.

An outstanding academic leader, someone who can efficiently organise the place, represent the institution with dignity and command the respect of those working under him, or her, is a rare creature indeed.

To seek out such a person, may I suggest that the search committee your predecessor was talking about be made a reality.

This search committee, however, must be independent and transparent. It must not be hiHndered by any political agenda and must instead pick the candidates based on ability – and ability alone. Factors such as race, creed, gender and nationality should not be a consideration.

Perhaps we’d like to take lessons from elsewhere. Oh, before you think I’m suggesting a “study trip” abroad (with the usual sightseeing and cultural diversions), let me make it clear that I think the taxpayers’ money need not be wasted in such a fashion. After all, writing an e-mail is probably all you need to do to get the necessary information.

You may wish to start with New Zealand universities. I say New Zealand because the VC of Auckland University was recently poached by Oxford to be its Vice-Chancellor. The first non-English VC of Oxford since, well, since forever.

Now, that’s world-class, don’t you think? And from a country much smaller than us where the sheep outnumber the humans. Amazing.Well then, Sir, I think I’d best sign off now. You must have loads to do. Oh, before I forget, if you want to lighten the workload of your officers, may I make a last suggestion?

Why don’t you just leave the day-to-day running of the universities in the hands of the universities? I bet the Ministry has enough on its plate without having to decide about trivial things like professorial promotions and the approving of leave for academics to go to conferences and holidays overseas.

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read my letter. Good luck with your endeavours. Until next time, I remain,

Yours sincerely,
AZMI SHAROM

# Dr Azmi Sharom is an associate professor of the Law Faculty of Universiti Malaya

I salute him for that piece of letter...kudos Dr. Azmi Sharom!

Ministry sets world ranking target for two varsities

SHAH ALAM: Two Malaysian universities among the top 50 in the world – that is the ambitious target set by the Government for Malaysian public institutions of higher education (IPTAs).

Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed said this was in line with the ministry’s emphasis on academic excellence and internationalisation.

“Among the tools available to help us gauge our progress towards these goals are international benchmarks and rankings. We have set ourselves a target to maintain at least two of our universities in the list of the world’s top 50,” he said.

He added that universities with a reputation for being the best in the world would act as a magnet for the most talented students and staff.

“An environment where the world’s best teach, learn and conduct research is highly likely to produce stellar results and bring immense value to the ecosystem within which it exists,” he said in his speech at the opening of an international conference on university learning and teaching organised by Universiti Teknologi Mara yesterday.

The speech was delivered by Higher Education Management Department director-general Prof Datuk Dr Hassan Said.

Speaking to reporters later, Prof Hassan said the ministry was in the process of identifying the two universities.

“Once we have chosen them, the ministry will give them all the support needed to compete globally. We are developing the criteria they must fulfil,” he said, adding that the deadline set for the two universities to achieve the top 50 standing was 2010.

“Although we will consider the global requirements needed for a world-class university, we will not forget the national agenda.”

Universiti Malaya is the highest-ranked local university in the world rankings published by Britain’s The Times Higher Education Supplement. However, it dropped from 89th place in 2004 to 169th last year.

On another matter, Prof Hassan announced that more places would be offered to post- Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia and matriculation students in 18 IPTAs this year.

^^ shouldn't the world ranking target be set for all Malaysian universities?

Never too old to learn English
By DAVID TAN

IT’S never too late to learn English, says 66-year-old Goh Hun Wat who travels from his home in Tanjung Dawai, Kedah, to Butterworth for English lessons.

Twice a week Goh takes a 60-minute drive to attend the classes.

Goh, who runs a cooking school for western and eastern cuisine in Sungai Petani, said he needed to learn English so that he could better communicate with his students.

”I need to respond to questions in English when I hold cooking demonstrations at shopping malls in Kedah and Penang,” he said.

Goh is among the many adults attending the English classes at the Young Malaysian Movement district office in Butterworth.






http://www.thestar.com.my/archives/2006/3/23/north/old.jpg

MIND YOUR LANGUAGE:Cheng conducting the adult
English class at Young Malaysian Movement district office.





The classes were arranged by Bagan Jermal assemblyman Ooi Chuan Aik who said the response had been very good since the classes started in early March.

“At first we expected about 40 people but some 70 people registered instead.

“The classes are held every Tuesday and Thursday from 8.30pm to 10.30pm,” he said, adding that the monthly fee was RM20.

The English tutor Cheng Siew Mooi, who is a human resources consultant, said she discovered many adults who attended interviews could not express themselves in good English.

Never too late to learn, but sometime I see old people learning pon useless......j/k

I wonder if they're teaching Manglish... I wonder if the teachers teach or use "lah".

High-speed Internet connection for UUM
By Joseph Chin, 19 Apr 2006 11:16 AM



TM Net (http://www.tm.net.my/) Sdn Bhd (TM Net) has provided its premium tmnet direct leased line to Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) in Kedah, enabling the university’s community to link directly to the Internet at 45 megabits per second (Mbps), compared with the previous speed of nine Mbps.

The bandwidth upgrade is to cater to the increasing need to support UUM’s network system as well as its communication system such as the Internet, e-mail and the existing application system, TM Net said on April 18.

The bandwidth was upgraded in early January 2006, and can be increased to 155 Mbps. The other campus with similar bandwidth capacity is Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM).

TM Net chief executive officer Michael Lai said the company’s collaboration with one of Malaysia’s premier higher learning institution “will ensure that we are on track to bridge the digital divide for the leaders of tomorrow in our universities today”.

To further enhance the connectivity on campus, TM Net has also installed wireless network throughout the UUM campus and its administration buildings. Users need only to use a wireless-enabled laptop to access the Internet wirelessly.

Among the application services utilised by UUM users are its community Portal, LearningCare, GroupWeb and the university’s website.

With these applications, UUM users, lecturers and students can conduct their daily activities without any hassle online such as reading their e-mails, apply for leave, get updated examination results, and check and update their personal profiles.

“We are proud to be able to facilitate UUM’s strategic plan to use ICT as a platform to pursue knowledge. Learning and teaching will certainly be easier and more exciting with broadband technology,” Lai added.

Limkokwing (http://www.limkokwing.edu.my/) eyes tie-ups with foreign institutions
By Chong Jin Hun
BusinessTimes
June 10 2006

The university college aims to grow its student
base to 20,000 within two years

MALAYSIA'S Limkokwing University College of Creative Technology plans to offer courses in up to 40 countries and grow its student base to some 20,000 within two years.

Its courses are now offered in 25 countries and it has more than 4,000 international undergraduates in Malaysia.

The expansion, involving the establishment of centres overseas or tie-ups with foreign-based institutions, means a more manageable student traffic at the home campus in Cyberjaya, Selangor.

"That would make it easy for both sides. If they all come on campus (in Malaysia), it will be tremendous pressure on us.

"Also, it would save them money as they don't need to come here for that long," Limkokwing president Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing told Business Times in an interview.

Money will also be spent to train foreign academic staff to acclimatise them to Limkokwing's philosophy.

Lim declined to specify the total investment needed to realise the university college's aim, only indicating that the private education provider will self-finance its global mission.

"It will be internally funded. Whether we go for an initial public offering (IPO), that remains to be seen," he said.

Based on updates on Malaysia's Higher Education Ministry's website, the country has 323 local and foreign private tertiary education players.

Of the total, three are listed on Bursa Malaysia - SEG International Bhd, Inti Universal Holdings Bhd and Stamford College Bhd.

TM Net to promote broadband in Malaysian schools
By Ridzwan Abdullah
June 14 2006
BusinessTimes


What better way to start broadband awareness and education than in
schools where we tackle it from the grassroots level, says its CEO

LOCAL Internet service provider TM Net Sdn Bhd hopes that its plans to increase broadband customer base by 400,000 this year will attract more students to subscribe to its edu-broadband content application and access services.

This will further help to promote the use of broadband content and applications in schools, its chief executive officer Michael Lai said.

TM Net's Multimedia in Education Malaysia (MIEM) can help guide them on the techniques of e-learning, he added.

"They are the nation's future generation after all, and what better way to start broadband awareness and education than in schools where we tackle it from the grassroots level."

Lai was speaking to reporters after the launch of TM Net's online interactive educational module, "B-Smart" in Seremban yesterday.

As at end of last year, the service provider had 495,000 Streamyx (TM Net's broadband service) subscribers.

TM Net currently has more than two million dial-up users, Lai said, and the challenge now is to convert them to broadband.

To make Streamyx more appealing to the market, TM Net introduced a RM20 package to light users last month. The lowest offering by TM Net previously was the RM44 package.

The RM20 package, the Streamyx Basic 384k, offers customers 10 hours of surfing time, with the download speed of 384k and upload speed of 128k.

"As the country's leading Internet service provider, TM Net has a key role to play in supporting the National IT agenda," Lai said.

The B-smart module, meanwhile, is the education channel within TM Net's BlueHyppo portal, which provides various content to support the education and learning needs of BlueHyppo visitors as well as general users.

The module provides comprehensive courses such as BestariEd which offers educational content for Primary 1 to Form 5 and functions as an exciting new medium for students to learn Mathematics, Science, Bahasa Melayu and English.

"At present, BestariEd is being deployed at over 88 Smart Schools nationwide and serves as teaching and learning materials for both students and teachers alike," Lai said.

The other applications under B-smart include Question Bank, EduChannel, Education News, My Career Path, Radio Online, Tuition Plaza, Spoken In the Room and SMS-Me-English, all of which can be subscribed for as low as RM10.

Details can be found at http://elearning.bluehyppo.com

Boost for Malaysian women scientists
Wednesday June 14, 2006
BY JADE CHAN
TheStar

WOMEN play an important role in the development of science. For example, Madame Marie Sklodowska Curie was a prominent female scientist whose work paved the way for nuclear physics and cancer therapy.

Malaysian women scientists who aspire to contribute to humanity’s progress can now participate in the inaugural L’Oreal Malaysia For Women in Science (FWIS) National Fellowships that will honour their researches, with support of the Malaysian National Commission for Unesco.

Aimed at supporting Malaysian women’s scientific research and highlighting their significance in the science field, the national programme is also in partnership with Academy of Sciences Malaysia, as well as the Higher Education and Science, Technology and Innovation ministries.

“The programme is initiated to provide assistance, encouragement and recognition for women involved in the field of scientific research and study,” said L’Oreal Malaysia managing director Jean-Francois Couve.

“The company hopes that the programme will help to encourage the advancement of knowledge and the enhancement of development for the good of humanity.”

L’Oreal International and Unesco first joined forces to form the FWIS programme in 1998.

The programme has since seen 42 laureates, 90 fellows and 130 young scientists all over the world coming from its following three tiers: The L’Oreal-Unesco FWIS Laureates, The L’Oreal-Unesco FWIS International Fellowships and L’Oreal FWIS National Fellowships with the support of Unesco National Commission.

The programme is open to Malaysian women aged below 35 years who are PhD holders and currently pursuing a research study in the Life Sciences field.

Successful applicants will be awarded fellowships based on their research proposals that will best support the progression of Life Sciences in Malaysia. Three successful candidates will receive RM15,000 each and will be given the opportunity to pursue their fellowship studies.

The application forms can be obtained from the Secretariat of the Malaysian National Commission for Unesco or www.loreal.com.my

For more information, call 03-8884 6139 (Zaidi). Closing date is Sept 15.

School in Seremban hospital for sick kids
By BEH YUEN HUI
Wednesday June 14, 2006
TheStar


CHRONICALLY-ill children who require long-term hospitalisation will now be able to continue with their school lessons while they are being treated at the Seremban Hospital.

This has been made possible by the “School-in-Hospital” programme where volunteers are engaged to teach an average of 30 children aged between five and 12 years old.

A room on the ground floor of the hospital has been converted into the school which is equipped with textbooks, reference material, computers, magazines and other learning aids.

For a start, the school is open daily from 10.30am to noon and from 2pm to 3.30pm.

It was launched by Health Ministry deputy director-general (medical) Datuk Dr Abdul Gani Mohammed Din on Friday.

“We will assist the children in their school work and syllabus during their stay in the hospital,” said T. Tamil Harasi, a volunteer teacher at the hospital.

The kindergarten teacher said she and her assistant M. Selvarani would come to the hospital after school daily.

“We hope the children’s education will not be neglected while they are seeking treatment at the hospital,” said Dr Abu Hassan Samad, medical advisor of Exxonmobil which contributed RM40,000 to the programme.

He said Seremban Hospital was the fifth to have a school in its compound, after the Kuala Terengganu Hospital, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia Kubang Krian, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Cheras and the University Malaya Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

Ministry of Education to be biggest beneficiary under 9MP initial list
By Ashwin Raman, 18 Jul 2006 9:01 PM
THEEDGEDAILY

A total of 455 projects of the initial list of 880 released by the government on July 18 under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP) will be under the 9MP allocation and the remaining 425 will be private finance initiative (PFI) projects.

The Ministry of Education is the biggest beneficiary with 497 of the 880 projects that has a total value of RM15 billion.

Announcing the list on the Prime Minister’s Office website, it said 140 of the 497 projects granted would be from the 9MP allocation and the other 357 PFI projects.

The Prime Minister’s Department was the second highest with a total of 71 projects consisting of 68 projects under the 9MP allocation and three PFI projects.

Other notable beneficiaries included the Public Works Ministry (66), Internal Security Ministry (42), Defence Ministry (38), Transport Ministry (26), Health Ministry (27) and Higher Education Ministry (25).

New UiTM campus for Applied Science
Sunday August 13, 2006


TAPAH: A new campus for Universiti Teknologi Mara will be built here to house an Applied Science faculty specialising in research and agro-biotechnology.

It would be the second campus for UiTM after the one at Shah Alam, said Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed after opening the Tapah Umno division meeting here yesterday.

The campus would be built on a 520ha land at Jalan Stesyen, which was previously alienated for the scrapped Commonwealth University project.

Mustapa said the Government has agreed to set aside RM30mil under the 10th Malaysia Plan for the new campus, adding that the campus would accommodate between 500 and 1,000 students upon completion.

He said the UiTM branch campus at Seri Iskandar, about 40km from Ipoh, would undergo a RM28mil upgrade to increase the student enrolment from 7,000 to 8,000 under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

“The expansion at Seri Iskandar is part of the RM3.3bil upgrading allocation for 19 UiTM branch campuses nationwide,” Mustapa said.

RM33.4bil for education
Saturday September 2, 2006
TheStar


Education has been allocated a total of RM33.4bil under Budget 2007, which accounts for 21% of the total Budget.

This is mainly for operational and development expenditure, of which RM6.7bil is allocated for primary education and RM6.2bil for secondary education.

A total of RM1bil will be channelled to 22 new primary and secondary schools set for opening next year and for the building of 198 more schools, including fully-residential secondary schools.

Another RM90mil has been allocated for two new Mara junior science colleges (MRSM) and equipment for existing MRSM facilities.

To increase the number of computer-literate students, RM288mil is allocated under the smart school programme to equip schools with more computers.

In the bid to attract more non-bumiputra students to national schools, Chinese will be taught as a full subject in 150 national schools and Tamil in 70 national schools from next year.

An allocation of RM782mil has been made for teacher-training, while an additional RM56mil has been set aside for teacher-training programmes to be implemented in collaboration with foreign universities and Open University Malaysia.

Training will also be conducted for sign-language instructors and special-education teachers to address the shortage of teachers for students with hearing and speech disabilities as well as autism.

Teachers, especially those in rural areas, are also set to benefit from 67 housing projects amounting to RM101mil.

About 1.5 million children from low-income families will receive higher monthly school allowances – RM50 for those in primary school and RM70 for secondary school students, up RM20.

The monthly allowance for children with special needs has also been increased from RM25 to RM50.

Next year will also see the abolishment of fees for public examinations in government schools.

Harvard varsity-like campus for Terengganu
Saturday September 9, 2006
TheStar


KEMAMAN: The state government is working towards having a Harvard University-like campus in Terengganu.

When the International Training Centre is established here soon, its facilities will be on par with that of the prestigious university.

Work on the centre’s site has begun and is expected to be completed in the next two years.

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh said the concept of

the centre would be the same as Harvard – just minus

the lecturers.

“We are inviting consultants from management-related industries to conduct lectures at the centre and we will provide state-of-the-art facilities,” he said after touring Kemaman Bitumen Company’s factory here yesterday.

Idris said the aim of setting up the centre was to mould students to be more skilful.

“The country and state requires a professional workforce and the centre will be the best platform to conduct professional courses,” he said, adding that the centre would be open to everyone.

“We hope to provide 200 lecture rooms with fibre optic internet connections, hostel, cafeteria and other amenities,” he said.

Idris said the cost of the centre was about RM20mil and it would have video conferencing facilities to encourage distance learning.

Idris said the centre could also be used to conduct courses to upgrade the skills of civil servants.

UKM now ranked way ahead of UM
Friday October 6, 2006
BY SIMRIT KAUR and HARIATI AZIZAN
TheStar


http://www.thestar.com.my/archives/2006/10/6/nation/n_06ranking.jpg

PETALING JAYA: Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) has supplanted Universiti Malaya (UM) as the country’s highest ranked university in the latest survey conducted on world university rankings.

In World University Rankings 2006 published by the Times Higher Education Supplement and conducted by QS Quacquarelli Symonds, UKM rose by 105 places to break into the top 200-ranked universities for the first time, climbing from 289 last year to 185.

UM, however, continued its downward spiral, by dropping a further 23 places to 192. Its ranking fell from 89 in 2004 to 169 last year, causing a national debate on the status of the premier university and the validity of the criteria used for the rankings.

The British newspaper's annual rankings are based on measures like peer review (40%), employer survey (10%), international faculty (5%), international students (5%), staff to student ratio (20%), and the number of times research is cited by other academics (20%). Details of this year's criteria are not yet available.

Former UKM vice-chancellor Datuk Dr Mohd Salleh Mohd Yasin, who retired in August this year, attributed UKM’s current standing to the joint effort by everyone in the university.

“We focused on raising the university’s profile internationally. We also made a concerted effort to improve UKM’s website and consolidate the information there,” said Dr Mohd Salleh, who is currently chairman of the National Accreditation Board.

Universiti Sains Malaysia and Universiti Putra Malaysia also improved in this year’s standings – UPM rose by 102 places from 394 to 292, while USM climbed from 326 to 277.

When contacted, current UKM vice-chancellor Datuk Dr Sharifah Hapsah Syed Hasan Shahabudin and UM vice-chancellor Datuk Rafiah Salim declined comment, saying that they would speak at a press conference at UM today.

Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang described this year’s results as a double shame for UM.

“Not only did it slide further but UM also fell behind UKM. This is unacceptable for Malaysia's premier university. There is need for a shake-up,” he said.

He added that although UKM should be commended for its place in this year’s rankings, Malaysia’s top public universities should rank among the top 50.

It has been reported that the Ministry has set a target for two public universities to break into the top 50 by 2010.

Lim attributed Malaysian universities' poor ranking to the failure of the institutions “to practise real meritocracy in academic appointments and promotions, as well as in student intake.”

Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed could not be reached for comment.

At the top of the rankings is Harvard University, which retained its position. However, Massachusetts Institute of Technology lost its number two position to Cambridge University.

British and American universities took all the places in the top 10. The highest placed Asian university is China’s Beijing University, at 14. The University of Tokyo and the National University of Singapore were joint 19th, the only other Asian universities in the top 20.

UKM, UM in top 200
Saturday October 7, 2006
TheStar


PETALING JAYA: Overall, there has been an “upward shift” in Malaysian universities' standing in the World University Rankings 2006, said Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed.

This could be attributed to two universities, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Universiti Malaya (UM), being in the top 200 and two others, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), having made significant gains in the rankings.

UKM rose by 104 places to break into the top 200-ranked universities for the first time, climbing from 289 last year to 185.

However, he added that public universities must continue to strive for continuous improvement and excellence regardless of their position in the survey published by the Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) and conducted by QS Quacquarelli Symonds.

Mustapa said the Government was committed to enhancing the quality of higher education towards establishing the country as a hub of educational excellence and the universities had a pivotal role in delivering this.

“The THES rankings have been officially released and I am pleased to see that there are two Malaysian universities in the top 200 this year,” he said in a statement yesterday.

“I also note that USM and UPM have made significant gains in the rankings, rising about 50 and 100 places respectively.”

Viewed in totality, he said this indicated an upward shift in Malaysian universities' standing.

“With the commitment of the respective vice-chancellors, I am confident our universities are well positioned to grow as drivers of Malaysia’s human capital development,” said the minister.

Mustapa had called for a meeting with the vice-chancellors and rectors of the public universities on Thursday to discuss the results of the rankings.

“As for UM, I note that it has been placed at 192 (down from 169) in this year’s rankings. I have had frequent engagements with (UM vice-chancellor) Datuk Rafiah Salim and her senior staff on the matter of quality and I have now asked for their plan of action with regard to this year’s THES rankings once the detailed analysis of the survey is made available,” he added.

The British newspaper's annual rankings are based on measures like peer review (40%), employer survey (10%), international faculty (5%), international students (5%), staff to student ratio (20%) and the number of times research is cited by other academics (20%).

LKW is really taking on a challenging task setting up LKW College in London. Power on!
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Selling Asia in London

It has been the norm to study British programmes in Malaysia. But Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing has decided to do just the reverse, setting up a campus in London to offer Malaysian degrees. He talks to LEANNE GOH and TAN EE LOO about this “calculated risk”.

PURSUE a Malaysian degree in London? Is this for real? The advertisements for Limkokwing London's new campus caught the attention of even those who rarely look at ads.

Something new, something different and certainly something of a calculated risk. And such thinking out of the box could only have come from someone like Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing.

After lying low for about one-and-a-half years due to health problems related to his eyes, he resumed his travels abroad and came back brimming with ideas.
http://www.thestar.com.my/archives/2006/10/15/education/e_p5campuslondon.jpg
London will reside at prestigious Piccadilly, offering its students a taste of history, culture, fashion and everything vibrant in the happening city.
A visit to Monte Carlo and London in June got the wheels of his mind going and he decided to take the concept of the “global classroom” to another level. By the end of this year, the Limkokwing University College would have two new campuses – in London and Botswana. And he doesn't plan to stop there. Other major cities in different continents are in the pipeline.

Lim admits that while response to Limkokwing London has been “very warm” so far – there are already about 100 takers for its March intake – there are many sceptics out there who think he's got the formula wrong this time.

“People ask me why an Asian degree in London and I explain that we get the best of both worlds, East and West, in this setting.

“I know it will take some convincing to get parents to spend thousands of pounds to get a Malaysian degree when there are many other British universities and colleges in the UK.

“But we have international students from 90 countries studying in our campus in Malaysia. If they came to our country to have a quality education, why wouldn’t they want to go study at Limkokwing London? Why wouldn't they buy us there when they buy us here?” he says.

In three short months, the seed of an idea has germinated into a fledgling campus with a prestigious address in Piccadilly. Lim says he and his team have done their homework and are confident their London campus, apart from attracting local and international students from its Cyberjaya campus, will draw students from Europe who want a taste of Asia. In fact, so optimistic are they that they estimate an intake of close to 1,000 students next year.

With an estimated investment of about RM45mil over the next three years, he knows the venture is a risk but he is confident that he can create a “product” that foreigners want to buy.

“The whole world wants to go to London. Just studying or working there is a great experience. This is where you get a concentration of ideas in one place, the branding, packaging, sound, smell, look, form, texture, architecture, marketing, ideas, creativity...,what more in central London where we are located.”

If Limkokwing has already established ties with institutions in more than 10 countries where students can spend a semester each in a different continent, why the need to set up physical campuses in London and Botswana?

“Timing. We see more and more universities being set up, with each state wanting its own university, and the existing ones increasing their intakes. So where are the students going to come from to fill all these places?

“The writing is on the wall. The local fight is getting harder and harder. So we have to go out and set up campuses elsewhere to get the students. And setting up in London gives us a unique position.”

Lim says that while “London will be a challenge”, the campus in Botswana, a Southern African country with a population of 1.7 million, has the blessing of its government.

“The opportunity came along and we were able to set up the campus in consultation with the government and everything was done very quickly.

“We've had 450 government-sponsored students from the country at our campus in Cyberjaya over the past few years and the returning graduates have been a good testament to our programmes.”

He says the Limkokwing campus will be part of a consortium to house, among others, an innovative centre, hotel and diamond centre.

“The Government of Botswana is working towards its vision 2016 and we see ourselves as playing a role in providing quality education to empower the people there to achieve their national goal.”

“We can assist in the area of creativity and design in relation to tourism, handicraft and diamonds which Botswana is famous.”

The creative entrepreneur says that the campus in Botswana would be able to recruit not just from the country that is the largest exporter of diamonds in the world but also from its immediate neighbours South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia.

A guru of branding, Lim will no doubt be able to package his new campuses to appeal to students, whether in Malaysia or Botswana. It will, however, be an uphill task in London and Europe where he is relatively unknown.

Will people buy into this Malaysian brand? Says Lim with a laugh: “Well, this is the time to test Malaysia’s reputation.”

RM61,000 a year

1.What are the programmes available at Limkokwing London?

The campus will provide a wide range of programmes, ranging from pre-university studies, diploma, degree to post-graduate studies as well as language courses.

A variety of degree qualifications will be available in the areas of business, IT, design, and communications and multimedia.

2. Is Limkokwing London recognised/accredited?

It is in the process of obtaining accreditation from the British Accreditation Council (BAC) and the Department of Further Education Studies (DFES).

3. How much does it cost to study there?

The cost of tuition fees, board and food per year is estimated at RM61,000. As for tuition fees for a degree programme, Malaysian students will pay £5,000 (RM34,187) per year (two semesters) while international students £6,500 (RM44,510).

4. What about getting visas?

Limkokwing will facilitate the visa applications for both Malaysian and international students. Malaysians will not have any problems getting a visa. Standard applications usually require at least 2-3 weeks for processing.

5. Where will students live in London?

There are two types of accommodation available – hostel or homestay programme.

University hostel accommodation at the Paragon Halls is about 30 to 40 minutes from central London by tube. Single study bedrooms cost £100 (RM685) per week while studio apartments cost £143 (RM978).

While the cost of staying with host families may be slightly higher at £140 (RM958) per week, the advantage is that it comes with two meals per day.

6. Will students be able to work in London while studying?

Students are allowed to work part-time, up to 20 hours per week, and can expect to earn about £8 (RM55) per hour.

^ omg..is that building going to be painted all-black? :eek:

UMMC ward project to be revived in December
By K.W. MAK
Wednesday October 18, 2006
TheStar


http://www.thestar.com.my/archives/2006/10/18/central/m_p2hospital.jpg

Flashback of StarMetro’s report on Oct 4.

Universiti Malaya has received the funds to complete the abandoned obstetrician and paediatric ward project and expects to have work on the project started by December.

The University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) Obstetric Paediatric Ward project was started in 2002 but abandoned in mid- 2003 as the Finance Ministry was unable to disburse the rest of the funds for the project.

“The money is already with Universiti Malaya,” said UM deputy vice-chancellor (academic and internationalisation) Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Amin Jalaludin.

“No doubt the project was in the 8th Malaysia Plan and was delayed, but we finally got the money for it and the project should start in December.”

Mohd Amin, who was formerly the UMMC director, said the tender for the project was closed recently and that all contractor proposals were evaluated by the university’s Acquisition A committee (Jawatankuasa Perolehan A).

“We will forward the proposal to the UMMC management board to decide on the proposal and once they have agreed to it, we have to get back to the treasury (department under the Finance Ministry) for final approval,” said Mohd Amin.

Although Mohd Amin did not reveal the project’s cost, the approval of the Treasury Department is required for projects costing more than RM100mil.

Mohd Amin said the entire process of approval should take a month to complete. The ward is expected to take 18 months to build from the date of commencement and will provide UMMC with an additional 300 beds for patients.

LKW is really taking on a challenging task setting up LKW College in London. Power on!
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Selling Asia in London

It has been the norm to study British programmes in Malaysia. But Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing has decided to do just the reverse, setting up a campus in London to offer Malaysian degrees. He talks to LEANNE GOH and TAN EE LOO about this “calculated risk”.

PURSUE a Malaysian degree in London? Is this for real? The advertisements for Limkokwing London's new campus caught the attention of even those who rarely look at ads.

Something new, something different and certainly something of a calculated risk. And such thinking out of the box could only have come from someone like Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing.

After lying low for about one-and-a-half years due to health problems related to his eyes, he resumed his travels abroad and came back brimming with ideas.
http://www.thestar.com.my/archives/2006/10/15/education/e_p5campuslondon.jpg


that is a big gamble Mr.LKW !....you should join Genting if you're serious to do gambling.btw,good luck LKW.and the campus is nice too...

mmm.. just wanna ask you guys... don`t you think that our education system is very rote ?

Limkokwing spreading its wings to the UK
By Azlan Abu Bakar
October 28 2006
BusinessTimes


The expansion to London is part of a plan to promote a Malaysian brand name institution of higher learning abroad, especially in Europe, says Limkokwing

LIMKOKWING University College of Creative Technology (http://www.limkokwing.edu.my/), a truly Malaysian institution of higher learning synonymous with creativity and innovation, will be opening its first overseas branch in London, the UK, by February 2007, thus enabling students to enjoy the best of both East and West through its global classroom concept.

Its president Tan Sri Professor Lim Kok Wing said the expansion to London is part of a plan to promote a Malaysian brand name institution of higher learning abroad and especially in Europe.

"Our expansion to London marks the first time Malaysian degrees are delivered in that part of the world. And true to the spirit of pioneering, options have been created that mean more value for money," he told Business Times in Cyberjaya recently.

He said traditionally, Asian students head to the UK, the US, Australia and Canada to further their studies.

"We hope to change all this and make Malaysian degrees desirable not only to Malaysians, but those from other countries as well," he said.

Limkokwing is among those keen to initiate change by overhauling the tertiary education landscape. Its London branch is located on Piccadilly Street, next to Bond Street, St James Street and not far from Oxford Street.

"Students can opt to study in London or Kuala Lumpur and get two degrees - one Asian and the other European - in a year, which means they graduate from two universities simultaneously," he said.

He said the students can also opt to spend three or four years in London, or just one semester.

"Even working adults can join this flexible programme by attending evening or weekend classes at Cyberjaya or Kuala Lumpur," he said, noting that students do not have to finish their studies in one place.

The revolutionary programme, which will commence in March next year, is designed to provide a unique and culture-filled experience for the globally focused student.

At the other end of the spectrum, students from other parts of the world can look forward to studying in Malaysia - a trend that should become even bigger with the growth Asia is experiencing economically and beyond.

And should students opt to spend part of their time in Kuala Lumpur, they can look forward to an international environment on campus, with Limkokwing being host to almost 6,000 students from 90 countries.

"Whatever their option, Limkokwing students can expect to enhance their career prospects because of the international exposure and networking," Lim said.

Lim said London is not going to be their only overseas branch as the university college has received approval from the Government in Botswana to open a full-fledged university in that African country.

"The LimKokWing University will be the first private university and the second university in that country," he said, noting that two more branches namely in Beijing, China and New York to open in the later part of the year.

Khazanah to take over medical university
By Zurinna Raja Adam
December 1 2006
BusinessTimes

Khazanah Nasional says the investment in the International Medical University is part of its healthcare strategy and is in line with other acquisitions made in the last 15 months

STATE investment arm Khazanah Nasional Bhd is taking over a private medical university, the International Medical University (IMU), in a deal worth RM98 million.

"The investment is part of Khazanah's healthcare strategy and is in line with other acquisitions that have been made in the last 15 months," it said in a statement.

The deal comes as Khazanah plans to go big into healthcare. Last year, it bought a 13.2 per cent stake in India's Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd, the largest private hospital group in India, for RM165 milion.
Khazanah's tie-up with Singapore's Parkway Holdings Ltd, also owns 91.22 per cent of healthcare group Pantai Holdings Bhd currently.

"Khazanah needs a skilled workforce to work in healthcare and we can complement that effort. The buyout is a good strategy," IMU president Tan Sri Abu Bakar Suleiman told Business Times yesterday.

Khazanah announced yesterday that it will buy an indirect interest in IMU Education Sdn Bhd, which owns and manage IMU, via Pintar Selalu Sdn Bhd (PSSB).

PSSB will buy all of IMU shares from its existing shareholders for an unspecified price. The university is 85 per cent owned by CIMB's private equity arm.

Khazanah said it will buy PSSB's existing two ordinary shares for RM1 per share in addition to 674,998 new ordinary shares in the company for RM98 million.

It will end up with 67.5 per cent of PSSB. It did not say who will hold the rest of PSSB.

IMU made a net profit of RM20 million on the back of RM90 million revenue this year.

The college is projecting about 20 per cent yearly growth over the next three to five years, underpinned by increasing fees, introduction of new programmes and an increase in students intake.

Its Bukit Jalil campus caters to about 1,800 students, of which about 1,000 are medical students, 550 pharmacist students and the rest are in nursing and other courses.

About 90 per cent of its students are local undergraduates, while the rest are foreign students mainly from Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar and Africa.

IMU is investing up to RM50 million over the next five years to improve its facilities and is hoping to cater up to 7,000 students by 2016.

"At the moment, we have to turn down a lot of other candidates, which include foreign ones, due to lack of facilities. We are working towards providing a better infrastructure to reflect the college's reputable reputation," Abu Bakar said.

Iban language for SPM in 2008
BY SHARON LING
Friday December 1, 2006
TheStar


KUCHING: Iban language will be introduced for the first time in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination in 2008.

Mahzan Bakar, director of the Education Ministry's curriculum development centre, said the subject would be fully implemented in Form Four next year and Form Five the following year.

"So the first batch of students will sit for Bahasa Iban in SPM in 2008," he told reporters after a declaration on cooperation and finalising the Iban language for schools was signed here on Friday.

At present, Iban is taught in schools in Sarawak up to Form Three level and is already a subject in the Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) examination.

As of June this year, 9,372 students from Form One to Form Three studied Bahasa Iban in 55 schools, with 165 teachers available.

For Form Four next year, it is estimated that 1,440 students will take the subject in 48 schools under 144 teachers.

Meanwhile, education director-general Datuk Dr Ahamad Sipon said the signing of the declaration was a historic occasion as it set out a standardised system of the Iban language for use in schools.

"Experts and educationists have come together to finalise and produce a guidebook on the Iban language which will now become a standard reference for the teaching of Iban," he said.

The guidebook, called "Sistem Jaku Iban Di Sekula" (The Iban Language System in Schools), will facilitate the Education Ministry's job of producing textbooks, teaching aids and learning activities for students.

In addition, Dr Ahamad said, it will enable the Malaysian Examination Syndicate to introduce the Iban language paper for SPM.

Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Alfred Jabu, who signed the declaration along with Dr Ahamad, urged retired teachers who were fluent in Iban to write books in the language for students based on the curriculum.

"You should make use of your experience. Don't be scared to give advice to the younger generation," he said.

New sciences to move Malaysia up value chain
Wednesday December 13, 2006
TheStar

http://www.thestar.com.my/archives/2006/12/13/nation/n_p6cheque.jpg

TIMELY AID: Abdullah receiving a mock cheque for RM50,000 for
the biomedical engineering conference sponsorship from Healthtronics (M)
Sdn Bhd chairman Datuk Zainal Abidin Alias (right) yesterday. Looking on are
(from left) Universiti Malaya Vice Chancellor Datuk Rafiah Salim and Higher
Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed.


KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia supports the development of new scientific areas, especially those that have an impact on the quality of life, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said.

“Development of new scientific areas serves to move Malaysia up the global value chain,” the Prime Minister said when opening the 3rd Kuala Lumpur International Conference on Biomedical Engineering here yesterday.

He said scientific discoveries have led to the spin-off of thousands of companies, creating value and high-skilled jobs in surrounding areas.

“With Multimedia Super Corridor and the BioNexus status and incentives, Malaysia aims to encourage the growth of new economy companies in the long term,” he said.

The BioNexus status given to companies makes them eligible to apply for a portion of the RM100mil grant handled and managed by Biotech Corp, the country’s biotechnology development agency.

The fund is allocated for the next five years to kick-start business operations of BioNexus companies and other eligible biotechnology companies

Abdullah said under the 9th Malaysia Plan, more than RM2bil is allocated for research and development as well as for translation of knowledge into commercial application, particularly information communications technology and life sciences.

Physics student Ng aims for the stars
Wednesday December 13, 2006
By ROYCE CHEAH
TheStar


http://thestar.com.my/archives/2006/12/13/nation/n_p8najib.jpg

AIMING HIGH: Najib presenting Ng with the scholarship as
Measat Satellite Systems director Tun Mohammed Hanif Omar looks on.

KUALA LUMPUR: Ng Jin Aun is reaching for the stars, literally, as this 22-year-old believes he can help contribute to the Malaysian space industry.

This aspiration, coupled with the fascination of being an astronaut later in his life, has helped him become the first Malaysian to bag a scholarship to pursue a Masters degree in Space Science at the International Space University in Strasbourg, France.

Ng, from Subang Jaya, said he was “surprised and delighted” to be given the full scholarship.

Ng, who is pursuing his honours year in physics and mathematics at the Australian National University, had beaten more than 40 other applicants for the coveted scholarship offered by Measat Satellite Systems Sdn Bhd with the support of Boeing Satellite Systems.

He flew back to Malaysia to receive the award from Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, in an event which coincided with the launch of Measat-3.

Measat engineering and operations vice-president Dr Ali R. Ebadi said Measat's aim with the scholarship was to give deserving Malaysians a chance to excel in this specialised area.

USM researchers win awards
Saturday December 16, 2006
By NG SU-ANN
TheStar


PENANG: Six Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) researchers did the country proud when they won awards at the 55th World Exhibition of Innovation, Research & New Technologies in Brussels last month.

The university brought home four gold and two silver medals for all its six entries.

Among the winners, School of Biological Sciences lecturer Prof Darah Ibrahim beat 350 scientists to win the Jury’s Best Award and a gold medal for her invention called Fermsostat.

“By using microorganisms, this tool can ferment agricultural waste such as oil palm trunks and padi straws and turn them into animal feed.

“It can also extract enzymes from the wastes for the paper and food industries,” she said, adding that she was in the process of patenting her product.

The other winners from the university are Prof Rahmah Noordin (who won the World International Property Organisation Special Award and gold medal), Prof Chan Lai Keng (gold), Associate Prof R. Sureswaran and Azlan Osman (gold), Dr Mohd Rizal Arshad (silver) and Dr Kamal Zuhairi Zamli (silver).

In another event, USM School of Chemical Engineering dean Prof Abdul Latif Ahmad won the Council of the Prince Sultan Abdulaziz International Prize for Water in Brunei on Nov 12.

“The award which comes with a RM500,000 cash prize is for my work in water-related research,” he said.

Vice-Chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Dzulkifli Abdul Razak said as USM had just been designated as a research university, it would be more aggressive in marketing its products.

Huawei-3Com to deploy network for Universiti Malaya
20-12-2006:
THEEDGEDAILY


Huawei-3Com (H3C) is deploying a campus-wide converged network for Universiti Malaya (UM) under a RM4.5 million project, which will be implemented over two years.

"Through this deployment, the university will be able to implement high performance and cost effective voice, video and data communications applications," according to a joint statement issued on Dec 20.

They said the new converged network was being built on H3C’s switches and would address immediate bandwidth and performance issues.

H3C designed a switched network solution providing a converged network to support greater multimedia services. The technology solution deployed offered high-performance and security while supporting the converged applications UM wanted to implement, such as video conferencing and VoIP.

The network backbones was ready for 10GB connection while more hotspots were added across the 750-acre campus while a full range of H3C’s switches products were applied in the network.

It's timefor Malayian gov. start spendmoney on education than wasting money.........

Terengganu to boost English proficiency
Saturday December 23, 2006
By R.S.N. MURALI
TheStar


KUALA TERENGGANU: English will come alive in the classrooms of 50 Terengganu primary schools, which will be switching to interactive computer boards from next year.

The move is to make the pupils more proficient in the language, said Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh.

He said the results of this year’s UPSR examination showed that many pupils were still weak in the subject and the problem must be resolved, he said in an interview.

The system in essence provides a huge touch-sensitive computer screen mounted on the wall and linked to a computer and projector.

Some boards use special “pens” while some are touchscreens.

Idris hoped the interactive method would speed up the pupils' ability to achieve a good command of the language.

“For a start, some 50 schools will be selected by the state Education Department to carry out the system and gradually it would be introduced in other schools,” he said.

Idris said the state felt it was more appropriate to focus on primary school pupils, as they must master the language first before moving on to the secondary level.

Curtin (http://www.curtin.edu.my/) helps jobless grads
Saturday December 23, 2006


MIRI: Curtin University of Technology Sarawak Malaysia is offering unemployed Malaysian graduates in engineering and information communication technology the opportunity to participate in a three-week Job Camp beginning Jan 15.

The job camp, to be held in collaboration with the Multimedia Super Corridor Malaysia at the Curtin Sarawak campus, was to enhance ICT graduates’ employability, said a statement from the university.

Admission is free but the university is limiting the number of participants to 30 persons.

Apply to: The Manager, MSC Malaysia Job Camp c/o Curtin University of Technology Sarawak Malaysia, CDT 250, 98009 Miri before Jan 8.

Those interested can also contact Nabil Afifi at 08-5443939 or e-mail jobcamp.msc @curtin.edu.my to obtain more information on the job camp. – Bernama

Lab assistants work to rule from next month
Saturday December 23, 2006
TheStar


PUTRAJAYA: Some 3,000 lab assistants at all 18 public institutions of higher learning and university colleges will work to rule from January following the Government’s failure to upgrade their position to lab technologists or science assistant officers.

The joint meeting of presidents and honorary secretaries of Local Public Higher Institutions Malaysia (Gakum) decided yesterday that from next month, their members would only work between 8am and 5pm.

Gakum president Omar Osman said they were disappointed that the Higher Education Ministry had not looked into the plight of their members although the request was made in 2003.

“Our meeting (yesterday) decided that since the ministry is not giving our members due recognition, they will work just like any school lab assistant, like cleaning lab equipment or switching on the air-conditioner,” he said.

“Don’t expect our members to work according to lecturers’ schedules, which can extend up to 8pm, because they will not do it.”

Gakum has asked for a basic salary of RM972 a month, up from RM656.

Omar, who is also Cuepacs president, said various efforts had been made, including meeting up with university registrars and the ministry’s secretary-general.

“However, our effort has been to no avail. Even our attempt to meet the minister has been futile.

“The ministry talks about turning our public universities into world class institutions and yet it can’t even provide better prospects for lab assistants,” he added.

this is an embarrassment to our country
http://www.webometrics.info/top100_continent.asp?cont=asia

Mid East-backed fund set to invest in KL nursing college
By Sharen Kaur and Anna Maria Samsudin
January 10 2007
BusinessTimes


Crescent Venture Partners had helped former executive vice-president and chief financial officer of AirAsia Raja Mohd Azmi Raja Razali to purchase the college

CRESCENT Venture Partners, a private equity fund backed by Middle Eastern investors, is poised to take up a stake in South-East Asia's biggest nursing and healthcare college, which is based in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.

The fund, which had invested in budget carrier AirAsia Bhd before its initial public offering, had helped finance the purchase of the college for Raja Mohd Azmi Raja Razali, Edmund Santhara, the college's chief executive, told Business Times in an interview.

Raja Azmi, the former executive vice-president and chief financial officer of AirAsia, confirmed the deal with Crescent. But he declined to say what will be the size of Crescent's stake in the college.

The decision to buy Masterskill (M) Sdn Bhd, the college owner and operator, was largely due to the huge prospect of nursing training in the country.

"We see a huge potential in this business. Malaysia has a shortage of nurses and doctors and it is projected that demand for this sort of training would be huge within the next five years," he told Business Times in a phone interview.

Raja Azmi bought Masterskill from Alloy Media Sdn Bhd, a firm controlled by the family of MTD Capital Bhd's executive chairman, Datuk Dr Nik Hussain Abdul Rahman, for some RM70 million.

Raja Azmi used privately-held Ladang Naga (M) Sdn Bhd for the deal, which was done in November last year, Santhara said.

The new investors will not only help Masterskill fund its expansions globally but assist with its initial public offering (IPO) plans next year.

"Talks between the two firms commenced in April last year. Due diligence took three months and the transaction, which was approved by the Economic Planning Unit, was completed successfully in November. Our aim is to go global and bigger," Santhara said.

Santhara said it made more sense for Crescent to fund the transaction as it already owns several campus in the Middle East, which is Masterskill's new target market for its expansion.

Crescent, which had helped AirAsia finance the purchase of some of the company's aircraft, has also invested in a leading business school in New York, which is one of the top 10 schools in the world.

AirAsia's CEO Datuk Tony Fernandes is believed to be an investor in Crescent. Mohd Azmi is also the CEO of rural air services operator Fly Asian Xpress Sdn Bhd, which is privately-owned by Fernandes and Datuk Kamarudin Meranun.

Limkokwing University London starts classes on March 19
Thursday January 18, 2007
By Choi Tuck Wo
TheStar

LONDON: Limkokwing University (http://www.limkokwing.edu.my/) London will commence classes for the first batch of 300 students on March 19, said its president Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing.

He said about 100 of them would be final year Malaysian students from its Cyberjaya campus, while the rest would include those from China, India, Pakistan, Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Middle East.

Lim said he hoped to enroll about 300 Malaysian students by September and a total of 1,000 by end of this year.

"We will be quite happy if we can recruit 1,000 students every year," he told Malaysian journalists after meeting Westminster Lord Mayor Alexander Nicoll on Wednesday.

Lim added that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has been invited to open the campus in March.

Limkokwing London occupies an 18th century heritage building in the posh end of Piccadilly, not far from Oxford Street.

Lim said he was confident of the London campus' success.

He said students pursing the business programme would also learn about Asian business culture and Asian languages.

On top of that, Limkokwing London students can opt to spend one semester in the Malaysian campus and another in the soon-to-be opened campus in Botswana, Africa.

Lim also said there would collaboration with leading Malaysian entrepreneurs in London. such as Laura Ashley and the Corus chain of hotels, to provide students with internships in fashion design and the hospitality industry.

Pak Lah invited to open Limkokwing London in March
Friday January 19, 2007
By CHOI TUCK WO
TheStar


LONDON: Limkokwing University London will commence classes for the first batch of 300 students on March 19, said its president Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing.

He said about 100 of them would be final year Malaysian students from its Cyberjaya campus while the rest would include those from China, India, Pakistan, South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Middle East.

Lim said he hoped to enrol about 300 Malaysian students by September and a total of 1,000 by the end of the year.

“We'll be quite happy if we can recruit 1,000 students every year,” he told Malaysian journalists after meeting Westminster Lord Mayor Alexander Nicoll on Wednesday.

Lim added that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had been invited to open the campus during the third week of March.

Occupying an 18th century heritage building in the posh end of Piccadilly, not far from Oxford Street, Limkokwing London provides students with the best of East and West through its global classroom concept.

Lim said he was confident of the London campus success as well as bringing elements of Asia here.

For instance, students pursuing the business programme would also learn Asian business culture and languages.

On top of that, Limkokwing London students can opt to spend one semester in the Malaysian campus and another in the soon-to-be opened campus in Botswana, Africa.

And that is one university in three continents – Asia, Europe and Africa – he said, adding that the concept was probably the first of its kind in the world.

Lim said they would collaborate with leading Malaysian entrepreneurs in London, such as Laura Ashley and the Corus chain of hotels, to provide students with internships on fashion design and the hospitality industries.

We can even talk to Malaysian personalities including (celebrity shoe designer) Datuk Jimmy Choo and other professionals for similar programmes, he added.

He said although there were about 40,000 foreign students in Malaysia, the country was not a big brand yet as far as education was concerned.

One of the strategies in driving the Malaysian brand was in promoting the country's characteristics, its multi-racial and multi-cultural diversity – encompassing all of Asia.

“How well we test the Malaysian brand will depend on our performance and its acceptability in Britain,” Lim added.

He said the university had registered with the Department of Further Education Skills and was in the process of obtaining accreditation from the British Accreditation Council.

141,992 poor primary school pupils receive aid
Friday January 19, 2007
Thestar


BATU PAHAT: The Education Ministry has distributed RM41.44mil to 141,992 poor primary school pupils in Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Labuan, Pahang, Kelantan and Johor.

The financial aid is part of the RM131.87mil allocation under the Poor Students Provident Trust Fund (KWAPM), which entails schooling and general aid, said Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.

He said RM63.9mil was being distributed to 165,463 students in Sabah and Sarawak while aid to 79,950 students in Terengganu, Perlis, Kedah, Perak, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Penang would be fully disbursed by the end of February.

The fund entails schooling aid for uniforms, stationery and schooling essentials, and general aid for school fees and pocket money.

A primary school pupil receives RM200 and a secondary school student RM300 under schooling aid.

Under general aid, a primary school pupil receives RM50 monthly for 10 months and a secondary school student RM40 for the period.

For students in the peninsula, aid from the fund will be remitted electronically by the Education Ministry to their accounts while for students in Sabah and Sarawak, the money will be distributed through district education offices.

Hishammuddin said school equipment damaged during the floods would be replaced.

“The ministry has surplus information communications technology equipment worth RM48.1mil.”

He said 54 schools in Johor were still closed.

KL school plans archery and A-Level exams as niche areas
Friday January 19, 2007
By TAN SHIOW CHIN
TheStar


PETALING JAYA: Archery and A-Levels – those are the niche areas a premier school in Kuala Lumpur plan to focus on if it is chosen as one of the 300 pioneer cluster schools by the Education Ministry.

“Obviously, all schools are interested in this initiative, and if we are chosen, we will try our best to live up to the Key Performance Indicators set by the ministry,” said the principal, who declined to be named.

While the school is already working hard to excel in both academic and co-curricular activities, he said, it would like to specialise in archery as well as offer A-Level examinations.

“We are very good in archery, and we are definitely going to concentrate in this sport to become the best in Kuala Lumpur,” he said in an interview.

Academic-wise, the school wants to offer both the STPM and the A-Level examinations to its students.

“We would like to offer our students the opportunity to sit for the A-Levels in June and the STPM in November, so that they have the choice of studying either locally or abroad,” he said.

The principal added that he and his teachers were prepared to put in the extra effort and to provide after-school classes to ensure that the students were proficient in both syllabi.

One of the main strategies in the National Education Blueprint 2006-2010, the cluster school concept was mooted to spur outstanding schools to achieve world-class standards.

“The decision to open up the selection process for the pioneer 300 cluster schools was made when the ministry was bombarded with calls and applications from schools that wanted to be included in the initiative,” Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said in a previous interview.

How many foreign students in Malaysia ?

English proficiency test for Science and Maths teachers
Monday January 22, 2007
By M. KRISHNAMOORTHY
TheStar


KUALA LUMPUR: Science and Mathematics teachers may soon find themselves going back to school to brush up on their English.

Starting next month, the Education Ministry will be testing the thousands of teachers concerned in stages to see if they can teach the two crucial subjects competently in English.

Teacher training division director Wan Mustama Wan Abdul Hayat said the test was being conducted to establish their proficiency, to ensure that students were well taught.

”If they do not perform well, they will be required to attend courses in English,” he said in an interview.

According to him, the one-off evaluation is aimed at improving their communication skills and ensuring that they have a good command of the language in all areas, including vocabulary and pronunciation.

“We want them to attain a certain level of competency in teaching the subjects,” he added.

The test will have a written component, an assessment of listening skills and multiple-choice answers for the grammar section.

It is understood that testing will start next month in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Kelantan, Kedah and Terengganu, and will initially involve teachers from selected primary and secondary schools.

However, all teachers – estimated to number around 60,000 – will be tested eventually.

The teaching of the two subjects in English was introduced in Year One, Form One and Lower Six in 2003.

Since then, many parents have voiced concerns over the quality of teaching, including in the media.

Their children, they said, were unable to follow the lessons properly as the teachers were less than proficient in English.

The National Union of the Teaching Profession has expressed reservations over the new move.

Secretary-general Lok Yim Pheng said conducting the test for so many teachers and then holding English courses for those who were less proficient meant that the benefits would take a long time to reach students.

Instead, she said, the ministry should organise ongoing courses.

“Testing alone cannot determine if the teacher is proficient in the English language and has communication skills,” she said.

The ministry, she added, should also set up an online reference system to encourage teachers to take the initiative to check on pronunciation and other areas when in doubt.

Medical colleges under scrutiny
Tuesday January 23, 2007
TheStar


PUTRAJAYA: The National Accreditation Board and the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) will investigate claims that two private medical colleges violated regulations pertaining to the training of students in the clinical phase of their studies.

They will look into Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek's claims that the ratio of lecturers to students did not meet the MMC's requirement.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed said he had not received a report on the matter from the Health Ministry.

“Before any private medical university or college is set up, it has to meet the requirements set by the MMC,” he told reporters after delivering his New Year message to ministry officials.

Last week, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said the ministry found the lecturer-student ratio to be 1:20 respectively when ideally it should not be higher than 1:8.

Health director-general Tan Sri Ismail Merican, who was also at the event yesterday, said there were no full-time lecturers at the colleges.

While Universiti Malaya is only capable of churning out about 200 students each year, these private colleges, which have been operating less than 10 years, have produced 300 students, he said.

Malaysia hopes to woo 100,000 foreign students by 2010

Malaysia hopes to woo more than 100,000 foreign students by the year 2010, Higher Education Minister Mustapa Mohamed said Tuesday.

The higher education ministry is anticipating an annual 20 percent increase in the number of foreign students studying in the country until 2010, Mustapa told reporters here.

As of 2005, about 45,000 foreign students, mostly from Indonesia, China, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Yemen, were pursuing studies at 206 institutions of higher learning in the country, Mustapa said after launching Malaysia's International Higher Learning Strategic Marketing Plan here.

To help realize the target, the ministry has set up an international students division to cope with the increasing number of foreign students.

The division, which would be operational in the middle of this year, would facilitate the enrollment and management of foreign students, said the minister.

In addition, the ministry has established a council tasked with formulating programs to promote local institutions of higher learning abroad.

This year will see some 60 promotional programs carried out overseas, compared with 35 programs in the year 2006, added Mustapa.

Source: Xinhua

Educational opportunities for M’sian Thai youths
Thursday January 25, 2007
TheStar


MALAYSIAN Thai youths who are unable to pursue tertiary education at local universities will be absorbed into community colleges and skill development training centres nationwide.

Deputy Higher Education Mi-nister Datuk Ong Tee Keat said there were 34 community colleges providing certificate and diploma courses on a full-time and part-time basis for SPM certificate or non-certificate holders.

He said he would discuss the matter with the Malaysian Sia-mese Association (MSA) to help develop local Thai youths so that they could be an asset to the country.

“SPM certificate holders can take up training courses and sit for examinations while those without SPM certificates can attend part-time courses to master a particular skill,” he added.

He was speaking at the Jamuan Mesra Rakyat (people-friendly dinner) hosted by MSA at Dewan Cheng Aun Kong in Jejawi, Kangar, on Sunday.

Ong also said this initiative was in line with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s vision to turn community colleges into a hub for lifelong learning.

Earlier in her speech, MSA president Senator Siw Chun Eam said the dinner was held to raise funds for a community hall for the Thai community to host religious and cultural activities.

The dinner also saw Ong presenting tokens of appreciation to four monks from Siamese temples in Sungai Petani, Penang, Kedah and Perlis who received Thai-land’s highest award from King Bhumibol.

He also presented an award to Perlis’ Wat Macchimaprasit chief monk Phrakkru Ophad Plaksitthikhun for being the first Malaysian Thai monk to receive such an award from King Bhumi-bol.

Ong later gave a personal contribution of RM5,000 to the association’s building fund.

Home stay for 40 Thai teachers
Thursday January 25, 2007
TheStar


THE Visit Malaysia 2007 programme started in northern Seberang Prai (SPU) with a home stay for 40 English language teachers and educa- tion officers from Pattani, Thailand.

The five-day event recently allowed the vi-sitors to learn about the Malaysian English curriculum, how the subject is taught to students and the learning practices here.

One secondary and 12 primary schools in SPU took part in the programme, namely SMKA Al-Irshad, SK Pokok Sena, SK Permatang Bertam, SK Kampung Tok Bedor, SK Tasek Ge-lugor, SK Hashim Awang, SK Pengkalan Jaya, SK Lahar Yooi, SK Kampung Selamat, SK Ara Rendang, SK Bertam Indah, SK Sungai Dua and SK Kepala Batas.

The local and Thai English language teachers did an overview of the syllabus, had discussions and exchanged ideas.

They also had pair-teaching sessions in the classroom and visited the School of Education at Universiti Sains Malaysia.

The Thais were also taken to visit places of interest in Penang. Games and friendly matches added fun to their Malaysian stay.

The closing ceremony of the home stay programme at SK Pokok Sena recently was officiated by Tasek Gelugor MP Datuk Seri Mohd Shariff Omar, who is also Agricul- tural and Agro-based Industry Deputy Minis-ter.

He acknowledged the many programmes between the two countries and said more should be held to enhance bilateral ties.

Also attending the closing were Pattani Education Service Area 1 assistant director Chantana Tongmark and Ibrahim Mohamad who is head of the human resource and deve-lopment sector at the Penang Education De-partment.

Pak Lah invited to open Limkokwing London in March
Friday January 19, 2007
By CHOI TUCK WO
TheStar


LONDON: Limkokwing University London will commence classes for the first batch of 300 students on March 19, said its president Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing.

He said about 100 of them would be final year Malaysian students from its Cyberjaya campus while the rest would include those from China, India, Pakistan, South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Middle East.

Lim said he hoped to enrol about 300 Malaysian students by September and a total of 1,000 by the end of the year.

“We'll be quite happy if we can recruit 1,000 students every year,” he told Malaysian journalists after meeting Westminster Lord Mayor Alexander Nicoll on Wednesday.

Lim added that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had been invited to open the campus during the third week of March.

Occupying an 18th century heritage building in the posh end of Piccadilly, not far from Oxford Street, Limkokwing London provides students with the best of East and West through its global classroom concept.

Lim said he was confident of the London campus success as well as bringing elements of Asia here.

For instance, students pursuing the business programme would also learn Asian business culture and languages.

On top of that, Limkokwing London students can opt to spend one semester in the Malaysian campus and another in the soon-to-be opened campus in Botswana, Africa.

And that is one university in three continents – Asia, Europe and Africa – he said, adding that the concept was probably the first of its kind in the world.

Lim said they would collaborate with leading Malaysian entrepreneurs in London, such as Laura Ashley and the Corus chain of hotels, to provide students with internships on fashion design and the hospitality industries.

We can even talk to Malaysian personalities including (celebrity shoe designer) Datuk Jimmy Choo and other professionals for similar programmes, he added.

He said although there were about 40,000 foreign students in Malaysia, the country was not a big brand yet as far as education was concerned.

One of the strategies in driving the Malaysian brand was in promoting the country's characteristics, its multi-racial and multi-cultural diversity – encompassing all of Asia.

“How well we test the Malaysian brand will depend on our performance and its acceptability in Britain,” Lim added.

He said the university had registered with the Department of Further Education Skills and was in the process of obtaining accreditation from the British Accreditation Council.

From Lim Kok Wing University of Creative Technology (http://www.limkokwing.edu.my/)

http://www.limkokwing.edu.my/v6/images/news/07_aca_london2.jpg

Malaysia emerging as destination for Korean students seeking global education

By Kim Hyun
KUALA LUMPUR/SEOUL, Jan. 31 (Yonhap) -- When his overseas assignment as a senior accountant was completed and it was time to return home to Korea, Son Byeong-ho had second thoughts. His four children were picking up English at an international school in Sri Lanka, and he worried that all their international education could evaporate once they returned to largely homogeneous South Korea.

His concern culminated in one smart choice: Malaysia.

With its British legacy and moderate prices, Malaysia is emerging as a trendy destination for education-conscious Koreans. Middle-class parents who can't afford international schools in North America or Great Britain, but who still want their children to receive an education that meets high global standards, are largely drawn to Southeast Asia. These days, parents are especially drawn to Malaysia, where the threats of both terrorism and distracting nightlife are relatively low due to the country's moderate Islamic culture, parents and education guides say.

"Thinking of going back to Korea, I wasn't comfortable. Then, where to go? I checked Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia, and then came here. Education facilities were good, prices were good and the security was good," said Son, 52, who retired from Hyundai Engineering and Construction Co. in 2005 and now runs a Korean restaurant in Ampang, a large Korean enclave in Kuala Lumpur.

For his four children's tuition and extracurricular activities, he spends no more than 6720 ringgits a month, or 1.8 million won (US$1,900), less than half the cost expected in the United States, he said.

Statistics from the Ministry of Education and Human Resources suggest that the formerly elite Korean practice of sending children abroad to study has expanded to the middle class, raising the number of primary to high school students overseas to 35,144 in 2005 from 26,676 in 2001. The increase was especially evident in Southeast Asia, where 4,011 Korean students headed, up from 712 over the period.

While the government data for Southeast Asia isn't yet broken down country-by-country, the majority--up to 90 percent--opts for Malaysia, said Kim Young-jun, representative of World Education Center in northern Seoul, which specializes in arranging education opportunities in Southeast Asia.

"Malaysia is cheaper than Singapore and more expensive than the Philippines. Between the two, it has a relatively good infrastructure. Parents prefer it because there's virtually no nightlife in the Muslim country," he said.

He says yearly study in Malaysia costs less than 20 million won, while studying in a U.S. boarding school costs 45 million won.

"The United States, Canada and Australia cost big, so they are for upper-class parents. Southeast Asia has conditions that are approachable for the middle class. And the distance is closer, so parents can visit easily.

On its part, Malaysia, which celebrates its 50 years of independence from the United Kingdom this year, has sweetened the deal for foreigners. Included as part of a package of policies, the country will issue 10-year visas for foreigners who buy houses worth 70 million won or more. Malaysian real estate advertisements often appear in Korean newspapers for investors weary of the shaky market at home.

"For young Korean parents who want to bring their children, the level of English in Malaysia is quite high compared to other Asian countries," Dato' Ir Donald Lim Siang Chai, vice tourism minister, said during the Visit Malaysia Year 2007 event in a Kuala Lumpur hotel last month.

"We know that recently there are a lot of Korean parents who have sent their children during summer and winter vacations. Children have classes to learn English, and they also have fun classes where they can learn to play golf," he said.

But that's not all: there's an unexpected social plus for Koreans in Malaysia. The popularity of Korean soap operas--part of the "K-Wave" that has in recent years spread Korean movies, pop music, and TV throughout Asia--has warmed Malaysians to anything Korean, Korean residents in Kuala Lumpur say. "Winter Sonata," a hit Korean soap opera series, scored high viewer ratings in Malaysia and was followed by another hit series, "Jewel in the Palace," translated as "Daejanggeum" in Korean.

Celebrities such as "Daejanggeum" heroine Lee Young-ae shine in big advertisements at downtown shopping malls, while soccer star Park Ji-sung, now a midfielder with the U.K. Manchester United, is featured on Malaysia's Air Asia jets, with his even more famous colleagues Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and coach Alex Fergusson next to him.

Riding high on the popularity of the K-Wave, Heo Tae-gyeong, a Korean tour guide living in Kuala Lumpur, said, "I feel like a superstar."
"When I walk on street, people notice me and ask me if I'm Korean. Then, they just have me take a seat and give me drinks and snacks. There's one thing they always ask: What happens next?," he said, recalling the time in 2002 when "Winter Sonata" was broadcast prime time on a state-owned channel.

Son, the Korean restaurant owner, finds Malaysia's friendliness toward Koreans to be a double-edged sword. Schools are often overpopulated with Korean students.

"That's not a good thing. There are now too many Korean students. Some international schools even say they can't accept Korean students anymore," he said.

hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)

USM to create five more healthcare-related schools
Thursday February 8, 2007
By IAN MCINTYRE
TheStar


KOTA BARU: Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) will create five more healthcare-related schools under the 9th Malaysia Plan.

Its Kubang Kerian campus director, Prof Datuk Mafauzy Mohamed, said the five are the School of Nutrition, School of Ophthalmology, School of Physical Therapy, School of Occupational Therapy and the School of Environmental Health.

Currently, the campus has a School of Medicine, School of Medical Science and School of Dentistry.

Prof Mafauzy said with the additional schools, present facilities at the campus would be expanded.

“USM is heading for an era of exciting things. It would also benefit the state of Kelantan as a whole,” he said.

The campus has around 2,500 undergraduates and post-graduate students.

Under the 9MP, the student population would increase to 5,000.

Prof Mafauzy said the training hospital here, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM), would be expanded from 700 to 1,000 beds under the plan period.

He said the expansion was part of HUSM’s commitment to constantly improve its services and specialist treatment.

“We expect more specialised treatment to be available as HUSM plays an important regional role for medical care,” he added.

HUSM caters for Kelantan, Terengganu, northern Pahang, Kedah and northern Perak.

He said the hospital also accommodates patients from southern Thailand who have special referral.

YPO Malaysia wins global award
By Tamimi Omar, 26 Feb 2007 10:27 PM
THEEDGEDAILY


http://www.theedgedaily.com/cms/storage/images/com.tms.cms.image.Image_fe39dd79-cb73c03a-11a0d350-9eadcd90/1/YPO_best02_inside.jpg

The Malaysian Young Presidents' Organisation (YPO) chapter bagged three international awards, including the prestigious “Best-of-the-Best” Chapter Educational Plan, at the Education Year 2005-2006 Awards ceremony.

It beat nearly 200 other chapters worldwide for the prestigious award at the YPO annual Global Leadership Conference in Toronto recently. The other two awards are the Most Risk-Taking Event and the Best Adventure Retreat.

“This is the first time that Malaysia has won this highest award. To understand its significance, Malaysia or any other Asian chapter has never won this coveted award before,” YPO chapter chair Mok Yuen Lok said.

he YPO is a non-profit organisation with 11,000 members, of which about 60 are from Malaysia. Its members comprises chief executive officers and presidents of multi-national companies, public-listed companies and large private enterprises.

Mok said the chapter’s success in education was built on strong foundations by a string of regional and global award winners starting from the late 90s. There are monthly education events that cover a broad range of topics, such as business enhancement, personal development, political issues, global events and family matters.

http://www.theedgedaily.com/cms/storage/images/com.tms.cms.image.Image_fe38a595-cb73c03a-11a0d350-4b9fb862/1/YPO_best01_inside.jpg

Limkokwing University plans listing
By Zaidi Isham Ismail
March 5 2007
BusinessTimes


LIMKOKWING University College of Creative Technology, a higher learning institution that prides itself on creativity and innovation, plans to go for listing.
A source said the private institute plans to go for listing at anytime when it is ready.

"University president and founder Tan Sri Professor Dr Lim Kok Wing has expressed interest in going for listing.

"I think the university is ready to float its shares because its financials are strong and it is a well-managed institution," the source told Business Times.

However, details of the initial public offering (IPO) remains sketchy, such as the number of shares involved, what the university intends to do with the proceeds and whether it has submitted a proposal to the authorities.

In an e-mail reply, Lim said : "We are in no position yet to say much about our plans for listing, but will call you when we are ready. I thank you for the interest shown."

Lim, who won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award in 2005, was 29 when he founded Wings Creative in 1974. In less than 10 years, its turnover grew to RM44 million.

Today, Limkokwing University is one of Malaysia's leading brands recognised for international quality education.

Students can further their studies in multiple-degree programmes at universities in 16 other countries and 50 cities such as New York and Beijing.

What began as a college with 200 students on rented premises is today a fully-owned full-facility RM100 million campus in Cyberjaya, enrolling some 6,000 students from 90 countries.

Limkokwing opened its first overseas branch Limkokwing London last year, followed by Limkokwing Botswana. It opened a branch in Botswana because most of its African students here are from that country.

Limkokwing currently offers some 70 courses, including degree programmes in graphic design, communications, international business, marketing, creative multimedia and fashion studies, architecture, games technology, mobile computing, and integrated and immersive multimedia.

Education Main Focus In German-Malaysia Relations
March 07, 2007 22:35 PM


SHAH ALAM, March 7 (Bernama) -- Education, the main focus in Germany-Malaysia relations is set to flourish in the future, German Ambassador to Malaysia, Herbert Jess said Wednesday.

He added Malaysians had moved to acquire new languages such as German as they were aware that the language could offer a lot of advantages in education.

Jess said previously academic relations between Malaysia and Germany was under-developed because Malaysia had emphasised more on English speaking countries.

There are 800 Malaysian students in Germany taking various fields and levels of education, an increase by 100 per cent compared to three years ago.

Jess was met by reporters after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between German-based Daimler Chysler (M) Sdn Bhd and Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems AG with the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Technology MARA (UiTM) here.

-- BERNAMA

Three UiTM Undergrads To Train At Daimler-Chrysler Plant In Stuttgart
March 07, 2007 22:37 PM


SHAH ALAM, March 7 (Bernama) -- Three mechanical engineering undergraduates of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) will be the first group of students from the university to train with renowned auto-maker Daimler-Chrysler at its Stuttgart plant in Germany.

The three, Mohd Rahimi Yaacob, Mohd Noor Firdaus Ismail and Mohd Ridzuan Saari, who are in the final year of their degree course, will undergo the four-month practical training from this month.

UiTM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Seri Dr Ibrahim Abu Shah said the programme was a joint effort between the university and Daimler-Chrysler (M) Sdn Bhd.

Daimler-Chrysler is a global player in the automotive industry with car makes such as Mercedes-Benz, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Maybach.

At a press conference here, Ibrahim said UiTM would also be sending five students for industrial training with another German company, Thyssenkrupp Marine System AG based in Hamburg.

He said the students, who would begin their training in June, were now taking an intensive course in the German language for two months.

At the same function, Ibrahim witnessed the signing of memoranda of understanding (MoU) and a memorandum of agreement (MoA) between UiTM's Mechanical Engineering Faculty and four organisations.

They are Golden Hope Plantations Bhd, Nurivest CNC Mechanization Sdn Bhd, Shimadzu (Asia Pasific) Pte Limited and Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems AG, Germany.

Also present was German Ambassador to Malaysia, Herbert Jess.

Ibrahim said the memoranda signified the close cooperation between the faculty and industries to ensure that UiTM graduands could fulfil job market requirements.

-- BERNAMA

UniMAP Signs MoU With La Trobe University
March 09, 2007 20:07 PM

KANGAR, March 9 (Bernama) -- Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) signed a memorandum of understanding with La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia, today in a move towards gaining international recognition for the university.

UniMAP vice-chancellor Datuk Kamarudin Husin said that as the university was only 36 days old, the MoU, the third signed this month, should be seen as an important step towards the internationalisation of UniMAP.

In light of this, UniMAP would be increasing its student exchange programmes at the international level with the signing of more MoUs with foreign universities this year, he said.

"The programme is also to create awareness of the existence of UniMAP while working towards turning it into one of the best universities in the country.

"Before this, UniMAP had signed MoUs with other universities in Finland, Spain, Japan, Greece, Thailand and Indonesia," he said after the signing ceremony held at the Chancellor's Office, UniMAP, in Jejawi, here.

La Trobe University was represented by the director of its Technology Infusion Centre, Prof Dr Jack Singh. The ceremony was witnessed by UniMAP Chancellor, the Raja Muda of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Jamalullail, who is a graduate of the Australian university.

Kamarudin said the MoU with La Trobe would involve a student exchange programme beginning early next year, while the exchange of staff would take place this year and they would be conducting research in specified areas.

He said experts from La Trobe would also be brought in to conduct short-term courses for UniMAP lecturers and the relevant industries with the focus on micro-electronics, and computer and electrical engineering.

He added that the UniMAP fraternity was also carrying out a programme called "UniMAP in the People's Hearts" in an effort to create public awareness on the university through the setting of an information kiosk, future graduates' clinic, talks and distribution of pamphlets at night markets, mosques and secondary schools in Perlis, Kedah, Penang and Perak.

-- BERNAMA

High aces
Kelantan's top scorer wants to be a doctor
13 Mar 2007
NewStraitTimes


http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/nst/Tuesday/Frontpage/20070313082755/result7.JPG

KOTA BARU, TUES: Siti Fatimah Mukhtar has every reason to be proud of her achievements.

She is the best student in the state in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination with 18As.

The daughter of a bank officer scored 17 1As and a 2A.

The Sekolah Menengah (Agama) Maahad Muhammadi Kota Baru student attributed her success to attending tuition classes at the Kelantan Islamic Foundation (YIK) school.

Siti Fatimah was among 426 students at the school who sat for the examination.

She said her parents, siblings and teachers had encouraged her to do her best.

"I did not miss tuition classes and group study, which the school organised daily."

Siti Fatimah said her father Mukhtar Ismail, 53, a Bank Islam officer, and mother Aishah Mohd, 50, a teacher at SK Tapang here, had also spurred her on to success.

"I plan to become a doctor and further my studies at a university in Ireland or Jordan."

Her teacher, Mohamad Razdi Konok, said the school was proud of Siti Fatimah’s achievements.

"We hope she will become a role model for others in this school."

Top scorers who excel in all their endeavours
13 Mar 2007
KUALA LUMPUR, TUES:
NewStraitTimes


http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/nst/Tuesday/Frontpage/20070313080514/result1.JPG

Malaysia may be heading back to the days when top scorers in public examinations also excelled in extra-curricular activities.

Laura Low Jia Xin, 18, who scored 12 1As in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination to become SMK Assunta’s top student, is an active debater who also takes part in public speaking contests.

The vice-president of the Rangers and Leo clubs also plays futsal and basketball. But that is not all.

She has also done well in cross-country races and other long distance track events.

To top it all, Low took accounting and visual arts as extra subjects.

Asked about her busy schedule in and out of class, Laura said she had had a genuine interest in extra-curricular activities.

"Since life is short, I decided to give everything a go so that I would have no regrets," she said.

Laura is studying A-Levels on a scholarship at a local college and wants to pursue a degree in animation and design, her ambition and passion since young.

Tan Jun Horng who scored 14As is one of only three students to do so in SMJK Catholic. However he had to have his parents collect his results as he had just left yesterday morning to take his King’s Scouts exam.

His mother, Caryn Loke, said it was a balance of studies and play that gave her son the edge.

"I always told him to study hard and have fun. Do your best, don’t be stressed out and let God do the rest."

Tan, who is also a national Scrabble player, does not know his results as mobile phones are prohibited in the camp.

The top scorer for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia at SMK Victoria is a linguist of sorts, who speaks and writes in four languages — Bahasa Malaysia, English, Mandarin and Tamil.

Jeyabaskaran Renganathen scored 11 1As and 3 2As.

The 18-year-old, who went to a Chinese primary school, scored straight As in his UPSR and PMR examinations.

Jeyabaskaran said he only studied during tuition with leisure time devoted to archery.

"I don’t want to be just a book worm and excel in studies. I want to be good in sports as well.

OMG!!!! 19As???!!!! I dont how she deal wif that...:ohno:

Ok, from now on, she'll be my idol.:)

Ah Chuan, what about ur result??? You took SPM last year right??

Tidak galak calon ambil banyak subjek

PUTRAJAYA 13 Mac – Kementerian Pelajaran tidak menggalakkan pelajar mengambil terlalu banyak mata pelajaran dalam peperiksaan Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) kerana bimbang akan berlaku pertindihan jadual peperiksaan.

Ketua Pengarah Pelajaran, Datuk Dr. Ahamad Sipon berkata, pihaknya hanya mengesyorkan jumlah maksimum yang boleh diambil ialah 12 mata pelajaran.

‘‘Namun begitu jika pelajar tetap mahu mengambil lebih daripada 12 mata pelajaran, itu terpulang kepada mereka. Kita tidak ada halangan,’’ katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian ketika ditanya mengenai kecenderungan sesetengah pelajar yang mengambil terlalu banyak mata pelajaran ketika menduduki SPM.

Beliau bercakap kepada pemberita ketika mengumumkan keputusan penuh SPM 2006 di pejabatnya di sini, hari ini.

Ahamad berkata, kementerian berpendapat pengambilan jumlah mata pelajaran yang paling sesuai untuk calon SPM adalah berbentuk asas dan merangkumi semua mata pelajaran lain.

‘‘Sebagai contoh pelajar yang mengambil subjek fizik, kimia dan biologi, mereka tidak perlu lagi mengambil subjek sains. Jika calon ini mendapat 1A dalam kesemua mata pelajaran berkenaan sudah tentu dia akan mendapat 1A dalam sains.

‘‘Begitu juga dengan bahasa Inggeris. Mereka sebenarnya boleh mengambil beberapa banyak subjek bahasa Inggeris di dalam SPM. Bagi saya kita hanya perlu mengambil satu mata pelajaran asas dan boleh merangkumi mata pelajaran yang berkaitan ,’’ tambahnya.

Dalam pada itu beliau berkata, berdasarkan susunan jadual pada SPM lalu, jumlah tertinggi yang boleh diambil oleh pelajar adalah sebanyak 26 mata pelajaran.






If the person took 14 subjects, he had to pay the 2 subjects bcoz our gov only support for 12 sbjcts.:)

^^ why wanna make things even harder...just take the 10 subject la..as if u get 19As u will get RM100K for ur first salary...:lol: hhm..perhaps self satisfaction?:ohno:

is the students nowadays more smarter compared to us in the 90's?...to me..its just that the questions are more or less the same every single year..trust me....just twist here and there...all u have to do if u wanna excel in SPM is to answer the past yrs questions...

Thanks fairul 4 the advice.:)

Me, take only 10 sbjcts. I'm not the Amalina style.

Wish me gud luck!:)

skyscraperboy, you taking SPM this year?? good luck man ;)

skyscraperboy, you taking SPM this year?? good luck man ;)

Thanks TYW!!!:)

what is the best medical school in malaysia? thanks!

MUET gets a fresh look
Friday March 16, 2007
TheStar


SUBANG JAYA: A revised and updated Malaysian University English Test (MUET) will come into effect at the end of next year.

Malaysian Examinations Council deputy chief executive Ahmad Tajudin Abu Bakar said the revision was based on the council’s policy of reviewing test specifications for all public examinations every five years.

“We are reviewing and updating the examination in line with global education trends and to meet international needs.

“A circular has been sent to all schools and institutions for the implementation of the new MUET specifications,” he said yesterday after launching the new format at a special briefing session for teachers, lecturers and educationists.

MUET, which tests listening, speaking, reading comprehension and writing skills, classify candidates according to six bands or levels of achievement from Very Good User (Band Six) to Extremely Limited User (Band One).

It came under fire recently when the Higher Education Ministry revealed that one-third of public university graduates scored very low marks in the language proficiency exam.

A 16-men panel, headed by Universiti Teknologi Mara’s Postgraduate Studies Institute dean Prof Datin Dr Zubaida Alsree, was set up to work on the revision.

Prof Zubaida dispelled the notion that the revision was an attempt to address the growing number of varsity students in the low bands.

“The revision is not to make it easier. It is recognised that MUET is a reliable measure of the candidate's English language proficiency, and it should not change with the new specifications,” she said.

More candidates use English
Friday March 16, 2007
By KAREN CHAPMAN
TheStar


KUALA LUMPUR: Close to 85.6% or 63,806 candidates in the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) examination last year opted to answer the Science and Mathematics subjects in English.

This is an increase of some 5% compared with 2005.

Malaysian Examinations Council (MEC) chairman Prof Datuk Dzulkifli Abdul Razak said the teaching of Science and Mathematics subjects in English had not affected performance.

“This shows the candidates' ability to master the English language,” he said when announcing the results yesterday.

Since 2004, candidates have been given the choice of answering the Science and Mathematics subjects – Mathematics S, Mathematics T, Computing, Biology, Chemistry and Physics – in either English or Bahasa Malaysia.

Although candidates are allowed to take five subjects, the majority took four last year, as the Higher Education Ministry's requirement for entry into public universities is four subjects, including the General Paper.

According to Prof Dzulkifli, 34 candidates obtained As in all five subjects taken.

He said there were also 477 candidates who obtained four As, including 63 who had sat for five subjects.

He added that a total of 503 candidates obtained a cumulative grade point average of 4.0 compared with 447 in 2005.

From the 34 who obtained five As, 11 candidates with the highest raw scores were chosen as the top students overall in the country. Three students from rural areas and three special students were also picked as top candidates.

They received RM1,000, a certificate and a plaque each from Prof Dzulkifli in a presentation ceremony earlier yesterday.

Prof Dzulkifli said 13 subjects, including the General Paper, Tamil, Arabic, Literature in English, Syariah, History, Accounts, Mathematics S and Chemistry, showed an improvement in the passing rate.

Nine subjects, including Geography, Economics, Physics and Biology, showed a decline, all within 3%.

“A 3% drop is to be expected. It's not a drastic decline, so we are not unnecessarily worried,” he added.

This is the first year that the MEC has produced certificates in Braille. It is also the first time the council has presented prizes to students who achieve a Band Six in the Malaysian University English Test.

“We are doing this as we want to place an emphasis on the mastering of English,” said Prof Dzulkifli.

He said no one school was chosen as the best as the MEC did not want to highlight just one institution.

what is the best medical school in malaysia? thanks!


UKM now ranked way ahead of UM
Friday October 6, 2006
BY SIMRIT KAUR and HARIATI AZIZAN
TheStar


http://www.thestar.com.my/archives/2006/10/6/nation/n_06ranking.jpg

PETALING JAYA: Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) has supplanted Universiti Malaya (UM) as the country’s highest ranked university in the latest survey conducted on world university rankings.

In World University Rankings 2006 published by the Times Higher Education Supplement and conducted by QS Quacquarelli Symonds, UKM rose by 105 places to break into the top 200-ranked universities for the first time, climbing from 289 last year to 185.

UM, however, continued its downward spiral, by dropping a further 23 places to 192. Its ranking fell from 89 in 2004 to 169 last year, causing a national debate on the status of the premier university and the validity of the criteria used for the rankings.

The British newspaper's annual rankings are based on measures like peer review (40%), employer survey (10%), international faculty (5%), international students (5%), staff to student ratio (20%), and the number of times research is cited by other academics (20%). Details of this year's criteria are not yet available.

Former UKM vice-chancellor Datuk Dr Mohd Salleh Mohd Yasin, who retired in August this year, attributed UKM’s current standing to the joint effort by everyone in the university.

“We focused on raising the university’s profile internationally. We also made a concerted effort to improve UKM’s website and consolidate the information there,” said Dr Mohd Salleh, who is currently chairman of the National Accreditation Board.

Universiti Sains Malaysia and Universiti Putra Malaysia also improved in this year’s standings – UPM rose by 102 places from 394 to 292, while USM climbed from 326 to 277.

When contacted, current UKM vice-chancellor Datuk Dr Sharifah Hapsah Syed Hasan Shahabudin and UM vice-chancellor Datuk Rafiah Salim declined comment, saying that they would speak at a press conference at UM today.

Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang described this year’s results as a double shame for UM.

“Not only did it slide further but UM also fell behind UKM. This is unacceptable for Malaysia's premier university. There is need for a shake-up,” he said.

He added that although UKM should be commended for its place in this year’s rankings, Malaysia’s top public universities should rank among the top 50.

It has been reported that the Ministry has set a target for two public universities to break into the top 50 by 2010.

Lim attributed Malaysian universities' poor ranking to the failure of the institutions “to practise real meritocracy in academic appointments and promotions, as well as in student intake.”

Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed could not be reached for comment.

At the top of the rankings is Harvard University, which retained its position. However, Massachusetts Institute of Technology lost its number two position to Cambridge University.

British and American universities took all the places in the top 10. The highest placed Asian university is China’s Beijing University, at 14. The University of Tokyo and the National University of Singapore were joint 19th, the only other Asian universities in the top 20.

..:: School of Medical Sciences, USM ::..

UKM, UM in top 200
Saturday October 7, 2006
TheStar


PETALING JAYA: Overall, there has been an “upward shift” in Malaysian universities' standing in the World University Rankings 2006, said Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed.

This could be attributed to two universities, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Universiti Malaya (UM), being in the top 200 and two others, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), having made significant gains in the rankings.

UKM rose by 104 places to break into the top 200-ranked universities for the first time, climbing from 289 last year to 185.

However, he added that public universities must continue to strive for continuous improvement and excellence regardless of their position in the survey published by the Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) and conducted by QS Quacquarelli Symonds.

Mustapa said the Government was committed to enhancing the quality of higher education towards establishing the country as a hub of educational excellence and the universities had a pivotal role in delivering this.

“The THES rankings have been officially released and I am pleased to see that there are two Malaysian universities in the top 200 this year,” he said in a statement yesterday.

“I also note that USM and UPM have made significant gains in the rankings, rising about 50 and 100 places respectively.”

Viewed in totality, he said this indicated an upward shift in Malaysian universities' standing.

“With the commitment of the respective vice-chancellors, I am confident our universities are well positioned to grow as drivers of Malaysia’s human capital development,” said the minister.

Mustapa had called for a meeting with the vice-chancellors and rectors of the public universities on Thursday to discuss the results of the rankings.

“As for UM, I note that it has been placed at 192 (down from 169) in this year’s rankings. I have had frequent engagements with (UM vice-chancellor) Datuk Rafiah Salim and her senior staff on the matter of quality and I have now asked for their plan of action with regard to this year’s THES rankings once the detailed analysis of the survey is made available,” he added.

The British newspaper's annual rankings are based on measures like peer review (40%), employer survey (10%), international faculty (5%), international students (5%), staff to student ratio (20%) and the number of times research is cited by other academics (20%).

Other news! :)

Johor students in better shape
Friday March 16, 2007
By BEH YUEN HUI


http://www.thestar.com.my/archives/2007/3/16/southneast/p2students.jpg

Honour is sweet: Four of the Outstanding Student in SPM 2006 from Johor
showing the thumbs-up and certificates after receiving their awards from
Jailani recently. They are (from left) Zhi Wei, Qing Joel, Siti Munirah and
Chun How.

JOHOR students recorded a slightly better performance in last year’s Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) with 38,781 (86.94%) of them passing the examination.

In 2005, only 86.55% of the 42,652 students passed their SPM. State Education director Jailani Rusni said a total of 390 students obtained all As in the examination while 84 of them scored straight 1As.

He said among the straight 1As students, one obtained 14 1As, two with 13 1As, nine with 12 1As, 39 with 11 1As and 33 with 10 1As. “Six of our students were selected for the Outstanding Student Award in the national-level.

“The evaluations were based on their academic performance, involvement in co-curriculum as well as their attitude,” he told reporters before presenting awards to the top students of the state at Sekolah Tun Fatimah here yesterday.

The recipients are Remina Doh Li Sheen of SMK Convent Muar, Lee Zhi Wei of SMK Tinggi Batu Pahat, Tan Chun How of Sekolah Tinggi Muar, Chong Qing Joel of SMK Dato’ Penggawa Barat, Siti Munirah Shabudin of SM Sains Muar and Mohamad Fahrurrazi Abbas of Maktab Rendah Sains Mara Pontain.

Jailani said 33 government schools achieved a 100% passing rate in SPM 2006, compared to 31 schools in SPM 2005.

He said SM Sains Muar was ranked the top school with a School Average Grade of 1.95, followed by Sekolah Tun Fatimah here (1.99) and SM Sains Johor (2.03).

“SMK Air Tawar is the only school in the estate area which attained a full passing rate.”

Six from Pahang are top scorers
Friday March 16, 2007
TheStar


SIX students from Pahang made it into the country’s top scorers in last year’s Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations.

Of the six, two of them were from SM Abdul Rahman Talib here namely Nur Hamizah Abdul Halim and S. Nirmal Raj, who both scored 11 1As.

Three of their schoolmates Nesha Armo, Quek Hock Seng and Riman Ramli were among the 29 top scorers in the state.

Nesha and Quek obtained 12 1As while head boy Riman got 11 1As.

State Education Department director Datuk Ahmad Azmey Abu Talib said overall, Pahang recorded an improved performance as compared to the previous year. He said 171 students were students with excellent results with 29 of them scoring straight As.

When met at the school, Nirmal Raj said he had expected the results as he had fared well in his trial exams and PMR, scoring 7As.

Nur Hamizah said she had no fixed timetable to study but would do more revision and exercise on topics she did not understand.

Kuantan school leads the pack
Friday March 16, 2007
TheStar


SM ABDUL Rahman Talib in Kuantan contributed five top Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) students for the state.

Two of them - Nur Hamizah Abdul Halim and S. Nirmal Raj - are also listed as the top scorers for the national level.

Both Nur Hamizah and Nirmal Raj scored 1A in all their 11 subjects. To add icing to the cake, three of their schoolmates were also among the 29 top scorers in Pahang.

They were Nesha Armo and Quek Hock Seng who obtained 12 1As while school head boy Riman Ramli got 11 1As.

Quek said his father Khiok Heng, 47, and mother Hoo Sip Mui, 49, had never pressured him to do well despite him being the only child in the family.

what is the best medical school in malaysia? thanks!

http://www.thestar.com.my/archives/2006/10/6/nation/n_06ranking.jpg

1. ..:: School of Medical Sciences, USM (Universiti Sains Malaysia)::..
2. International Medical University (IMU (http://www.imu.edu.my/)), Bukit Jalil
3. Medical school for Malaysia (Monash Memo (http://www.monash.edu.au/news/monashmemo/stories/20040728/med.html))
4. Pantai Medical School Nursing Certificate

Malaysian team is third in F1
Sunday March 18, 2007
TheStar


http://www.thestar.com.my/archives/2007/3/18/nation/17ace.jpg

Doing nation proud: Team Mercurial Ace from SMK Convent Bukit Nanas (from
left) Cheryl, Sheela, Pay Herng and Zawanah posing with their model F1
cars in this photo taken in Putrajaya on March 1. — Bernama

PETALING JAYA: Team Mercurial Ace from SMK Convent Bukit Nanas won third place in the F1 in Schools World Championship held in Melbourne, Australia on Friday.

However, the team comprising fifth formers Cheryl Khoo, Zawanah Zianah Azharen, Sheela Ratnam and Lee Pay Herng set a time of 1.069 seconds, beating the time set by last year’s winning Malaysian team.

Team Fuga from Northern Ireland was champion while Scotland's Team Lightning was second.

Deputy Education Minister Datuk Hon Choon Kim, who witnessed the championship, said the Malaysian team also won the Best Sportsmanship Award for lending their wheel to Team C2 from Canada, who had lost theirs on the journey to Melbourne.

Last year, Team Aerobreaker from SMK Taman Melawati bagged the Fastest Car Award with their model F1 car recording 1.083 seconds in the championship in Birmingham, England.

“The competition was very stiff this year with 16 teams from 13 countries participating,” Hon said in a statement.

Hon said Malaysia had won the bid to host the championship next year.

In the competition, students had to design, analyse, make and test their models in a virtual wind tunnel, then race their model cars against another on a special racetrack.

The event is a run-up to the Melbourne F1 race which will be held today.

^^ OMG!!! My school got that project! Sadly i can't join it bacause its only for form 4.:cry:

RM500 for top Kelantan students
Friday March 23, 2007
TheStar


KOTA BARU: A cash incentive of RM500 will be given to students who top the list of achievers in the SPM, STPM and STAM (for religious schools) examinations in Kelantan.

This is the first time the state government is offering cash incentives to top students.

While it will initially cover Kelantan students, the scheme will later be extended to others, irrespective of whether they are born in the state or are foreigners.

State Education committee chairman Nik Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah said parents of the top achieving students can submit copies of their children’s results to the respective village headman or housing association chairmen.

They can also submit a copy to his office, he said after the state executive council meeting here yesterday.

Regarding the Education Ministry’s offer to absorb and adopt 72 community religious schools (SARs) in Kelantan, he said there was a “positive indication” in the issue.

The state government will disclose the outcome soon, he said.

“We are working out some details and will make an announcement soon.”

He admitted that some of the 72 schools were suffering from lack of infrastructure and support, which could be overcome if they accept the income per capita grants allocated by the ministry.

Focus On Smart Schools
March 24, 2007 19:54 PM


SEREMBAN, March 24 (Bernama) -- The Education Ministry will focus on efforts to create more Smart Schools nationwide to ensure that all schools benefit from information and communication technology (ICT).

Its Deputy Minister Datuk Hon Choon Kim said the move was aimed at upgrading the quality of the teaching and learning processes by ensuring the widespread use of ICT by students.

"We want to see such facilities in all schools and have lined up various programmes to improve the academic achievement of students," he said when opening the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) meeting of the Seri Ampangan Secondary School here today.

He added the 88 schools upgraded to Smart Schools formed the pioneer batch and more will be upgraded in stages.

At the function, Hon also presented a personal contribution of RM10,000 for the school to conduct its programmes for the whole year.

-- BERNAMA

University plans take wing
Monday April 2, 2007
By CHOI TUCK WO
TheStar


http://www.thestar.com.my/archives/2007/4/2/nation/n_pg20london.jpg

The next step: Lim (centre) posing with the first
batch of students at the university’s London campus.

LONDON: Fresh from opening two universities in two continents within two weeks, Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing is bursting with ideas to propel them forward.

While the Limkokwing University London is poised to set up a Malaysian batik design department, the Botswana campus has introduced jewellery and clothes design courses to tap the world’s largest diamond producing industry.

The London campus commenced classes for the first group of 50 students on March 26 while the Botswana university was swarmed with over 1,000 students during its soft opening on March 19.

“The Malaysian brand has been well received in both countries,” Lim said in an interview at his London office.

Both campuses offer contrasting styles of global classroom concept, with the London campus operating from an 18th century heritage building in Piccadilly and the Botswana university occupying part of a modern shopping mall in the southern African nation.

Lim said the London campus expected another 250 students by the middle of this month and 600 by September.

The initial 50 students came from 10 countries, including France, Italy, China, Myanmar, Vietnam, Yemen, Iran and Malaysia. The 20 lecturers and staff are also of an international mix.

The university has started programmes, including interior design, business studies, architecture and communication while film and television and music will be introduced later.

Lim said many lectures were conducted outside the classroom, with the students taken on visits to museums, galleries and retail centres to see how “branding works and marketing in action.”

“You don’t come to one of the world’s greatest cities to study in a classroom. You go outside to get motivated and open your eyes and minds to new ideas,” he said.

He said a batik design exhibition would be held in May following the setting up of a full batik design department.

The university will also introduce Malay and Mandarin courses later this month.

As part of its global concept, Lim said experts in specialised fields would be invited to give talks on anything from design and online retailing to climate change and sustainability.

“We’re exposing the students to cutting-edge ideas that can change the world rather than something you can read from the books,” he said.

On the Botswana campus, Lim said it offered jewellery and clothes design so that students could design and cut finished diamonds.

“We’ll launch music and lifestyle designs in July. Such programmes fitted well with the Botswana people, who are creatively-inclined in music, design, arts and lifestyle,” he added.

Malaysia's Education Success Good Lesson For Others, Says Unesco DG


From Ahmad Zukiman Zain

PARIS, April 2 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's achievements in education provide good lessons for other countries, Unesco Director-General Koichiro Matsuura said here today.

Describing the success since the country's independence as "great", he said progress was made in many significant areas.

He highlighted the country's primary school enrolment which was well over 90 per cent while the children enrolled had a high school life expectancy of near zero dropout rate.

"This shows the success of not only in expanding access to education but also in providing education of high quality," he said at the opening of an exhibition entitled "Celebrating 50 years of Malaysia's Education Accomplishments" with Malaysia's Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein at Unesco's headquarters, here.

He said the week-long exhibition would provide an opportunity for others to benefit from Malaysia's experience and progress in education.

This was in line with Unesco's efforts to raise the profile of good practices and promote the sharing of experience, he said.

"We would like to draw lessons from Malaysia's success in education," he said at the function attended by representatives of Unesco member countries.

"Malaysia now allocates over eight per cent of GNP (gross national product) to education, which is a commitment that other countries should follow," he said.

Malaysia has also been successful in emphasising the need for a holistic approach that integrates education into wider development strategies, he added.

Another major progress made by Malaysia was mobilising new technologies to improve the access and quality of education.

He said Malaysia has also shown the far-reaching advantages that information and communication technology (ICT) could bring even to remote and rural areas.

Hishammuddin, who arrived here today for a six-day visit to France and Switzerland, said Malaysia had always given priority to education.

This would be further enhanced under the National Education Blueprint encompassing a five-year plan until 2010.

-- BERNAMA

BEducation to set up a university college
13-04-2007:
THEEDGEDAILY


Berjaya Corporation Bhd’s (BCorp) subsidiary Berjaya Higher Education Sdn Bhd (BEducation) has been invited by the Ministry of Higher Education to establish a university college under the name Berjaya University College of Hospitality.

BCorp told Bursa Malaysia on April 13 that the invitation was subject to BEducation submitting a complete application to the ministry by next April. It intends to fund the project via borrowings and shareholders’ funds.

It said the main campus of the university college would be located in Berjaya Hills, Pahang, but a temporary campus would be set up in Kuala Lumpur pending the completion of the main campus in two to three years.

“BEducation will focus on offering hospitality management courses and subject to the relevant approvals, BEducation hopes to have its first intake of students at the latest by mid 2008,” BCorp added.

BEducation is 51% owned by Berjaya Group Bhd, which is in turn a unit of BCorp.

ICT boost for schools
Monday April 16, 2007
TheStar


PETALING JAYA: In a move to take schools in Malaysia fully into the information and communication technology era, the Education Ministry’s target is to reduce the present computer to student ratio from 1:40 to at least 1:20.

Education Minister Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the ministry planned to achieve this under its “Making Schools Smart” programme by building more computer laboratories and access centres in schools.

“And it is also our target to have a computer to teacher ratio of at least 1:2,” he said. The existing computer to teacher ratio is 1:3.

According to Hishammuddin, the ministry has built 5,266 computer laboratories and 1,584 access centres – essentially cybercafes – in schools nationwide and 97% of schools have broadband access.

The ministry, he said, had originally planned to have another 2,000 access centres.

“But to ensure that students in rural areas are not left out, an additional RM72mil has been allocated to build a further 1,600,” he said in a statement yesterday .

Other additional allocations made include:

·RM72.1mil to equip preschool classes with five desktop computers for every 25 pupils in one class;

·RM113mil for courseware for teachers and students; and

·RM82mil to provide schools with teleconferencing facilities, satellite telephones and wireless faxes.

“Under the programme, I hope we can transform the way teachers teach and students learn. This also includes the way teachers evaluate and assess their students and the way schools are managed,” Hishammuddin said.

Limkokwing offers education to the world
By Zaidi Isham Ismail
April 17 2007
BusinessTimes


Limkokwing University College of Creative Technology aims to reach 100 countries within two years or secure 200 students from each of the 100 countries

LIMKOKWING University College of Creative Technology, a higher learning institution that prides itself in creativity and innovation, is embarking on a RM180 million global expansion.

University president and founder, Tan Sri Professor Dr Lim Kok Wing, said the university which currently has branch campuses in Malaysia, the UK and Botswana plans to go to as many countries as possible to be a global brand.

"A country that educates the world is respected and in the next three years we will extend operations to three English-speaking countries and this involves investments of over RM180 million.

"Our aim is to reach 100 countries within two years or secure 200 students from each of the 100 countries," Lim told reporters recently.

A source told Business Times in March the private institute plans to go for listing anytime when it is ready. Lim however declined to give further details.

Lim said when it opened its branch in Botswana last month, the university received 5,000 applications but could only accept 1,500 students.

"We will need a bigger campus for the next intake and we are looking at covering the whole of English-speaking Africa which includes the south and west," said Lim.

He said the investments will go on for three years, of which building cost could be RM150 million, marketing (RM30 million) and other investments (RM15 million).

He said Africa is a big continent so the marketing costs could rise by another 20 per cent.

"The university is breaking away in the sense that instead of being dependent on working with bigger and more established foreign universities, we are venturing out to become a university that can support others.

"For instance, we see ourselves setting up satellites (through twinning programmes) in a lot of other countries. Hopefully we will be a major brand in Africa in the next 3-4 years," said Lim.

The university is promoting its "One University, Three Continents" policy where students enroll in a university here but can spend some time in Africa or Europe.

Lim said the university's concept fits the Government's aim of attracting more foreign students to local shores. In Cyberjaya, it imports students.

"In Botswana and London we are exporting education. Foreign students especially those from undeveloped countries, such as Africa, think that coming to Malaysia to study is costly. In order not to lose these students we take our education to them."

He said the beauty in having campuses in three continents would be the flexibility that students get to enjoy where they can opt to begin their educational journey at Limkokwing campus in Cyberjaya and continue at Limkokwing London before completing studies at the Botswana campus.

The institution is the largest creative-driven university in Asia and the only one-of-its-kind offering a unique brand of innovative education.

Lim, who won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award in 2005, was 29 when he founded Wings Creative in 1974. In less than 10 years, its turnover grew to RM44 million.

Limkokwing also plans to open a branch in New York next year and is also working with Tsinghua University in Beijing to run its courses. The plan should take off by September.

The university has also recently been approached by countries in Asia, including South Korea, Vietnam and Mongolia for collaborations.

What began as a college with 200 students on rented premises is today a fully-owned full-facility RM100 million campus in Cyberjaya, enrolling some 6,000 students from 90 countries. It aims to double students in two years.

Limkokwing currently offers some 70 courses, including degree programmes in graphic design, communications, international business, marketing, creative multimedia and fashion studies, architecture, games technology, mobile computing, and integrated and immersive multimedia.

Get smarter: Najib calls for massive change to the school system
By : Koh Lay Chin
2007/04/17
NewStraitTimes


http://www.nst.com.my/Tuesday/Frontpage/20070417072550/insidepix1

Zhariff Haikahl Zailin, 8, of SK Sri Hartamas presenting Datuk Seri Najib Razak
with a flag at the opening of the Smart School International Conference
Malaysia 2007 yesterday. With them are Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein (left) and Science, Technology and Innovation Minister
Datuk Seri Jamaluddin Jarjis (second from right).


KUALA LUMPUR: They are called smart schools. But, apart from computers, there is little that is smart about them.

Which is why the deputy prime minister wants an overhaul of the way they are managed.

Calling for a massive change in the "processes and procedures" entrenched in the school system, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said students should become the focus of the system again.

"We cannot simply purchase ICT equipment and build computer laboratories in schools and leave it at that, having paid lip service to being ICT-compliant.

"Our readiness must be ‘open-ended’, so to speak, to enable quick adoption of new improvements and modifications in technology to remain current."
He said if the examination-based national curriculum needed to be revamped, it should be done.

Najib said students must be taught to master the English language because it was the primary language in use in diplomacy, business or education.

"Our schools must not ignore this reality. While emphasis on the national language must not be diminished, we must make sure our children attain a respectable level of fluency in English to make sure that they are no less qualified when competing globally."

He said schools should produce students who could "think in Bahasa Malaysia and speak in Bahasa Malay- sia, think in English and speak in English".

"We don’t want them to think in Bahasa Malaysia and speak in English. This is our challenge."

The curriculum, Najib said, should challenge students to think, to create and become inquisitive.

Opening the Smart School International Conference Malaysia 2007 at a hotel here, he said it was necessary to give all school staff and administrators ICT training and exposure.

From the school head to the office executive or clerk, he said, it should be mandatory for each of them to have a working knowledge of at least the most basic office applications such as email, word processors and Internet browsers.

"As much as possible, school management should move towards a paperless environment.

"ICT must be used to increase efficiency, reduce operational expenditure and to improve internal and external communication."

He said schools should arrange for technical support to be available at all times. "If all these are in place, then smart schools can focus on their primary client and raison d’etre: The students of the school."

Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, at a news conference later, said the public was confused about smart schools, perhaps due to a weakness in explaining the concept.



To improve the situation, he said, a monitoring system would be introduced soon.

The New Straits Times reported yesterday that there was confusion over smart schools and how they were faring. The conference this week is meant to discuss these issues.

"If we talk only about the 88 flagship smart schools in the country, I am sure people would get confused because in the education system we have so many categories and types of schools.

"Right now, we are trying to make it easier for them. We are trying to benchmark the 88 as the best that we have, as a catalyst for other schools, a role model for other schools to aspire to," Hishammuddin said.

The monitoring system, which will be called the Smart School Qualification Standard, or SSQS, will have a star ranking as a guide, where smart schools will be ranked according to how integrated they are with ICT culture.

"But how many schools fall in the five-star bracket is something we need to look at. As far as equipment is concerned, I think a lot of the schools are three, four or five stars, but we are talking about much more than that."

He said when the smart schools were ranked and benchmarked, they would then have to compete with other streams or categories of schools, even the recently announced cluster schools, which have been given autonomy to implement improvements outside the centralised education system.

The idea is to allow all of them to compete and, hopefully by 2010, he said, there would just be one category benchmarked on excellence and based on international levels.

Aid for 189 poor students
Tuesday April 17, 2007
TheStar


http://www.thestar.com.my/archives/2007/4/17/north/aid.jpg

Smiling faces:Chia(centre)and other elected
representatives posing with the children.

A TOTAL of 189 poor students from 16 secondary schools in the Bukit Bendera parliamen- tary constituency in Penang received financial aid totaling RM64,200 from the Education Ministry.

The aid was presented on behalf of the ministry by Bukit Bendera MP Datuk Seri Chia Kwang Chye, Air Putih assem- blyman Datuk Lye Siew Weng, Kebun Bunga assemblyman Quah Kooi Heong and special assistant to Penang Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, Terry Khoo.

The presentation ceremony was held at SK Francis Light on Saturday.

Chia said: “We will also give RM20,000 from our allocation to renovate the school hall.”

RM5m to speed up services
Wednesday April 18, 2007
TheStar


PUTRAJAYA: The Education Services Commission will be able to offer faster and more efficient services to the public with the setting up of three IT systems.

The e-mobile system, file search system and support staff information system costing the Government RM5mil will expedite processes such as interviews, retrieving past records and new job applications.

Under the e-mobile system, the Personal Digital Assistant will be used as the medium to update information.

The systems were launched by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Bernard Dompok in conjunction with the commission’s 33rd anniversary here yesterday.

“The IT systems are meant to save time and cost, and to satisfy the public’s expectation of Government services such as efficient counter services, friendly customer service and usage of effective information technology,” he said.

Speaking to reporters later, Dompok said no names had been shortlisted to fill the post of commission chairman, made vacant by the death of Tan Sri Abdul Rafie Mahat on March 8 this year.

The Prime Minister and the Conference of Rulers, he said, would decide on the candidate.

On application for teacher training, he said the Government received more than 100,000 online applications and 80 sacks full of postal applications.

It was a challenge to fill up the vacancies within six months, he said.

^^ OMG!!! My school got that project! Sadly i can't join it bacause its only for form 4.:cry:

^^ tahun ni SPM ? belajar rajin2 dik eh ;)

Five-star target for 47 smart schools
Thursday April 19, 2007
By KAREN CHAPMAN
TheStar


KUALA LUMPUR: Special emphasis will be placed on 47 out of the 88 smart schools this year to ensure they achieve five-star ranking under the Smart School Qualification Standards (SSQS).

Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) senior manager (Smart School) Dr Norrizan Razali said this was because

the 47 schools were already categorised as being between two and four stars under the SSQS.

“This means they have the potential of achieving five stars by the end of the year,” she said when delivering her paper on “Smart Standards for Smart Schools” during the plenary session at the Smart School International Conference 2007 yesterday .

The SSQS star ranking is a monitoring tool developed for assessing the 88 smart schools in terms of resource usage, human capital, applications and technology infrastructure.

The rankings range from one star (basic) to five stars (advanced plus).

Dr Norrizan said 24 subject matter experts would be deployed to the 47 schools.

“Each expert will be in charge of two schools. This means they must come up with strategies on how these schools can achieve the five-star rating by the end of the year,” she said.

She said the remaining 41 schools, mainly categorised between one star and two stars under the SSQS, would receive special emphasis next year.

On Monday, Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the ministry was implementing accelerated programmes for the 88 smart schools in collaboration with MDeC to ensure they became the model for the rest of the schools.

He said MDeC was the co-custodian of the 88 smart schools, which is one of the

flagships under the Multimedia Super Corridor.

“With such huge expectations placed on the 88 smart schools, the accelerated programmes will be supported by a comprehensive package that includes a set of special policies and a communication plan,” he said.

This effort was the essence of the re-branding initiative of the 88 smart schools that are being planned by both the ministry and MDeC, he added.

Malaysia aims to woo 100,000 foreign students by 2010
2007/04/22
Amer Hamzah Md Sap, BERNAMA


WINDHOEK, SUN.: Malaysia aims to double to 100,000 from the present 50,000 the number of foreign students at local tertiary learning institutions by 2010, Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed said.


He said the government will embark on a dual-pronged approach to realise the target, which he described would be a “significant increase” to achieve the government’s goal to turn the country into a centre of education excellence.

The government, public and private universities have already started their promotional campaigns to attract students from potential countries, he said.

The targeted countries are China, Indonesia, West Asia and African nations like Kenya and Botswana, he told Bernama and RTM here.

Mustapa is here as part of the delegation of the prime minister who made a three-day visit to Namibia aimed at enhancing trade and investment links between the two countries.
Namibia was the last leg of the prime minister’s eight-day three-nation tour of Africa. Earlier, he visited Sudan and Kenya. Abdullah returned home early today.

Mustapa said Universiti Malaya administrators went to Kenya recently to promote education opportunities available at the country’s premier university.

“I was informed that many students from Kenya are not only keen to pursue degree courses in Malaysia but also showed interest in taking up post-graduate programmes at masters and PhD levels,” he said, adding that most of them were keen on business studies.

Currently, about 600 Kenyan and 500 Botswanan students are pursuing higher education in diverse disciplines in Malaysia, he added.

While here, Mustapa met Namibian Education Minister Nangolo Mbumba for talks on the feasibility of signing a memorandum of understanding for bilateral collaborations in vocational education and for Namibian lecturers to serve on attachment for a certain period at Malaysian higher learning institutions.

Yesterday, Binary University College of Management and Entrepreneurship donated RM165,000 in sponsorship for five Namibian students to pursue a masters degree in business administration and masters of science in information technology.

The sponsorship is for study, tuition, visa and examination fees for the four-semester programme.

The donation was handed to Mbumba by Binary University College Chief Executive Officer and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Joseph Adaikalam.

Plans for colleges in all districts
2007/04/23
NewStraitTimes


IPOH: All the nine districts in Perak will have at least one community college each under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

State Education Committee chairman Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said: "Eventually, all the districts will have their own community college and we hope to set up more than one in rapidly developing districts such as Manjung."

Perak currently has five community colleges in Sungai Siput, Grik, Teluk Intan, Chenderoh and Pasir Salak, with an enrolment figure of more than 7,000 students.

"There are plans to build two colleges in Taiping and Tanjung Malim or Slim River," he said yesterday after attending the convocation at Polytechnic Ungku Omar.

UniMAP wins in Geneva
Tuesday April 24, 2007
TheStar


UNIVERSITI Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) has won a gold medal in Geneva for producing lightweight building mate-rial for high-rise buildings.

UniMAP lecturer Dr Khairul Nizar Ismail led the four-year research on lightweight building material.

UniMAP Vice-Chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Kamarudin Hussin said the product had been patented and would be commercialised.

The product was among the four creations exhibited by the university during the Inter-national Exhibition of Inventions of New Products and Techniques in Geneva.

“We also won a silver medal and two bronze medals for the other products. We are happy to win medals for all the products that were exhibited,” he said.

He said this after the KUKUM (Kolej Universiti Kejuruteraan Utara Malaysia)-UniMAP Alumni dinner at Holiday Villa Hotel in Alor Star on Saturday night.

Kamarudin also noted that 90% of the 100-odd pioneer graduates from KUKUM held important posts in multinational firms.

“I hope KUKUM alumni members will return to the university to give motivational talks although KUKUM has been renamed UniMAP,” he added.

Also present was KUKUM-UniMAP alumni president Mohd Khidir Musa, who is the son of Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan.

^^^ My dad also won Gold Medal in the same Exhibition in Geneva in 2004

Congratulations to the U of Nottingham, long article and I have edited it to where it refers to malaysia, the full article can be read here http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/public-affairs/press-releases/index.phtml?menu=pressreleases&code=TBAA-70/07&create_date=19-apr-2007

Double honour recognises world-class science and spin-out success
26.04.2007
World-class pharmaceutical research undertaken at The University of Nottingham and at one of its highly successful spin-out companies has been recognised with the UK’s most prestigious corporate accolade.

The University’s School of Pharmacy, and spin-out company Molecular Profiles, a leader in the provision of innovative contract research services, have each won The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the category of Innovation in 2007.

The award underlines The University of Nottingham’s School of Pharmacy’s reputation as an international centre of excellence in research, with teaching and research teams in the UK and Malaysia delivering breakthrough results in biophysics, surface analysis, medicinal chemistry, structural biology, molecular and cellular sciences, drug delivery and tissue engineering. It is also a centre of excellence in social research in medicines and health.

The School and Molecular Profiles are singled out for ‘enhancing significantly the development of new medicines’.

The University’s commitment to the creation of economic growth through technology transfer is reflected in the fact that two awards have been made, one to the University and one to Molecular Profiles Ltd, which is recognised for Innovation in the pharmaceutical and biomedical industries. Molecular Profiles works with most of the leading pharmaceutical companies globally, providing advanced analytical research through the combination of state-of-the-art instrumentation and scientific expertise. From its base in Nottingham the company has developed a reputation for the transfer of cutting-edge research to the world marketplace and has grown to be one of the UK’s major success stories.

Sir Colin Campbell, Vice-Chancellor of The University of Nottingham, said: “This double recognition underlines the excellence of the research in our School of Pharmacy at its sites in the United Kingdom and at The University of Nottingham in Malaysia; it also recognises phenomenal achievement in the creation of innovative, fast-growing and market-leading enterprise.

“Twelve months ago The University of Nottingham received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the category of International Trade. To receive such distinguished accolades in consecutive years is an exceptional achievement.

edited......

The School of Pharmacy is one of the most highly-rated pharmacy schools in the UK, with a ranking of ‘international excellence’ for its research and teaching rated as ‘excellent’. The four-year undergraduate course is taught by staff who undertake nationally and internationally recognised research, and who reflect this scientific approach in their teaching.

The current Times Good University Guide ranks it as the no.1 Pharmacy School in Britain.

Professor Saul Tendler, Head of The School of Pharmacy, said: “The Queen’s Award acknowledges that the School of Pharmacy at The University of Nottingham ‘is enhancing significantly the development of new medicines.’ This is an achievement of which we are all extremely proud. It acknowledges our excellence in research and teaching in both the UK and Malaysia.

edited...

Last year the school launched a new ‘2+2’ MPharm degree course where undergraduate students spend two years at the University's Malaysian campus and then spend two years at University Park. This allows students from Nottingham to undertake one or two semesters’ study in Malaysia as part of their course.

edited...

Last year The University of Nottingham won a Queen's Award for Enterprise — in the category of International Trade — in recognition of its pioneering campuses in China and Malaysia, and worldwide international recruitment. Winners of a Queen’s award are entitled to make use of the official award emblem on official communications for the next five years.

Intel brings ICT for Education initiative to Malaysia
Updated : 26-04-2007
Media : The Edge


Intel Malaysia and the Ministry of Education have proposed an initiative to nudge the country towards becoming more competitive in the knowledge-based global economy by helping students develop digital skills.

In a statement on April 24, Intel said the two parties had agreed to implement a 1:1 e-learning model, under which students would have access to, and use of, a personal computer in the classroom.

It said Malaysia was taking the lead as one of the first countries in the Asia-Pacific region to pilot the ICT for Education initiative.

"Part of Intel's billion-dollar, five-year World Ahead initiative, ICT for Education will commence in Malaysia with Intel's donation of Intel-powered Classmate PCs to 10 classrooms at selected public schools during the second quarter of this year," Intel said.

It said the objective of the donation was to kick-start the ICT for Education project, and to demonstrate effective proof of concept for subsequent deployment of technology in the classroom.

"Inclusive of the pilot, a total of 2,000 units of Classmate PCs will be donated over the span of three years," Intel said.

It said the Classmate PC, with support from Microsoft, was a fully functioned PC equipped with Microsoft XP Professional Edition, Microsoft Office 2003 and Learning Essentials.

"This 1:1 e-Learning initiative offers both teachers and students continuous access to a wide range of software, Internet and all other digital resources for teaching and learning.

"This in effect engages and encourages students to take responsibility of their own learning," said Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.

"The 1:1 eLearning model marks a new chapter in the Malaysian education curriculum. In fact it exceeds the government's aim to reduce the ratio of students sharing computers from 1:40 to 1:20 in increasing the child's exposure to ICT learning," he said.

Intel Malaysia country manager (sales and marketing) Debjani Ghosh said Intel would look to promote the method in more schools next year.

"We begin by conducting a classroom-setting pilot in 10 selected schools to evaluate the benefits of 1:1 computing for student learning.

"This 1:1 e-learning model - where each teacher and student has a dedicated laptop computer - is the ideal way to integrate technology in the curriculum and maximise its benefits. We expect to see a positive impact in critical thinking, communication and digital literacy skills of students," she said.

Intel said the Intel's World Ahead Program aimed to extend broadband PC access to the world's next billion users while training 10 million more teachers on the use of technology in education and with the possibility of reaching another one billion students.

Awards for top Muslim students
Tuesday May 1, 2007
TheStar


PUTRAJAYA: Muslim students who excelled in major examinations will be honoured in the first-ever Muslim Students Excellence Awards to be held on June 23.

Nine awards will be presented to students who did well in the STPM, SPM and PMR examinations.

Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Othman, the religious adviser to the Prime Minister, said this was the first time that Muslim students who did well in their studies would be awarded. The top award will be thePrime Minister’s trophy.

Two awards, he said, would be presented to the special Muslim students in recognition of their hard work and good examination results. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will present the awards in a ceremony to be held at Istana Hotel, organised by the Malaysian Muslim Students Foundation (YPIM).

“At the event, the foundation will be launching a welfare and education fund, so more activities can be held to help Muslim students nationwide,” he said at a press conference yesterday.

More Lecturers With Phd's Wanted
May 29, 2007 12:22 PM
By Salmy Hashim


WASHINGTON, May 29 (Bernama) -- The Higher Education Ministry is intensifying efforts this year to increase the number of university lecturers with Phd's to 60 per cent in 2010.

The ministry's Secretary-General, Datuk Dr Zulkefli A.Hassan, told Bernama from Chicago Monday that between 1,500 and 2,000 lecturers were targeted to pursue their graduate and postgraduate studies in 2007.

The government has allocated RM1.2 billion (2006-2010) for the "Lecturer Enhancement Scheme" and hopes to train between 6,000 and 7,000 lecturers for further studies, especially in engineering, aerospace and biotechnology, during that period.

There are about 18,000 lecturers teaching in 20 public universities in Malaysia.

Last year, about 600 lecturers were selected for further studies under the scheme.

These teaching staff will either pursue their studies in the country, overseas or split their postgraduate programme domestically and overseas (currently in the UK and Australia).

Zulkefli said that several universities in the United States had indicated their interest to participate in the scheme.

"We would like to send more of our lecturers to the US, but we have to look at the quality of programmes offered," he said.

Zulkefli arrived in Illinois on Saturday to launch the two-day annual MidWest Games where more than 750 Malaysian students from 60 universities around the US and Canada participated.

The games, sponsored by the Malaysian Students Department, were held at the Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois.

-- BERNAMA

M'sia Offers To Help China Develop Rural Education
May 27, 2007 19:57 PM

KLUANG, May 27 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is prepared to help China in developing its rural education, said Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.

"Chinese education officials were interested in learning from our experience in developing rural education. I told them not to repeat our mistakes as they can be costly," said Hishammuddin who visited China last week.

He was surprised to know that the Chinese had little experience in rural education like setting up computer education in rural schools where so many things had to be addressed including power generation.

Facilities like laboratories, accommodatiom for students and teachers must be built and that allowances and insurance coverage must also be provided.

"The Chinese told me such things were not thought of although the country had made rural education their main agenda over the next ten years," he told reporters when opening an education masterplan exhibition at the Kahang Timur Felda scheme here.

-- BERNAMA

Ministry Plans Exam For Overseas Medical Graduates
May 26, 2007 15:38 PM


MELAKA, May 26 (Bernama) -- All medical graduates who studied overseas may have to sit for a local examination before they are allowed to practise in Malaysia.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said the ministry planned to introduce the examination and was discussing the matter with the Malaysian Medical Council.

"Presently, we recognise 344 universities in the medical field.

"We cannot continue to recognise many more because we have to assess them from time to time and in terms of our capacity, we are unable to go beyond 344 universities," he told reporters here today.

Earlier, he opened the Federation of Alumni Associations of Taiwan Universities' general meeting.

Dr Chua said that although the country was facing a shortage of doctors, the government still had to emphasise and defend the quality of doctors so that the people have confidence in them.

"If one day, even Malaysians are not confident with their own doctors, it will disappoint us. So, we should not focus on quantity... standard is more important," he said.

He said that off late, the decline in the quality of medical practitioners among the young was visibly clear.

Among the causes were the attitude and commitment of medical students who took up the course not because of interest or have deep knowledge on the field but because they believed had to become a doctor after obtaining excellent results in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia or Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia examination, he said.

"We have implemented a programme where we expose them to a hospital for only five days and we saw that after five days, 10 per cent gave up the course," he said.

Dr Chua also said that so far, the government had recognised eight Taiwan universities and 250 of the graduates had registered to become doctors.

-- BERNAMA

The Sime Darby Business School (http://www.simenet.com/Default.aspx?tabid=52) – a state-of-the-art training facility was recently opened as the main location where training sessions are conducted for employees of the Group. Located within the Sime Darby Convention Centre at Bukit Kiara and just next to the lush greenery of the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, it is a heaven away from the noise and distractions of the busy city of Kuala Lumpur.

http://www.simenet.com/Portals/0/Convention_building.jpg

Standard Guru Malaysia diperkenal Jun
Oleh SADATUL MAHIRAN ROSLI
UtusanMalaysia

KUALA LUMPUR 29 Mei – Kementerian Pelajaran akan memperkenalkan Standard Guru Malaysia (SGM) bulan depan dalam usaha meningkatkan tahap pengajaran 339,882 orang di negara ini.

Menteri Pelajaran, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein berkata, ia bagi memastikan semua latihan keguruan yang dijalankan oleh institusi pendidikan dalam dan luar negara memenuhi piawaian bagi melahirkan guru-guru untuk sistem pendidikan Malaysia.

Katanya, dengan adanya sistem tersebut, pihaknya boleh mengenal pasti tahap asas guru yang diperlukan di setiap sekolah dan menempatkan guru yang bersesuaian dengan kemahiran dan keupayaan mereka.

“Pakar pendidikan tempatan dan antarabangsa terlibat dalam pembentukan SGM ini yang akan dijadikan penanda aras untuk dibandingkan dengan standard-standard pengajaran antarabangsa yang lain,” katanya pada sidang akhbar selepas merasmikan Seminar Antarabangsa Pendidikan Guru, di sini hari ini.

Hishammuddin menjelaskan, sistem pendidikan negara sememangnya memerlukan satu penanda aras kepada standard latihan keguruan bagi melihat pencapaian dalam bidang latihan dan pendidikan guru.

Katanya, SGM yang akan dilaksanakan itu bukan sahaja diiktiraf oleh institusi dalaman tetapi di peringkat antarabangsa.

“Saya hendak orang luar melihat guru-guru kita berkualiti dan mampu bersaing dengan pengajar luar,” katanya.

Menurutnya, bagi sekolah kluster dan sekolah bestari, standard SGM guru dijangka lebih tinggi kerana mereka mengajar di sekolah yang memiliki akses meluas terhadap teknologi maklumat dan komunikasi (ICT) serta menguasai komputer.

“Bagi sekolah sukan pula, SGM yang perlu ada pada guru ialah keseimbangan dalam penguasaan akademik dan sukan,” katanya.

Dalam perkembangan lain, Hishammuddin turut ditanya mengenai kenyataan kumpulan Dong Jiao Zong bahawa mempelajari bahasa Mandarin tidak sepatutnya menjadi isu sensitif di Malaysia memandangkan ia satu keperluan bagi mendapatkan peluang perniagaan dengan China.

Beliau menyifatkan kumpulan tersebut berfikiran sempit kerana masih dibelenggu dengan isu-isu yang lapuk iaitu isu bahasa Mandarin dan perjuangan yang tidak relevan.

“Masa telah pun berlalu, kita perlu melihat pendekatan baru dalam sistem pendidikan.

“Sebab itulah kementerian menerapkan kepelbagaian seperti mewujudkan pengajaran dan pembelajaran Matematik dan Sains dalam bahasa Inggeris serta aliran agama, swasta, antarabangsa dan kebangsaan,” katanya.

Beliau turut melahirkan kesudian untuk berjumpa dengan pemimpin kumpulan tersebut bagi membincangkan perkara-perkara yang masih berbangkit.

Pada majlis itu juga, Kementerian Pelajaran memeterai perjanjian dan program kerjasama dengan 10 buah universiti terkemuka luar negara dan 12 institut pengajian tinggi dalam negara.

Inisiatif itu adalah sebahagian daripada pelan program pengantarabangsaan latihan keguruan di negara ini.

N E W S


Nation
Saturday June 2, 2007

Utar’s main campus opens

By CHRISTINA KOH

KAMPAR: Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar) celebrated another milestone with the official opening of its main campus here.

MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting said it was “an historic day” commemorating the completion of part of the first phase, which includes lecture halls, laboratories, a student centre and a conference complex.

“This Utar campus is not just for Perak folk but for students from all over the country. Utar is for all races and there are no restrictions on any ethnic group.

“It is up to the students to apply to enter. Those who are interested and qualify will be given places,” he said at the opening ceremony yesterday.

Also present were Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Tajol Rosli Ghazali and Utar council chairman Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik.

The ceremony also marked the Kampar campus’ first intake of nearly 500 students for its one-year Foundation in Arts or Science programmes.

Ong said Utar was the culmination of a dream by the MCA and the Chinese community to secure quality education for generations of students.

He expressed gratitude to the Federal Government, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his predecessor Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for their continuous support of Utar.

Since Utar welcomed its pioneer batch of 411 students in June 2002, the university now boasts an enrolment of more than 17,000 students, noted Ong.

To a question, he said Utar had no plans to open branch campuses in other states because it wanted to concentrate on developing its main campus site here.

Dr Ling expressed confidence that students would find an ideal and conducive environment to study with the campus so close to nature surrounded by lakes and limestone hills.

“I have been a witness to the realisation of our Kampar dream. From a blueprint design to the groundbreaking and now its opening, I am looking forward to witnessing the future growth of the Perak campus,” he said.

Tajol Rosli thanked the MCA for choosing Kampar, noting that the university would generate economic activities for local residents and the surrounding areas.

He announced that the state government and the Perak Barisan Nasional would each contribute RM100,000 towards the Utar fund.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Congrats UTAR

I hope someone could get pics of UTAR.

TheStar

http://www.thestar.com.my/archives/2007/6/2/nation/p6campus.jpg

Natural surroundings: An overall view of the
first phase of the Utar campus in Kampar, Perak.

Malacca eyeing 100,000 students
Monday June 4, 2007
TheStar


MALACCA: The state government plans to turn Malacca into an education hub by 2010 with some 100,000 tertiary students.

Deputy Education and Higher Learning Committee chairman Abd Haziz Abd Ghani said as of May last year, there were already 65,000 tertiary students in the state.

“We are confident of reaching our target of 100,000 students by 2010 when Malacca becomes a developed state.

“We are expecting new colleges and professional courses with almost all of them being recognised by the National Accreditation Board,” he said at the launching of the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia education exhibition at Dataran Pahlawan yesterday.

Abd Haziz also said the state

had contributed RM10mil to the Tabung Amanah Pendidikan Negeri Melaka, an alternative for Malaccan students to apply for an interest-free loan instead of from the National Higher Education Fund Corporation.

Malaysian doctors to train at Macquarie (http://www.international.mq.edu.au/globe/default.aspx?id=215&EditionID=145)
Edition 17, 2007 - 24 Apr 2007

http://www.international.mq.edu.au/globe/admin/images/Edition%2040.06/hospitalRZ.jpg

The Australian School of Advanced Medicine will be based at the 144-bed
Macquarie University Private Hospital due for completion next year
(School on the right, Hospital on the left)

Malaysian doctors will undertake sub-specialty training at Macquarie University’s Australian School of Advanced Medicine*.

“We are delighted to have formed this new partnership with Macquarie University which will greatly assist our doctors with advanced sub-specialty training,” says the Dean of Medicine at Universiti Kebangsaan, Malaysia (UKM), Professor Dato’ Dr Lokman Saim.

The Australian School of Advanced Medicine at Macquarie is the first medical school in the world to offer formal recognition of sub-specialty training.

Professor Dato’ Dr Saim believes the medical education agreement between the two universities is a symbol of the great friendship between Australia and Malaysia.

It is anticipated that the first Malaysian trainees will study neurosurgery and spinal surgery with other surgical specialties to follow.

Doctors from the Australian School of Advanced Medicine will also visit UKM and assist with curriculum development, research collaboration and teach postgraduate surgery.





http://www.international.mq.edu.au/globe/admin/images/Edition%2017.07/Malaysia%202%20RZ.jpg

(L-R) Professor Michael Morgan, Deputy High Commissioner Peter Doyle,
and Dean of Medicine (UKM), Professor Dato' Dr Lokman Saim





Dean of the Australian School of Advanced Medicine, Professor Michael Morgan, has had a connection with Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia for 11 years in surgical and neurosurgical training.

“This [agreement] is particularly gratifying to me as I have been working with the excellent surgeons at UKM for a long time,” he said.

“UKM students will undergo a final year of training at Dalcross Private Hospital or the new Macquarie University Private Hospital when it opens to gain specialty degrees.”

The 144-bed Macquarie University Private Hospital, due for completion at the end of next year, will have ten operating theatres, two angiography suites, ten intensive care beds, ten coronary care beds and state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment.

The Australian School of Advanced Medicine is based on the Mayo Clinic philosophy of integrated clinical care, teaching and research and will be co-located with the most modern health care facility in Australia.

Anyone here studying in Adelaide...

Malaysian students win international acclaim
By Neville D’Cruz

09 June, 2007

MELBOURNE: Four Malaysian students have won international acclaim when their robotic violin player, RoboFiddler, came second in the inaugural ARTEMIS Orchestra Contest in Berlin. They are Joshua Chia, from Sabah, Lee Chin Hooi (Ipoh), Hong Boon Yao (Kuala Lumpur) and Beinyg Lim. They are all final-year mechatronics engineering students at the University of Adelaide.
Sponsored by NICTA, one of Australia’s leading information technology and communications research institute, the students were flown to Berlin to demonstrate their invention and receive their award.
Beinyg Lim was unable to make the trip.
The contest is based on long-standing European traditions in music and challenges participants to create devices that play real musical instruments with the help of various embedded technologies.
“NICTA is thrilled with the result, especially given that the competition attracted entries from leading embedded systems teams across Europe.
“I think they were the crowd favourite,” NICTA chief executive Dr David Skellern said in a statement.
The RoboFiddler system links a conventional laptop computer to a micro controller that controls both the robotic bow arm and a series of six metal
“fingers” that allow 28 notes to be played across the four strings.
Tunes played by the RoboFiddler can be entered on a host computer and downloaded to the microcontroller-based robot.
The central controller communicates with the host, downloading whichever note needs to be played next. It then relays this information to the fingering controller, carefully coordinating all required motions such as fingering, bowing and tilting the main arm.
“It is a complex system because the bow needs to be told not only which string to play, but at what angle and speed to play to ensure a clean sound.
“The result is not up to orchestra standard, but it is an impressive piece of engineering,” University of Adelaide Head of the School of Mechanical Engineering Prof Colin Hansen said.
In Berlin, the RoboFiddler performed two pieces during the ARTEMIS competition. The traditional piece Soldier’s Joy and the first part of Book 1 of German composer Hans Sitt’s 100 Etudes, Op. 32.
These pieces were in the set specified by the competition organisers.
The RoboFiddler team received a trophy and 9,000 Euro prize. The winner of the ARTEMIS Orchestra competition was a team from Germany which demonstrated a recorder player with timing that followed a conductor as well as a piano player. — BERNAMA

:banana: I am in Uni Adelaide..heard about them and their project but I dunno them. They are my super seniors..so not so close la.

The Malaysians at the School of Petroleum last year also did very well where their final year project was ranked number one for the the whole faculty while two of my seniors who I personally know also got Golden Key awards(it's like a Dean list) :banana: ..one of them got it for building himself a robot using discarded items...and he's doing it as a hobby and he's in third year only but his lecturer says his robot's's quality is as good as a final year project.Like the violin fiddler, he also uses microcontrollers.

So far nothing amazing from me yet:bash::lol: ,but I am also struggling to do my best.:cheers:

Students at Curtin in high demand

MIRI: University students here are getting job offers from employers even before their exam results are out.

So good is the track record of the Curtin University of Technology Sarawak campus for the past nine years that its final-year students are very much sought after, according to State Assistant Minister for Infrastructure Development and Communications Lee Kim Shin.

“Our students and graduates are readily snapped up by employers. Even before they graduate, there are already employers lining up to offer them ready jobs.

“This is because our students have always excelled in their exam results. Excellence is not an outcome. It is a mindset and we have managed to achieve that here,” he said yesterday after presenting excellence awards and scholarship awards to more than 100 students and staff members at the Curtin Sarawak campus.

Curtin Sarawak is the first and only foreign university campus in Borneo. Established in 1999, it now has some 2,500 students and staff from more than 30 countries.

The university, located near the Sarawak-Brunei border, offers pre-university courses, undergraduate and post-graduate courses in subjects ranging from commerce and language to engineering and science.

Lee said Curtin Sarawak started from very humble beginnings, with just a few classrooms and has now expanded into a multi-million-ringgit fully-fledged university campus.

“Some of the facilities here are even better than the ones found in Curtin’s main campus in Australia. The results attained by our students here are even better than those achieved by the students in the Australian campus,” he noted.

Curtin Sarawak pro vice-chancellor Professor John Evans said the university campus here emphasised not only on the performance of the students, but also the staff.

This focus on continuously developing the qualities of both the teachers and students had helped Curtin Sarawak excel year after year in studies, extra-curricular activities and also in research projects and in community service, he added.




personally for me i feel prvate university churns out better graduates that fits employer demand for skilled labor.

Call to upgrade teaching hospitals
Sunday June 10, 2007
By THEAN LEE CHENG
TheStar

PETALING JAYA: More government funding is needed to put three teaching hospitals on par with those in the region.

Public university management director-general Datuk Prof Dr Hassan Said said the facilities and equipment at these hospitals needed to be upgraded to improve their performance and capabilities.

The hospitals are University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia in Kelantan.

“The Higher Education Ministry has done an audit and a report has been drawn up outlining the requirements of the three hospitals to enable them to undertake complicated cases as well as to improve their performance,” Prof Hassan said.

“The fact that the three hospitals are medical centres that provide important services to the community as well as being teaching hospitals is a crucial factor the ministry has taken into consideration,” he added.

Prof Hassan was representing Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed at the 10th anniversary Cadaveric Kidney Transplant Programme celebration yesterday.

At the event, Universiti Malaya deputy vice-chancellor (academic and international) Datuk Prof Dr Mohd Amin Jalaluddin said the country’s transplantation programme must be more organised as kidney transplantation was one of three forms of treatment for sufferers of end-stage renal failure.

“Kidney transplants offer patients a better survival rate and better quality of life,” Prof Mohd Amin said.

UMMC consultant nephrologist Prof Dr Tan Si-Yen said the programme was targeted at improving the current rate of transplantation and services.

“There are 3,000 new cases of kidney failures annually, up from 2,500 new cases from several years ago.

“There are three forms of treatment – haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis or transplant. The vast majority of patients opt for haemodialysis,” Prof Tan said.

Organ transplantation was a distant dream about 50 years ago.

It has since been transformed into a major branch of surgery and a form of treatment.

RM400m spent on improving education in Pahang
Saturday June 23, 2007
By ROSLINA MOHAMAD
TheStar



http://thestar.com.my/archives/2007/6/23/southneast/ms_3pahang.jpg

Impressive: Sultan Ahmad Shah looking at a robot exhibited by a student of
SMK Bukit Goh during the official launch of Pahang Foundation's new office
complex in Tanjung Lumpur, Kuantan, recently. Looking on are Tengku
Mahkota Pahang Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah and Menteri Besar
Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob. — Bernamapic

KUANTAN: The state government’s education arm, Pahang Foundation, has spent RM400mil that has been of benefit to some 300,000 people since its inception 25 years ago, Sultan of Pahang Sultan Ahmad Shah said.

He said the allocation was provided to those in primary school up to tertiary level including students from the orang asli community

“Education-oriented institutions such as Pahang Foundation have helped produce graduates who are marketable not only in the country but also abroad,” he said in his speech at the official opening of Pahang Foundation's new office complex in Tanjung Lumpur here recently.

Sultan Ahmad Shah also launched the foundation’s 25th anniversary celebration and the new State Maahad Tahfiz – an institute for academic and Al Quran studies that include memorising and understanding the holy book.

Among those present were Tengku Mahkota Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob, the foundation’s general manager Datuk Sa’ariah Saad, state exco members, assemblymen and senior government officers.

Sultan Ahmad Shah reminded the foundation’s staff on the importance on being trustworthy, disciplined, professional and knowledgeable to reflect the foundation as a high-performance organisation.

He said he was proud of the high commitment that Pahang Foundation and its subsidiaries had shown in pursuing their noble cause to provide education to the people.

On the new sprawling complex, the Ruler said it reflected the progress and achievements the foundation had attained and hoped it would act as a catalyst to spur education development to the next level.

Adnan, in his speech, said the launch marked another milestone for Pahang Foundation and the complex would give a new identity to Kuantan.

“It will become a hub for educational excellence,” he added.

Adnan, who is also the foundation’s board of directors chairman, said that education was one of the means that could help improve the lifestyle of the poor.

Later, Sultan Ahmad Shah presented awards to students who excelled in the UPSR, PMR, SPM and STPM examinations.

LUCCT To Open Branch In Kelantan
July 04, 2007 18:58 PM

KOTA BAHARU, July 4 (Bernama) -- The Kelantan government Wednesday approved a 20 hectare site in Machang for the branch campus of Limkokwing University College of Creative Technology (LUCCT), said Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.

On courses to be offered by LUCCT at the branch campus, he said it would be different from those offered at the newly opened Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK).

"We are still studying suitable courses which can help meet the state government's aspiration to produce a self-reliant generation. What we are sure of is that the courses will be on entrepreneurship," he told reporters after chairing the weekly State Executive Council meeting here.

Nik Abdul Aziz said the state government would only impose a nominal fee of RM10 per acre for the land.

"The reason being that the courses to be offered at LUCCT will greatly benefit the Kelantan people," he added.

Among others, he said the setting up of the university college would help to promote Kelantan handicraft products through its small and medium industries (SMIs) course.

He said the LUCCT branch campus in Kelantan would be the first in the country, despite it having branches in Botswana and London.

-- BERNAMA

A role model for schools
Friday July 6, 2007
By MAZNI MUSTAFA
TheStar


THERE is no need to hold one’s breath when visiting the toilet of SM St Michael in Ipoh.

Being an all-boys school, it has impressed visitors by having clean, hygienic, dry and non-smelly toilets.

Its well-maintained restroom reflects the good toilet etiquette among its 800-odd students.

The school’s efforts did not go un-noticed when the authorities declar-ed that it was the model of the clea-nest toilet among schools in the state during a state-level cleanliness campaign recently.

School principal Phoon Chong Chee attributed its success to the collective responsibility of students and teachers.






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Sparkling clean:The efforts of Ipoh's SM St Michael students and staff in
maintaining their washroom in tiptop condtion has not gone unnoticed by
the authorities in Perak.






The teachers, besides setting a good example, had managed to instil the right discipline on students when using the washroom, he said.

The students, he said, were given a brief lecture on good toilet habits during the morning assembly on Mondays.

“We feel that the first place to start indoctrinating the concept of clean toilets should be in school,” said Phoon.

The restroom, costing RM120,000, was built with money raised by tea-chers and former students.

“We took great pains to build the restroom by raising funds for over a period of two years.

“I also believe that responsibility of maintaining public property can only be achieved if we are able to provide high standard facilities,” he said.

Form Two student Privesh Paul said most of them felt responsible in maintaining the cleanliness of the toilets.

“We will also immediately report to our teachers if we come across any leaks or faulty equipment in the washroom,” he said.

Fifteen new fully residential schools to be completed under 9MP
Saturday July 7, 2007
By KAREN CHAPMAN
TheStar



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Sweet victory: Sekolah Berasrama Penuh Integrasi Gombak’s debating team
members (from left) Muhammad Fakri, Mujhammad Kasyful, Ismah Mansurah
and Dahlia Hazirah holding up their trophy.


PUTRAJAYA: The Education Ministry plans to offer 2,250 additional places in fully residential schools by the end of the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP) in 2010.

Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said this would be made possible through the construction of 15 new fully residential schools under the plan.

“Three schools, in Tapah and Bagan Datoh in Perak, and in Rembau, Negri Sembilan, are scheduled to be completed by the end of next year with the remaining ones in 2009 and 2010,” he told reporters after presenting prizes to the winning teams in the finals of the Prime Minister’s Trophy debate competition yesterday .

The ministry received 92,908 applications this year for the 6,030 places presently offered in 54 fully residential schools, he added.

On another matter, Hishammuddin said there was no particular programme that was suitable for all gifted children as each had his own needs.

He was asked about a newspaper report on Adi Putra Abdul Ghani, 8, who fascinated Malaysians last year with his ability to solve Additional Mathematics problems.

According to the report, Adi Putra has left Sekolah Islam Antarabangsa, and is now being home-schooled to sit for his “A” Level examinations.

“Even the international school we identified for Adi Putra ended up as unsuitable and he is now studying at home,” he said.

Hishammuddin said it was important that he not be just good at mathematics but have a well-rounded education.

Asked whether he would have to sit for public examinations like the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah and Penilaian Menengah Rendah, he said it was important to do as otherwise there would be no benchmark.

“If he’s really gifted, he would be able to sit for them today. But if he needs flexibility to sit for the exams earlier, he should get permission from me as the minister,” he said.

Earlier, Sekolah Berasrama Penuh Integrasi Gombak beat SM Sains Pokok Sena in the finals of the debate competition on “Biotechnology is the catalyst of the country’s development”.

Gombak student Muhammad Kasyful Azim Shahlan whose team argued against the statement, was named best speaker.

He said he had read widely from the Internet, newspapers and magazines to prepare for the debate.

Teammates, Ismah Mansurah Zainudin and Dahlia Hazirah Jaafar said they often sacrificed their time by not going home early.

“We were really determined to win as we did not even make it to the finals of another secondary schools’ debating championship which we had previously won,” said Dahlia Hazirah.

Muhammad Fikri Ahmad was the reserve speaker.

Beijing institution set to open school in Malaysia
Monday July 9, 2007
TheStar


KUALA LUMPUR: A school of high standing in China, with a link-up with a renowned university in Beijing, is set to open an international school in Penang.

Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the Government was in the midst of discussions with the Beijing education institution, which wants to open its first branch outside of Beijing in Malaysia.

“This will be the first international school in Malaysia with a foundation in China. I am impressed with the Beijing school as well as the university which the school falls under,” he said after opening the Gombak Umno Youth divisional meeting here yesterday.

Hishammuddin said the institution made the offer to set up an international school in Malaysia during his visit to Beijing.

“It was during my initiative to see schools benchmarked against the best. We always look to the West for link-ups but it will be important, with the make-up of our community and country, if the school in Beijing sets up in Malaysia,” he said.

He added that the setting up of the international school would be part of the initiatives for the development corridor and efforts to look at diversity as a strength for the country’s development.

“Another group which is developing Penang offered the Government a piece of land to build a school, so I am trying to link them up,” he said.

Hishammuddin also said the international school would not only help in the internationalisation of the country’s education system but would also be good for bilateral ties.

PM Tells Varsities To Form Linkages To Make Malaysia Education Hub

BANGI, July 9 (Bernama) -- Local public institutions of higher learning should allow students to form linkages with other parties in an effort to produce high quality human capital capable of meeting future challenges, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said.

The prime minister said universities must ensure that their programmes fulfilled current needs if Malaysia was to realise its ambition of becoming a regional education hub.

"Universities should not isolate themselves. They should form cooperation in research, curriculum development and so on," he said when opening the Public Higher Learning Institutions' Student Council Convention 2007 here Monday.

Abdullah said establishing more twinning programmes with renowned international universities would also bring positive results.

"We can't sit idle as we need to churn out quality graduates who are on par with their foreign counterparts," he said.

He further said that students would lose out if they were deprived of opportunities to advance themselves or new courses in biotechnology and nanotechnology, for example, were not introduced.

Abdullah said linkages with better universities and the private sector would enhance research and development and bring about progress in other fields.

He said in this manner, Malaysia would be able to surmount challenges as it moved towards becoming a developed nation by 2020 and build up its strength to fulfil other aspirations.

"Life-long Vision should be our objective. The future is a much longer period compared to the time one spends at the university. I believe that we would evolve into a nation of distinction by the time we celebrate our 100th independence anniversary," he said.

Abdullah reminded student leaders to focus on their studies to enable them to become productive members of society.

The prime minister also said by producing quality graduates, the country would be able to reduce its dependence on foreign professionals in certain fields.

The three-day convention is being attended by 300 people from 20 universities nationwide.

-- BERNAMA

'Finishing school' in ICT studies
Tuesday July 10, 2007
By EE-LYN TAN
TheStar



SHAH ALAM: The Higher Education Ministry will allocate RM15mil to train 4,000 students in information and communication technology (ICT) this year.

Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed said there was a shortage of skilled workers in ICT, making it difficult to expand this sector.

"The sector is an area that is heavily emphasised by the Government as there is a very big gap between the demand and supply of these workers," he said after the 3P (Program Pentauliahan Profesional) certificate presentation ceremony at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) yesterday.

The ministry's first industry-based professional certification programme, 3P was set up in partnership with Prestariang Systems Sdn Bhd last year. It offers a wide range of IT professional certifications with multinationals such as Microsoft, Cisco Systems and Macromedia.

Yesterday, Mustapa presented certificates to the 15 top students out of the 1,000 trained last year under the programme. They are from UiTM, Universiti Malaya, International Islamic University Malaysia, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak and Universiti Sains Malaysia.

The minister added that his priority was to establish closer ties between universities and industries.

Microsoft Malaysia managing director Yasmin Mahmood said the students who had obtained certification from Microsoft had achieved a passing rate higher than the world average.

This showed, she added, that there was strong correlation between what Malaysian universities were providing and the industry.

"The basics are already there, so this programme can be seen as a form of 'finishing school', that last mile connecting them to industry," she said.

Tourism university to be built at Balik Pulau
Sunday August 12, 2007
TheStar


PENANG: A tourism university is being planned at Balik Pulau to provide skilled workforce to meet the growth of the country's tourism industry as well as boost development of the Northern Corridor Economic Region.

Finance Ministry parliamentary secretary Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had approved the project and an announcement on the matter would be made soon.

“The university will be built to train the workforce needed in the tourism industry in our efforts to provide quality service to tourists.

“It will offer courses related to the travel industry like hotel and catering, service and transportation,'' he told reporters after the opening of the Balik Pulau Umno divisional delegates meeting yesterday.

He said the infrastructure at Balik Pulau would be developed and upgraded, adding that this included the construction of a road network to link the second Penang Bridge to Balik Pulau.

“The RM200mil road network will link Batu Maung to Bayan Lepas, Bayan Lepas to Teluk Kumbar and Balik Pulau as well as Teluk Bahang to Balik Pulau,” he added – Bernama.

We need more research universities, says Mustapa
2007/08/12
By : Heidi Foo
NewStraitsTimes


http://www.nst.com.my/Sunday/National/20070812080807/insidepix1

Datuk Mustapa Mohamed trying on a virtual reality helmet
which helps in the treatment of fear of heights.

KUALA LUMPUR: The government wants more public universities to work towards attaining research university status.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed said yesterday this would be good for the nation.

Earlier this month, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Malaya, Universiti Putra Malaysia and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia were given the status.

"I know that universities outside the four are very keen on getting this status," Mustapa said after officiating the inaugural International Exposition of Research and Inventions of Institutions of Higher Learning (Pecipta) 2007 organised by the ministry at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

"For that reason they are working very hard.
" I think it is a good development because that is what we want, which is to see more universities achieve the research university status."

However, he said, teaching was the priority at new universities.

"The more established universities can afford to spend more time on research because they already have existing facilities and teaching is very sound.

"Teaching used to be the only preoccupation of lecturers but over the years they have moved away from solely teaching to class research."

In his speech, Mustapa said the four research universities were given RM50 million each to conduct research activities.

They would also be provided with incentives such as training and grants, he added.

This year’s Pecipta is jointly organised with Universiti Sains Malaysia with the theme "Innovation Towards Sustainability".

Previously known as Institut Pengajian Tinggi Awam Research and Development Expo (IPTA R&D Expo), USM is the first university to co-organise the event under its new name, Pecipta.

The three-day Pecipta 2007, which ends today, is being held concurrently with the World Innovation Forum 2007. It showcases 435 international and local exhibits from more than 27 public and private institutes of higher learning.

THE DESIGN SOMEHOW REMINDS ME OF TYPICAL AUSSIE BUILDING...
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Pics courtesy of Monash Sunway, Malaysia Campus website.

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Monash is my ex-school. The new Monash is damm nice... It will be officially launched this 3 Sept 2007. If someone happens to be in Sunway (opposite Sunway Uni College) go take pic of this new campus.

Education Department to probe ‘baju kurung’ ‘allegations
Tuesday August 21, 2007


KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah education department will investigate allegations that a teacher in a rural school had torn the baju kurung of 13 schoolgirls because she found the dress too short.

State education director Normah Gagoh said she needed to find out what happened before deciding on the matter.

Last week, Umno Youth’s state education bureau chairman Abdul Wahab Gani accused a teacher in the east coast Beluran agriculture district of tearing the baju kurung uniforms of the secondary schoolgirls.

Declining to name the school, he said the parents of the students brought the matter to the bureau after the school and the education department did little to clarify the issue.

Abdul Wahab had also asked if there were any stipulations on the length of the Malay attire used by the students.

“We will carry out a detail and transparent investigation into the incident,” said Normah.

She said teachers should handle any matter involving student discipline calmly and not emotionally.

We need more research universities, says Mustapa

.

yes yes and yes with more updated and latest machines and eq.

KL, Bangkok boost ties with education pact
Wednesday August 22, 2007
By V.P. SUJATA


http://www.thestar.com.my/archives/2007/8/22/nation/Surayud.jpg

Good friends: Gen Surayud and Abdullah shaking hands during the official
welcoming ceremony for the Thai leader in Putrajaya yesterday. With them
are their spouses Chitravadee Chulanont and Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah. —
Bernama

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia and Thailand have strengthened bilateral ties with the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the development of education.

The agreement covers student exchange, management of schools, curriculum for special people, network of schools and institutions, development of curriculum and teachers’ training curriculum especially in the context of Islamic education for southern Thailand.

The agreement signed between Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein and his Thai counterpart Prof Dr Wichit Srisa-an was witnessed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Thai Premier General Surayud Chulanont at the Prime Minister’s office here yesterday.

Hishammuddin said the agreement was the finale to a series of meetings and discussions between both countries since February this year after Abdullah and Gen Surayud met in Thailand.

“We have agreed that students from Southern Thailand will be given the opportunity to study at our religious schools here while teachers from the provinces will be placed at our training institutes,” he told reporters after the signing ceremony

Hishammuddin, said Malaysia would learn from Thailand’s experience of setting up cluster schools, adding that 14,000 Thai teachers had been trained for these schools that were considered excellent.

Move to boost quality of education
NST Online
2007/08/23


KUALA LUMPUR: Stressing the importance of human capital development, the Higher Education Ministry has outlined a blueprint that will transform the country’s higher education system.
It aims to give students and tertiary education institutions the competitive edge needed in today’s globalised world.

The plan will include regular audits on the quality of higher education institutions, greater collaboration between public and private higher education institutions and the advancement of lifelong learning, research and innovation.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed said the plan would be launched on Monday at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

At the launch, "The National Higher Education Strategic Plan" which articulates the Ministry’s vision for the transformation of higher education from now through 2020 would be released.
"The National Higher Education Action Plan 2007-2010", which will be made public, focuses on the immediate agenda necessary to get the transformation under way.

"While the Strategic Plan is broad and comprehensive, encompassing new initiatives and enhancing existing programmes, the Action Plan outlines strategies for immediate implementation within the period of the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

"Both plans emphasise quality in all aspects of higher education from the selection and training of leaders and faculty members to the adoption of best corporate practices in the management of higher education institutions," said Mustapa.

The plans will complement the Education Ministry’s National Education Blueprint which was launched on Jan 16.

Among the initiatives, programmes and projects under the Action Plan, include:

• Introducing greater transparency in the selection of senior management in public universities to achieve the best levels of leadership possible.

• The development of a Lifelong Learning Policy through the formation of a National Committee for Lifelong Learning. The government aims to increase the number of adult learners, so that 27 per cent of the workforce (from the current 20 per cent) will have tertiary qualifications.

• Exchange programmes which will enrich the learning experience of top students in selected foreign universities.

• Industry attachment of lecturers. There will be programmes to enable the secondment of academics to private sector organisations and vice versa. This will increase cross-cultural collaboration for transfer of knowledge, as well as awareness and understanding of industry needs.

• Holistic education programmes to produce confident students with a sense of balance and proportion. These programmes will enable students in the pure sciences to be exposed to the humanities and vice versa. All students will also be exposed to broader co-curricular activities.

• A target to produce 21,000 PhD holders by 2010, the majority being in science, technology and medicine.

Mustapa said the plan would enable universities to play a bigger role in the country’s future development.

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MULTI PURPOSE HALL
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GENERAL PURPOSE BUILDING
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LAKESIDE CAFETERIA
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CHILD CARE CENTRE
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STUDENT COMMON ROOM (SORRY...BAD ANGLE)
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BOOKSHOP
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More autonomy to tranform the face of education
Tuesday August 28, 2007
By V.P. SUJATA
TheStar


National Higher Education Strategic Plan Beyond 2020

PUTRAJAYA: Universities will be given more autonomy by the Government in a move to transform the face of higher education.

But this will be accompanied by constant monitoring of their performance through an independent audit committee set up under the Higher Education Ministry.

The ultimate objective is the creation of world-class institutions in the country, centres of academic excellence known as apex universities.

Apex universities and the audit process are two of the five items on the ministry's critical agenda to effect change.

The others include the MyBrain15 initiative to create a pool of up to 100,000 PhD holders in 15 years in specific disciplines.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said greater autonomy should give the universities the chance to act more quickly to effect change.

“I will like to see the boards of directors use the power to bring about changes, upgrade the institutions and source for funds for projects instead of depending only on government funding,” he said yesterday when launching the National Higher Education Strategic Plan and the National Higher Education Action Plan 2007-2010.

However, he added that the increase in autonomy must be accompanied by greater responsibility and accountability.

“Quality and excellence need to be the guiding principle behind every decision made,” Abdullah said.

To ensure quality in both public and private institutions of higher learning (IPTs), the ministry will be setting up an audit committee comprising experts from outside the ministry, he said.

He said the Government hoped that the outcome of the audit process would be used to rate universities.

“This is a constructive step that will allow IPTs to work towards achieving world-class quality,” he added.

Abdullah said the Government was now seeking to identify apex universities from among local IPTs.

“The highest quality of academics, management, teaching and research will be given priority in apex universities,” he said.

“They will also be given more autonomy than other universities through the boards in the selection of administrators, faculty members and students.”

He added that student intake in these universities would not be based on race but the enrolment must reflect the country's ethnic diversity.

“I wish to throw a challenge to (Higher Education Minister) Datuk Mustapa (Mohamed). I want to see at least one apex university named within the Ninth Malaysia Plan,” he said.

Earlier, Abdullah said the country had done fairly well in delivering higher education, with 29% of Malaysians aged between 18 and 23 in universities.

However, he said that much more was needed to attain education of world-class standards.

More autonomy to tranform the face of education
Tuesday August 28, 2007
By V.P. SUJATA
TheStar


National Higher Education Strategic Plan Beyond 2020

PUTRAJAYA:
He added that student intake in these universities would not be based on race but the enrolment must reflect the country's ethnic diversity.


This statement on the surface sounds a little contradictory....I wonder what their plans are...

Start implementing meritocracy and our universities will soar!! We have exported enough talents to other countries... :ohno:

We have exported enough talents to other countries... :ohno:

singapore also faces the same situation(plz read more news article)...! as well as other countries too.

people cares about money...which country pay them higher...for sure they will flee...so, what can 'meritocracy' do here?

MCA welcomes move to give universities more autonomy

KUALA LUMPUR: The MCA welcomes the Government’s move to give universities more autonomy in a move to transform the face of higher education in the country, said party president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting.

He said the National Higher Education Strategic Plan and the National Higher Education Action Plan 2007-2010 would intensify the development of higher education in the country.

“The plan is very strategic and will help the country train more professionals and human capital at international level,” he said in a statement.

Ong said the Government must create a systematic and comprehensive mechanism to groom more talent to compete in the globalised world and enhance the academic level and competitiveness of the country’s human resources.

“We hope that with this move, universities will be motivated to become world-class institutes or centres of academic excellence in Malaysia,” he added.

He said the Higher Education Ministry had shown its determination to make revolutionary changes to higher education and hoped that all the objectives and strategies under the blueprint would be fulfilled and implemented.

On the announcement that 20% of the enrolment at apex universities would be open to international students, Ong said it would allow local students and academicians the chance to experience the cultural, linguistic and racial diversity the world had to offer.

Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said his ministry hoped to hold a joint convention with the Higher Education Ministry to look into ways to work together in the implementation of their master plans.

He said the newly-launched National Higher Education Strategic Plan and National Higher Education Action Plan 2007-2010 were in line with his ministry’s National Education Blueprint 2006-2010.

“I have requested to hold the convention either in November or December so that we can make sure that there is continuity, from pre-school education up to the tertiary level,” he said after launching the Malaysia-Asean School Linkage Programme 2007 here yesterday.

Hishammuddin also said he would be chairing an informal meeting with the Asean education ministers on Friday and Saturday, where they would be discussing issues such as core values in the Asean region, mobility and migration.

Mustapa: Apex varsities not limited to public ones

PETALING JAYA: The selection of apex universities will be open to both public and private universities.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed said it would not be limited to public universities.

“A committee will be set up to come up with the necessary criteria on how the apex universities will be selected,” he told reporters after speaking on TV3’s Malaysia Hari Ini programme.

During the launch of the National Higher Education Strategic Plan and National Higher Education Action Plan 2007-2010 on Monday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had said that the Government was seeking to identify apex universities from among local higher education institutions.

“The highest quality of academics, management, teaching and research will be given priority in apex universities. They will also be given more autonomy than other universities through the boards in the selection of administrators, faculty members and students,” he said.

On the Graduate Training Scheme as mentioned under the action plan, Mustapa said students graduating from general courses would be provided with opportunities to acquire specific career skills to prepare them for the workplace.

“We may conduct the training elsewhere as skills training are not part of the role of universities,” he added.

singapore also faces the same situation(plz read more news article)...! as well as other countries too.

people cares about money...which country pay them higher...for sure they will flee...so, what can 'meritocracy' do here?

So, Singapore's talents flee to other countries. And ours? To Singapore.

Meritocracy shall make the talented to feel treasured in our own country. It's better to let the most capable ones get high position and high pay than giving high position and pay to selected ppl from one selected race, or to give business contracts to only one selected race. Only when you open up for competition can you progress. We should know this common sense in a free market. Many Malaysians are already competing globally to get a bigger piece of cake but sadly, in our own country many people are still asking for bigger percentage and not willing to let go, as if we being the 3rd and 4th generation already still not Malaysian!

P/S: I certainly read more news articles than you do. In fact, I write and analyse them!

Meritocracy shall make the talented to feel treasured in our own country. It's better to let the most capable ones get high position and high pay than giving high position and pay to selected ppl from one selected race, or to give business contracts to only one selected race.

P/S: I certainly read more news articles than you do. In fact, I write and analyse them!


come on lah, i don't think you are living in a real world! did you make a study on 'the influence of meritocracy on nation development'? so, how do you know meritocracy can 'make the talented to feel treasured in our own country'. for me, it is about MONEY/MATERIAL. nobody care either they are a product of meritocracy or what....

in fact, there is very little number of chinese applying for position in government sector. why? it is about money, right? so is there anything 'meritocracy' can contribute here?

and lastly since you mention about business....note that, MEC, Perwaja, Ekran, even Berjaya are an examples that there is no perfect nation...and look how Petronas, TM, CIMB, Khazanah performing, playing in international playground.

if the government not giving the best to excel...let the nature do! no need to bark here and there making tension...

my friend, anybody can write and anybody can do analyze...but either they are respected or not, depends on their way of expressing and translating those within the real situation....

this is going nowhere guys...
these kind of issues whether discussed at warung kopi or meeting room is not going to do any change.

i know some people try to be sensitive when discussed about these but sometime we couldn't help in hurting others...

come on lah, i don't think you are living in a real world! did you make a study on 'the influence of meritocracy on nation development'? so, how do you know meritocracy can 'make the talented to feel treasured in our own country'. for me, it is about MONEY/MATERIAL. nobody care either they are a product of meritocracy or what....

in fact, there is very little number of chinese applying for position in government sector. why? it is about money, right? so is there anything 'meritocracy' can contribute here?

and lastly since you mention about business....note that, MEC, Perwaja, Ekran, even Berjaya are an examples that there is no perfect nation...and look how Petronas, TM, CIMB, Khazanah performing, playing in international playground.

if the government not giving the best to excel...let the nature do! no need to bark here and there making tension...

my friend, anybody can write and anybody can do analyze...but either they are respected or not, depends on their way of expressing and translating those within the real situation....

Sigh, I wonder who's the one really living in fantasy.... I will reply to that later.

I think one is respectable when voicing arguments intelligently and not calling other names and do personal attacks when losing grounds on arguments. If I bark, I bite. You can save your meow meow :)

so much for education thread

I am not sure what the prize they get on winning this argument or any other argument on other threads.

^^ A piece of information which might have been taboo to many.

Sigh, I wonder who's the one really living in fantasy.... I will reply to that later.

I think one is respectable when voicing arguments intelligently and not calling other names and do personal attacks when losing grounds on arguments. If I bark, I bite. You can save your meow meow :)

no need to reply,for now on...i swear not talking to you anymore...bcoz the way you make your opponent as 'evil axis'. thank you. out of discussion.

some advice here...if one wanna make a healthy discussion, just listen to what your opponent trying to say. no need to condemn them as unintelligent or something...

apa jenis writer you ni? kalo setakat jadik penulis pencacai jalanan, terima kasih jer lah...

some advice here...if one wanna make a healthy discussion, just listen to what your opponent trying to say. no need to condemn them as unintelligent or something...

double standard.........who cause the proton thread closed?:bash: if the way you make comment call "healthy", terima kasih jer lah

no need to reply,for now on...i swear not talking to you anymore...bcoz the way you make your opponent as 'evil axis'. thank you. out of discussion.

some advice here...if one wanna make a healthy discussion, just listen to what your opponent trying to say. no need to condemn them as unintelligent or something...

apa jenis writer you ni? kalo setakat jadik penulis pencacai jalanan, terima kasih jer lah...

Asking others to shut up doesnt make your discussion healthy. I didnt label you as the evil axis but if you want to label it on yourself, go ahead, which you already did.

I can still talk as freely as I want to and write eventhough you may not give a damn. Don't act as if you're innocent from the many discriminatory remarks you've made here earlier and caused tension then push the blames on "trolls".

As a matter of fact, I was only voicing my opinion on education and meritocracy and you jumped in to challenge me. I didnt start the fire.

'Nuff said :)

Pupils to know soon if they need to resit UPSR
Saturday September 8, 2007
By KAREN CHAPMAN
TheStar


KUALA LUMPUR: Pupils will know within a month if they have to resit certain papers in the Primary School Achievement Test (UPSR).

Malaysian Examinations Syndicate (MES) director Datuk Mohammed Zakaria Mohd Noor however said that the resit would not involve the whole country.

“If there is a need for a resit, only the affected centres in four or five states will have to do so. There have been no reports at all in Sabah and Sarawak,” he told a press conference at the MES office in Jalan Duta.

However, he declined to reveal the states involved.

Mohammed Zakaria said the MES was working with the police and a final report on the matter would be handed to Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein for a decision on a resit.

Early investigations conducted by the MES found there was no leak, he added.

The papers which were allegedly leaked were Bahasa Malaysia Composition for National Schools, English Paper 2 for National Schools, Mathematics Paper 2 and Science Part B – all subjective tests.

He said the MES started receiving unofficial information on the alleged leaks through SMS, telephone calls and faxes on the first day of the exam, but there was no information on the identities or addresses of the senders.

Asked if teachers were involved in coming up with the questions, Mohammed Zakaria said specialist teachers were involved in the initial stages.

“They give ideas but the final decision on what goes in the question papers is by a panel comprising both MES and international experts using a nine-point system.”

Free schooling next year
Saturday September 8, 2007
TheStar


SCHOOLING in Malaysia will be essentially free from next year.

This is because the annual school fees of RM4.50 for primary schools and RM9 for secondary schools will be abolished under Budget 2008.

Textbooks will also be provided free to all students through the Textbook Loan Scheme.

The examination fee for the Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia (STAM) will also be abolished from next year.

Recognising the importance of co-curricular activities, students from families which earn a monthly income of RM1,000 or less will receive a free uniform for one uniformed activity they join.

The allowance for special education teachers will be raised from RM100 to RM250 per month while for graduate substitute teachers, the allowance will go up from RM85 to RM150 daily.

Chinese and Tamil language teachers in national schools will also be receiving an allowance of RM60 per hour for degree holders and RM50 per hour for diploma holders.

Retired teachers will be recruited to train teachers and also serve as substitute teachers.

Cluster schools will receive an allocation of RM500,000 each for co-curricular activities, training and educational equipment.

However, Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said this allocation would be given based on their performance.

Non-profit oriented government-assisted and private schools will be granted income tax exemption in recognition of their educational services. This exemption is expected to benefit Chinese and Tamil schools as well as religious schools.

In total, RM30bil has been allocated to the Education Ministry, which will also be used for the implementation of the National Education Blueprint 2006-2010.

Textbook Loan Scheme for all students
Saturday September 8, 2007
TheStar


SCHOOL fees for students in both primary and secondary schools have been abolished, effective next year.

Currently, the compulsory fee is RM4.50 per pupil in primary and RM9 per student in secondary government schools.

Beginning 2008, the Textbook Loan Scheme will be provided to all students, irrespective of their families’ income and with no restrictions on the number of eligible children.

This scheme will benefit 5.7 million students compared to 4.5 million now.

Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said this in turn means there will be a reduction in administrative work for teachers.

“This should translate into teachers concentrating more on their core business, which is teaching our children,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby.

To ensure every student has the opportunity to participate in uniformed activities, the Government will provide a free uniform for one activity to students from families with an income of RM1,000 and below.

“When the ministry’s secretary-general Tan Sri Dr Zulkurnain Awang was growing up in Kelantan, he could not join the Scouts as he could not afford the uniform, so this will certainly help other families.

“Now they will no longer have the excuse that they can’t afford to let their children become involved in uniformed activities,” he said.

Hishammuddin added that the allocation of RM500,000 for each cluster school would be based on performance.

“While I am happy our cluster approach has been recognised, it is not the same for all cluster schools, it must be based on performance.

“We have to make sure they have done what we expect before they get a single sen,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby.

The minister announced the list of the 30 pioneer cluster schools in March where school heads were given autonomy in five key areas – human resources, school funds, student intake, teaching and learning, and examinations and evaluation.

According to Budget 2008, to further enhance the quality and performance of schools, 60 more schools have been selected to become cluster schools next year.

The allocation of RM500,000 would be provided to each cluster school for co-curriculum activities, training and education equipment.

On retired teachers being recruited to train teachers, Hishammuddin said this was because they could share with future teachers what to expect when they started teaching.

“This is something you can't learn from the textbooks as it comes from experience,” he said.

On whether they would be based at teacher training institutes, he said the ministry would have to study the mechanism.

First K9 school for orang asli children launched
Sunday September 9, 2007
BY ROSLINA MOHAMAD
TheStar


PEKAN: The first comprehensive special model school (K9) tailored for the orang asli children was launched at SK Bandar Dua Paloh Hinai here.

Describing the model as a landmark for modern education in rural areas, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said schooling would be from the kindergarten right up to Form Three all under one roof with hostels provided.

“In our efforts to develop the education system for orang asli, we must do away with the old style.

“The approach taken now is to make adjustments according to their culture and needs because their requirements are different from other communities,” he said before launching the school.

Among those present were Deputy Mentri Besar Datuk Tan Aminuddin Ishak, Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, director general Datuk Alimuddin Mohd Dom and state director Abdul Aziz Abdul Latiff.

Najib also launched an education programme for the school sponsored by Eastman Chemical Malaysia Sdn Bhd that would benefit 24 Year Four orang asli pupils.

The company has provided computer sets, tuition classes, and motivational talks.

The school now has 62 pupils, including 22 orang asli children.

On the abolishment of school fees and provision of free textbooks next year, Najib said that there was no reason now for children to be deprived of a minimum 11 years of education.

Hishammuddin, meanwhile, said his ministry would not take up the proposal to change the colour of the school uniform for now.

In a report, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris lecturer Associate Prof Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Daud said the colour change would project the country’s progressive image and education system.

Malaysian beats 3 million in UN contest
Monday September 10, 2007
TheStar


http://www.thestar.com.my/archives/2007/9/10/nation/n_03szeee.jpg

Lee Sze Ee


PETALING JAYA: Assuming the mind of a tiger cub living in an endangered forest has won 14-year-old Lee Sze Ee a letter-writing competition organised by the United Nations.

She beat more than three million other youngsters from around the world who were asked to put themselves in the position of a wild animal whose habitat is threatened by environmental or climate change.

“I want to congratulate you all. Many of you have good education and live in your so-called world of modernisation.

“Does this mean that humans are civilised?” she wrote.

“Yet, why do humans still need to invade our jungle besides hunting us like in those primitive days?

“Dear People of the World, don’t burn our homes and occupy the area, our natural habitat. We have no other place to go.

“We are helpless. We depend on you – the People of the World to save us,” the letter concludes, winning unanimous praise from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) jury.

It is the first time that a Malaysian has won the international competition sponsored by the UN Universal Postal Union (UPU) since it began in 1972.

The jury said: “With her sensitivity and imagination, the young Malaysian successfully conveyed the urgency of the situation and sent us a message: we must unite to save our planet.”

For next year’s 37th competition, the UPU is inviting youngsters to write a letter explaining why the world needs more tolerance, a particularly relevant theme in an age of globalisation, migration and other trends bringing ever more people from different cultures into contact with one another.

“Creating a world in which all people live in harmony is a noble goal to which each of us can aspire,” the UPU said.

Predating the United Nations by seven decades, the UPU was founded in 1874, the second-oldest international organisation after the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

by karinga

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1043/1386384335_87a1421e5a_b.jpg

Aussie University Honours Malaysian Tycoon
September 19, 2007 11:45 AM


MELBOURNE, Sept 19 (Bernama) -- Malaysian-born Maha Sinnathamy, the creator of the A$12 billion Greater Springfield residential development near Brisbane, has been awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Southern Queensland (USQ).

Multi-millionaire Sinnathamby, who has a deep commitment to education, was instrumental in attracting the Toowoomba-based USQ to establish a campus in Springfield last year, now home to about ,1000 students, many from Asia.

He was conferred the doctorate by the university's chancellor, Bobbie Brazil, to the delight of his family, corporate colleagues and academic staff.

Greater Springfield, Australia's first privately-built city, 28km south-west of Brisbane, has won international acclaim for its uniqueness.

Sinnathamby, a product of Seremban's St Paul's Institution, who grew up in Negri Sembilan, said: "I'm extremely proud of this honour because I have a lifelong passion for education."

The university's vice-chancellor, Professor Bill Lovegrove, said the conferral of the doctorate on Sinnathamby was in recognition of his distinguished service to the Springfield community and to USQ, while also acknowledging his strong advocacy of the ideals of the university.

Apart from his business acumen, Maha possessed some unique personal characteristics, Prof Lovegrove said.

"Among them are his broad vision, an entrepreneurial spirit, a tenacious nature, a willingness to take risks and think outside of the square, a community focus and commitment in the face of adversity.

"These ideals align closely with those of USQ and help to explain the close ties that have formed between the university and Maha," he said.

-- BERNAMA

Single-Session Schooling Likely In 2010 - Hishammuddin
September 25, 2007 23:29 PM


KOTA BAHARU, Sept 25 (Bernama) -- Single-session schooling is likely to be implemented in all schools by 2010, Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said Tuesday.

He said it could be implemented once the ministry had ironed out all related problems.

The ministry was gathering feedback on the effectiveness and weaknesses pertaining to such a system, he told reporters after the launching of the second national-level Khatam Al-Quran (completion of 30 chapters of the Quran) programme among government schools as well as the J-QAF laboratory by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at Sekolah Kebangsaan Padang Garong 2, Wakaf Mek Zainab School Complex, here.

"I think that 60 per cent of schools throughout the country have already implemented single school sessions. And God willing, the Prime Minister's wish will come true," he said.

Yesterday, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi suggested the introduction of single-session schooling until 4pm to keep children under watch for longer periods of time.

The prime minister said that if it could be done, parents would have the peace of mind knowing that their children were safe in school.

In light of the recent murder of eight-year-old Nurin Jazlin Jazimin, Abdullah said he felt that longer school hours could be one way to secure child safety.

A total of 2,560 students took part in today's programme.

-- BERNAMA

Malaysians can now study medicine in Poland
By PAUL GABRIEL
Saturday September 29, 2007
TheStar

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians have more options to study medicine abroad with three Polish universities gaining accreditation here for their medical degree programmes.

The institutions are the Medical University of Warsaw, Medical University of Lodz, and Jagiellonian University Medical College in Krakow.

A Higher Education Ministry team visited Poland in 2005 to vet the country’s medical programmes.

Polish Ambassador Eugeniusz Sawicki said ministry secretary-general Datuk Dr Zulkefli A. Hassan relayed the news to him when they met with Polish education officials who were here for the recent European Higher Education Fair.

The Public Services Department, in a letter to the envoy, confirmed that minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed had made the decision in a meeting on Aug 9.

“It’s a breakthrough for us as this is the first time Poland’s medical programmes are recognised by Malaysia.

“The cost of pursuing a medical degree in Poland is much lower compared to other European countries.

“For example, you pay ?12,000 euros (RM60,000) a year in Poland, compared to about ?30,000 (RM150,000) in Britain,” the envoy said in an interview.

Sawicki, who has been working hard to promote bilateral educational co-operation, is feeling optimistic in tapping his country’s developing education market from here.

Last week, he sent off the first private Malaysian student to pursue medicine at the Medical University of Warsaw. Thirty government-sponsored students will enrol at the university later. The medical course is conducted in English.

The envoy said education networking between Poland and Malaysia was gaining further strides with co-operation extended to the technical field as well.

Four UiTM Skudai students will study Optics in Science and Technology at the Warsaw University of Technology under a technical co-operation programme.

Malaysians can now study medicine in Poland
By PAUL GABRIEL
Saturday September 29, 2007
TheStar

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians have more options to study medicine abroad with three Polish universities gaining accreditation here for their medical degree programmes.

The institutions are the Medical University of Warsaw, Medical University of Lodz, and Jagiellonian University Medical College in Krakow.

A Higher Education Ministry team visited Poland in 2005 to vet the country’s medical programmes.

Polish Ambassador Eugeniusz Sawicki said ministry secretary-general Datuk Dr Zulkefli A. Hassan relayed the news to him when they met with Polish education officials who were here for the recent European Higher Education Fair.

The Public Services Department, in a letter to the envoy, confirmed that minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed had made the decision in a meeting on Aug 9.

“It’s a breakthrough for us as this is the first time Poland’s medical programmes are recognised by Malaysia.

“The cost of pursuing a medical degree in Poland is much lower compared to other European countries.

“For example, you pay ?12,000 euros (RM60,000) a year in Poland, compared to about ?30,000 (RM150,000) in Britain,” the envoy said in an interview.

Sawicki, who has been working hard to promote bilateral educational co-operation, is feeling optimistic in tapping his country’s developing education market from here.

Last week, he sent off the first private Malaysian student to pursue medicine at the Medical University of Warsaw. Thirty government-sponsored students will enrol at the university later. The medical course is conducted in English.

The envoy said education networking between Poland and Malaysia was gaining further strides with co-operation extended to the technical field as well.

Four UiTM Skudai students will study Optics in Science and Technology at the Warsaw University of Technology under a technical co-operation programme.

Poland?? Another nutty idea from the Ministry. I really don't understand why the Gov feels the need to send their best and brightest away from the country to learn from countries who are in trouble themselves! Makes no sense! If $ is an issue, keep them at home for heavens sake. Then, for all you know, in another couple of years, the MOH is going to come out saying that they derecognise these POlish universities...much like the Crimea State Uni debacle some time ago.
If you want to send pupils overseas, send them for the right reason. Send them to centers of excellence, that they may learn from our betters, and bring that knowledge/standards home.

Don't you know being "global" and "extravagant" are the cool things to do for Malaysia now, regardless of the substance? :)

edited

Poland?? Another nutty idea from the Ministry. I really don't understand why the Gov feels the need to send their best and brightest away from the country to learn from countries who are in trouble themselves! Makes no sense! If $ is an issue, keep them at home for heavens sake. Then, for all you know, in another couple of years, the MOH is going to come out saying that they derecognise these POlish universities...much like the Crimea State Uni debacle some time ago.
If you want to send pupils overseas, send them for the right reason. Send them to centers of excellence, that they may learn from our betters, and bring that knowledge/standards home.

are you saying sending to Poland is not a good reason?...look, we want more medical grads to fill the demand. so for that reason, gov send them to any place which gov thinks is good....let say if you learn from US, the silibus is not really different from those in India or Poland.

if the US got the best medical achievement is the world, it is actually the things foreigner can't easily get bcoz the US gov seals them and you can't get it eventhough you are an american grad...

^^hoi indon! you are one of the anti-malaysia gang in indonesia forum...so, berambus nko dari sini! muka tak malu, negara buruk tapi bermegah megah...

Oh boy this guy is everywhere lol!

I am not anti Malaysia, btw.

ok, sorry...i thought you are one of them...too many of them in indonesia forum, can't remember their names...

if the US got the best medical achievement is the world, it is actually the things foreigner can't easily get bcoz the US gov seals them and you can't get it eventhough you are an american grad...

This is absolutely not true. Medical research papers are routinely published with authors from all over the world, who are in US based labs/hospitals.

cost of sending medic grad to local swasta university is way higher than sending them to eastern europe countries.

IMU bukit jalil cost per student for 5 year medic course is RM 250,000-RM 350,000

in russia it cost u half of that including COLA.

are you saying sending to Poland is not a good reason?...look, we want more medical grads to fill the demand. so for that reason, gov send them to any place which gov thinks is good....let say if you learn from US, the silibus is not really different from those in India or Poland.
if the US got the best medical achievement is the world, it is actually the things foreigner can't easily get bcoz the US gov seals them and you can't get it eventhough you are an american grad...

The principle of sending Gov sponsored students overseas is based on the concept that they they're our brightest, that they will be sent to 1st rate places to learn from 1st rate people. It's not just plain medical textbooks that you hope they'll read, it's the learning culture, the research environment, the health system, the hospital environment...all those other 'benefits' of learning from other people.

Do a little research on Polish healthcare and their ongoing health crisis and you'll find that most of the E.European countries are in trouble. Doctors there are paid less then general wage earners, so most of them are quiting their jobs, moving into other fields etc. That's the sort of background we're sending our students to. It's harder to be inspired. I know of at least 5 E.European doctors who have bailed the system and have come to the US. They all paint a v.grim picture.

Medical U of Warsaw is internationally recognized, true, but their English program is very new, perhaps within the last 10yrs. It's not that much cheaper either (if we're talking cost). Per year, it's around 13,000 Euro which is 60+000 RM. Warsaw is not a cheap place to live too...so I can't think that it's all that much cheaper than a local Private Uni. Besides, what about our own Public universities for that matter.

PM: More Malaysian varsities should go global
Wednesday October 3, 2007
By CHOI TUCK WO
TheStar


http://www.thestar.com.my/archives/2007/10/3/nation/n_04paklah.jpg

Token of appreciation: Lim presenting a souvenir to Abdullah after he
opened the LimKokWing University United Kingdom in Piccadilly on Monday.

LONDON: More Malaysian universities should go international as part of the “think global” agenda, said Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

The Prime Minister said that he would like to see them venturing abroad not just in Britain but to other parts of the world too in efforts to spearhead the globalisation of Malaysian education.

“The Government will continue to lend strong support to such initiatives,” he told Malaysian journalists after opening the LimKokWing University United Kingdom in Piccadilly on Monday.

Abdullah said that Malaysia’s ethnic and cultural diversity formed an ideal basis on which to think global.

“We’re well acquainted with and have a deep appreciation of multi-culturalism, which is an important asset to succeed in a globalised world,” he added.

He said that multi-culturalism provided a strong environment for creating world-class human capital that could take the country to greater heights.

Abdullah said that LimKokWing University had reaped the benefits of its globalisation initiatives through its bold ventures outside Malaysia.

University president Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing said that they planned to set up campuses in 20 more countries in the next five years.

“Now we are in Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Beijing, Phnom Penh, Gaborone and London,” he said.

Abdullah flew to Jeddah on Monday night to perform the umrah in Mecca. He is scheduled to return to Malaysia tomorrow.

Thai teachers hone IT skills
Friday October 5, 2007
TheStar

THIRTY-SIX Thai teachers from five schools in Hatyai gained broader perspectives on teaching techniques at a training session conducted by Kolej Disted-Stamford in Penang.

In the four-day course on e-teaching and e-learning held recently, the participants improved their IT skills and learned how to use the Internet as a teaching resource.

Accompanying the teachers were Hatyai deputy mayor Boonchuay Changsirivathana-thamrong and education bureau director Pattaragorn Chaisud.

“Teachers should exploit IT to make their teaching more lively and effective,” said Boonchuay.

English teacher Ubolrat Chisiri said: “The training has increased our skills in using newspaper and online resources to create interesting materials to teach English, IT, science and Maths.

“We’ve also learnt how to use various teaching techniques such as mind mapping, oral presentation, brainstorming and warming up games to spice up our lessons.”

QUESTION: Anyone here studying in Limkokwing? I heard rumors that people are barred from reporting (blogging) about the real condition of that institution, be it the one in Malaysia or London or where ever it is. Is it true?

^^ I have many frens studying in Limkokwing Cyberjaya campus, they strongly reccommend me to join them there-- because college life there is sooo interesting with highly-qualified educators !

QUESTION: Anyone here studying in Limkokwing? I heard rumors that people are barred from reporting (blogging) about the real condition of that institution, be it the one in Malaysia or London or where ever it is. Is it true?

I'm not sure if they actually have such ridiculous rule... Being an ex-Luctian myself I can tell you that it is not as fantastic as it advertises but then again, it's a not bad institution. Its strength (and what I like about LUCT) is that it is very international, with students from many countries studying under one roof.

I doubt they can bar anyone from talking about the institution because everyone talks about it anyway :lol: If they bar anyone from blogging the real situation, they really have a trouble. If it happens, then it will close down very soon because its courses are expensive, being an creative art school but no freedom, what else is left for it?

Having said that, it's quite a good institution with superb international exposure. My advice is, don't believe its brochures until you recce it yourself. Remember that it is a creative art school ;)

@Lastresorter:

You have to know there were many dissents that are kept shut out, just for telling the truth (I know several blogs were forced to be taken down because it taints the image of LKW). It's not exactly a black on white rule, but more to the "hush hush" kinda control. Just wondering if it's still going on.

And I also have to disagree with you about the "superb international exposure". Which exposure are you talking about? The majority of the students there are from Malaysia, Indonesia, China, and Botswana. The others don't really have any significant number, especially the ones from Western countries.

But yeah, definitely check out the place and talk to the students there before making any decision.

@Skyprince:

My advice is to find out yourself about their accreditations, the level of qualifications of their lecturers, and the curriculum.

rumors can say anything.....

@Lastresorter:

You have to know there were many dissents that are kept shut out, just for telling the truth (I know several blogs were forced to be taken down because it taints the image of LKW). It's not exactly a black on white rule, but more to the "hush hush" kinda control. Just wondering if it's still going on.

And I also have to disagree with you about the "superb international exposure". Which exposure are you talking about? The majority of the students there are from Malaysia, Indonesia, China, and Botswana. The others don't really have any significant number, especially the ones from Western countries.

But yeah, definitely check out the place and talk to the students there before making any decision.

@Skyprince:

My advice is to find out yourself about their accreditations, the level of qualifications of their lecturers, and the curriculum.

Sounds to me that you are already pretty familiar with LUCT ;) I'm not sure about the situation now but back then, I mingled around with Korean, Indonesian, Mainland Chinese, and even people from as far as the UK.

Depends on what you wanna study, there could be other better options besides LUCT.

I've only heard good things from MARA. I have no idea where that is, but I heard their architecture program is one of the best in Malaysia (if not THE).

^^Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM). yup they have the best architecture school in Malaysia...

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Our education system has come full circle
New Straits Times, Tuesday 2nd October 2007


KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia aims to increase the number of foreign students studying in the country to 100,000 by 2010 from the current 50,000, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

To date, students from more than 150 countries are studying in Malaysia, making the country one of the most important providers of international education, together with other countries like the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

Abdullah said education in Malaysia could be said to have come a full circle after 50 years of independence.

This was because while the country used to send most of its students abroad and was still sending some, an increasing number of foreign students were coming to study here, he said at the official opening of the Limkokwing University London and its London campus in Picaddilly.

The text of his speech was released here. Present were president of Limkokwing University of Creative Technology Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing and the Malaysian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Datuk Abdul Aziz Mohammed.

Abdullah, who arrived in London on Sunday from New York where he had addressed the United Nations General Assembly last week, paid tribute to Lim and Limkokwing University for their overseas initiative.

He said it was also a proud moment for Malaysia because the establishment of the university in London marked the first time a Malaysian university had succeeded in expanding its reach to the United Kingdom.

In this respect, the prime minister urged more Malaysian universities with the requisite criteria to go international and open overseas campuses.

The government would continue to support such initiatives.

Malaysia, the prime minister said, aspired to become a regional centre of excellence for education.

Crucial to the country’s success in this area would be the role of Malaysian private sector universities and colleges because they enrolled the bulk of foreign students, he added.

“It is also one branch of education where we see much dynamism and innovation,” he said, but in order to ensure success, the quality of education must be of the highest standard.

“No compromises must ever be made on this. This is the only way to compete and be among the best in the world.”

Abdullah said when he opened Limkokwing University’s main campus in Cyberjaya three years ago, he had expressed the hope that it would develop into one of the best in the world.

He said he was pleased to see that it had gone some way towards that aspiration as it had been recognised as one of the leading universities of its kind, with campuses in six countries on three continents, with a total enrolment of 16,000 students.

It has also built up a collegial network of more than 160 universities and colleges spread over more than 70 countries. – Bernama

many now tell me that Limkokwing is not a good uni....

many now tell me that Limkokwing is not a good uni....

Believe them.

Student to equipment ratio not good at LKW.

English competition for Science, Math teachers
Monday October 22, 2007
TheStar


KOTA BARU: Some 600 Science and Mathematics teachers will show their communication skills at the first of its kind English language speaking competition on Thursday.

The objective is to hone the communicative English skills among teachers entrusted to teach the two subjects.

English Language coordinator Michael Hughes said this would be the first time that the state education authorities had designed such a programme in the hope of boosting confidence among teachers to communicate in English and promoting public speaking skills.

Students and parents will be among the audience at the competition held at the teachers' resources centre in Pengkalan Chepa from 8am.

Each of the 600-odd primary and secondary schools in Kelantan will send a representative.

The competition, themed “Plain speaking knock-out competition”, will be conducted on a knockout basis where participants will speak for one minute on a subject.

They will be given 20 topics to select before they go on stage.

They will be divided into primary and secondary groups and each group of eight or 10 will compete together.

“This type of competition has never been tried before on such a big scale, so it involves much organisation, but the ultimate aim is to boost the confidence among teachers,” Hughes added.

http://www.paked.net/higher_education/rankings/ranking4.gif
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World Top 200 Universities Ranking
2004 :
University of Malaya (http://www.um.edu.my/) No. 89
Sains Malaysia University No. 111

2005 (http://www.topuniversities.com/worlduniversityrankings/results/2005/top_200_universities/) :
University of Malaya No. 169

2006 (http://www.topuniversities.com/worlduniversityrankings/results/2006/) :
University of Kebangsaan Malaysia No. 185
University of Malaya No. 192 :shocked:

Source : Times Higher Education Supplement (http://www.thes.co.uk/) (THES)
Note : The Times Higher Education Supplement, also known as The Times Higher or The THES for short, is a newspaper based in London that reports specifically on issues related to higher education. It is owned by TSL Education Ltd., which was, until October 2005, a division of News International.

The paper is edited by John O'Leary, author of The Times Good University Guide. The Literary Editor is Gerard Kelly. The THES has been probably best known for publishing The THES - QS World University Rankings in partnership with QS Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd. (see college and university rankings), which first appeared in November 2004, with new rankings published annually.

Education (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=73782&page=45) system on right track
Saturday October 27, 2007
TheStar


SEPANG: Malaysia is already tackling issues that many other countries are only just facing and its education system is on a good platform, said Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.

The issues include the rural-urban gap and the digital divide, he told reporters at the KL International Airport here after arriving home from Paris where Malaysia secured a seat in the Unesco executive board.

Malaysia topped the Asia-Pacific group with 147 votes.

Five other countries elected from the group were South Korea, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Mongolia and Pakistan. There were nine countries contesting in the group.

The organisation elected 31 new members to the executive board at the just concluded 34th session of the Unesco general conference.

The executive board meets twice a year to examine the implementation of programmes adopted by the general conference.

“I am relieved that most of the issues discussed this time around were those coveredin our National Education Blueprint,” said Hishammuddin,

He added that other countries look to Malaysia as a model, over the handling of issues such as the clash of civilisations and globalisation.

Hishammuddin said he explained to Unesco members about the abolishing of school fees and extension of the textbook scheme to all students.

On whether he would be spending more time in Paris, he said: “I have to attend the general conference every year anyway. The other meeting is in April next year.”

Hishammuddin will serve a four-year term on the 58-member executive board.

Malaysia held the seat between 2000 and 2003 when then Education Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, the current Deputy Prime Minister, polled the highest number of 163 votes in the 1999 elections.

‘English only’ ruling for Maths and Science in secondary schools put on hold
Monday October 29, 2007
By TEH ENG HOCK
TheStar


KLUANG (Johor): Following the Government's decision on the Mathematics and Science papers in the UPSR, secondary school students will not be forced to use English for these subjects in their examinations in the next two to three years.

The Education Ministry will review the teaching and learning syllabus as well as the co-curriculum and teachers’ education before deciding whether Malaysian students are ready for “English only” examinations.

The initial plan was to have Year Six pupils answer their Mathematics and Science papers completely in English from next year.

However, said minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, he had promised MCA leaders and Chinese educationists that he would make a decision by this year as to whether to go ahead with the plan.

“I am glad to have fulfilled that promise,” he told reporters at a Hari Raya open house at his home in Taman Sri Lambak here yesterday.

Present was Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman, who had also voiced the view of the state Umno committee last year to put on hold the implementation of the “English only” ruling.

On Saturday, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced that UPSR examination candidates would continue to have the choice of taking the two subjects in either English or Malay (or the vernacular language of their school.)

The Prime Minister explained that the schoolchildren had yet to attain proficiency in English.

Hishammuddin said secondary students would also continue to have the dual-language option although many of them have a “decent command” of English.

He said the weak students were mostly from the rural areas.

“I will not do things on an ad hoc and piecemeal basis. I want to do it (using English) as a whole.

“I want the foundation to be solid (at the primary level) before we look at the secondary schools,” he said.

He added, however, that many secondary students chose to do the papers in English.

Citing matriculation students, he said 95% of them did their papers in English.

Abdul Ghani, who is Johor Umno chairman, said putting on hold the implementation of “English only” papers for Mathematics and Science would allow students to master both English and Malay.

At its state convention last year, the party voiced its concern over the use of English for the two subjects.

This drew comments from some quarters that it was a backward move and would not encourage young Malaysians to learn English. Asked about this, Abdul Ghani said: “Sometimes, it is a misconception. Sometimes, it is just some people trying to create issues.”

World Top 200 Universities Ranking
2004 :
University of Malaya (http://www.um.edu.my/) No. 89
Sains Malaysia University No. 111

2005 (http://www.topuniversities.com/worlduniversityrankings/results/2005/top_200_universities/) :
University of Malaya No. 169

2006 (http://www.topuniversities.com/worlduniversityrankings/results/2006/) :
University of Kebangsaan Malaysia No. 185
University of Malaya No. 192 :shocked:

Source : Times Higher Education Supplement (http://www.thes.co.uk/) (THES)

The initial 2004 University Malaya rank was a mistake. It attained that position based on points credited toward foreign intake, they mislabelled all non-Malay students as foreign, thus giving UM maximal points. It was not believable in any case, look af the universities which UM allegedly outranked, Universtiy College of London, Seoul National University.....quite unlikely

Chinese school students receive recognition at the Australia Mathematics Competition 2007

Nanyang Siang Pau reported that several Chinese school students had received recognition for their achievement in mathematics at the Australia Mathematics Competition 2007.

Among them was Year Six pupil Chua Zhi Ming of SJK (C) Sin Min B, Sungai Petani, who received a BH Neumann Certificate for perfect scores.

He was the only recipient in the Upper Primary School category.

In the Secondary School category, Lam Yet Sin of SM Sam Tet, Ipoh, and Pang Zhang Xian of Sabah Chinese High School, received a medal each in the junior division of the Western Pacific (Westpac) Awards.

A total of 500,000 students from 39 countries took part in the competition.

The purpose of the competition is to highlight the importance of mathematics as a subject, to uncover talent in mathematics, and to provide resources for classroom and general discussion.


BTW, I also took the competition. It's extremely hard!:bash:
I only got credit.:ohno:

USM to get high-tech library
Thursday November 1, 2007
TheStar


Acting vice-chancellor Assoc Prof Dr Omar Osman said construction of the library would begin by the middle of next year and it would completed within 18 months.

Funds for the project were approved under the Ninth Malaysia Plan, he said.

“This will further support USM’s role as one of the research universities (in the country),” he told newsmen after opening an International Conference on Libraries here yesterday.

The library, complete with the latest information communication technology gadgets, would be located next to the main library near Dewan Tuanku Syed Putra.

“With this new library, we will have a total of five libraries on our three campuses,” Dr Omar said.

Boosting Education For Special Children


KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 2 (Bernama) -- Since its establishment on 1 October 1995, the Special Education Department under the Education Ministry has rolled out a number of learning programmes for students with disability or behavioural problems.

The programmes are meant for those suffering from visual or hearing impairment, those who have difficulties in learning including the inability to master the 3M (read, write and count) and the lagging communities like the Orang Asli and Penan.

The children under the care of the department are mostly those with Down Syndrome, mild Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), mild mental retardation and specific learning problems or Dyslexia.

According to the department's Deputy Director General Azizah Abd. Gani, the learning process for the children with special needs emphasizes on the physical, emotional, spiritual and intellectual aspects to enable them to acquire the highest-level education possible so that they can live independently within the community.

THE SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMME

Azizah explained that the provision of special education is implemented through four systems namely:

* Special Education Schools exclusively for those with visual and hearing impairment and those with learning difficulties;

* The Special Education Integration Programme at the common primary, secondary, technical/vocational schools. Students with visual and hearing limitations, and learning difficulties are taught in segregated or partial inclusive manner.

* The inclusive programme puts the students with special needs in the same class with normal students.

* The Rehabilitation Education Programme in the special class is available at all mainstream schools.

THE GOAL

Azizah emphasized that the students with special needs who show potential in the academic sphere would be coached to further improve their academic standing until the following level.

For those who fail to excel academically, they would take up skills under the technical and vocational education.

TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL TRAINING

She said there are three vocational streams implemented at the higher secondary level for students with special needs:

i. Sekolah Menengah Pendidikan Khas Persekutuan Pulau Pinang that caters for students with hearing impairment. The students take up Vocational Subjects as elective subject in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia exams. This programme was implemented in 2002.

The Vocational Subjects include sewing women's clothes, mending domestic electrical appliances, woodworks/furniture making and domestic construction.

ii. Sekolah Menengah Pendidikan Khas Vokasional Shah Alam Selangor, is the first vocational school to accept students with hearing problems to take up vocational courses full time.

The school was opened in 1987 and these special students are given vocational training using the National Occupational Skills Standard (NOSS) module developed by the Skills Development Department under the Ministry of Human Resources.

They undergo a two-year training and those who fulfil the NOSS requirements would be awarded the Malaysian Skills Certificate (SKM) and those who fail to achieve the required competency level would be awarded the Special Education Vocational Skill certificate.

Azizah explained that these special students would also undergo industrial training at firms to put in practice what they have learnt in school.

Among the vocational training offered are batik drawing, stamping batik, refrigeration and air conditioning, metal wielding and motorcycle assembly.

iii. Sekolah Menengah Pendidikan Khas Indahpura, Kulai, Johor is the first vocational school in the country to accept students with three categories of disability, namely those who suffer from hearing and visual problems, and learning difficulties.

This school that began operations in 2004 can accommodate 250 students in any particular intake. This school has two types of curriculum.

Students with hearing disability would undergo Mainstream Curriculum with a Vocational Subject, either Computer Graphics or Make-up or Hairstyling.

Those with visual problems will undergo the art of reflexology and massaging under the NOSS module while those with learning difficulties would take up five skills under the same module.

iv. The Integrated Programme Secondary Schools would take in students suffering from hearing impairment after they complete form 3. They would also be given ample opportunities to continue with education and vocational skills while continuing with the mainstream curriculum through integration or inclusive programmes in the normal secondary schools.

v. Technical and Vocational Education under the Technical Education Department would provide opportunities for those with hearing problems to take up Skills Training at school level.

The courses offered by the technical secondary schools follow the NOSS module and at the end of the course the students with special needs will receive the SKM, said Azizah.

WIDENING VOCATIONAL PROGRAMMES

She said realising the opportunities for skills training are very limited for those with learning difficulties, the department has developed a curriculum that caters for this group.

The draft for the Special Vocational Subject Curriculum was approved by the Central Curriculum Committee in April 2006 to be implemented through the Secondary School Integration Programme.

The six courses in the Special Vocational Subject are agriculture, services, cooking, maintenance, handicraft and sewing. They have been implemented under a Pioneer Programme this year in selected schools.

The schools involved are SMK Pekan Baru Muar, Johor, SMK Bandar Sunway, Selangor, SMK Sungai Besar, Selangor, SMK Tengku Mahmud Iskandar, Tangkak, Johor, SMK Taman Setiawangsa, Kuala Lumpur and SMK Tun Tuah, Melaka.

Azizah explained that the department has been allocated funds to set up two special vocational education schools, one at the north zone in Sungai Petani, Kedah and one more at the east coast zone in Pahang.

Both vocational schools would provide suitable courses for students in need of special education and would be based on the Skills Curriculum Development Department.

HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

In efforts to establish excellence in special education, Azizah said training is provided for instructors.

"The teachers chosen to become instructors are those with special education background who would be trained on vocational courses conducted in these schools," he said.

The training is conducted at training centres recognised by Skills Development Department like the Dusun Tua Training Centre or the Centre for Instructor and Advanced Skill Training (CIAST) under the human resource ministry.

Through such training, the teachers would be commissioned as instructors and evaluators for courses conducted at Special Education Vocational Schools, he added.

Azizah emphasized that in line with the Education Development Master Plan, it is the responsibility of all parties to assist these special students to learn.

"The efforts to realise the master plan and the rights of the special children is to ensure that they can live like the rest of us in the society," she added.

-- BERNAMA

USM named best overall university in survey
Saturday November 3, 2007
By KAREN CHAPMAN and SARAH CHEW
TheStar


PUTRAJAYA: Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has been named best overall university in an academic reputation survey carried out by the National Accreditation Board (LAN).

It had a score of five, which is equivalent to excellent.

Of the 10 domains in the survey, which include the perception of respondents according research quality, academic resources, reputation of academics, quality programmes and the university of choice for students, USM scored mostly fours and fives.

According to the scale, one is weak, two unsatisfactory, three satisfactory, four good, five excellent and six outstanding.

In an immediate response, USM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dzulkifli Abdul Razak said it was a good start.

“Now we have to work harder to maintain this position and lead the pack,” he said.

Asked why none of the four research universities had obtained “excellent” or “outstanding” in terms of research quality, he believed the universities had to improve their applied research.

“This is as opposed to basic research, which is laying the foundations and viewed by the public as having little application,” he added.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed said the survey, based on information from 2005, was sent to 954 individuals with 272 responding.

“Outstanding could be seen as world class. Based on the perception of the respondents in the survey, our universities have not reached that status yet,” he said when asked why no institution had been classified as “outstanding”.

Education important for a talented 2057 generation, says Najib
Monday November 5, 2007
By LOH FOON FONG
TheStar


KUALA LUMPUR: Malays must place emphasis on starting their children's education early to produce a talented “2057 generation” to steer the nation to greater achievements, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said.

Umno can contribute towards this goal through early childhood education because the present two- to four-year-olds will cross from 2020 and become the generation of 2057, he said.

“It's only when we become a developed race (that) we can be confident,” he said at the Third Malay Agenda Seminar: Malays 2057 – First Series: Politics at the Putra World Trade Centre here yesterday.

In advanced countries, two-year-olds, and sometimes even younger children, join planned education processes, he said.

“Perhaps their learning techniques are different. They focus on fun learning but, more importantly, they believe that the process to build a person must begin early,” he said.

To succeed, there must be the spirit, the strategy and priority and the building of a civilisation based on the Malay culture and Islam.

He said Malays were still expecting handouts and did not pay back study loans but if they want the nation to be developed then their mindset must change.

“No matter what nice plans we have, if the Malays don't have a noble culture it is not possible for us to rise in the world,” he said.

“We may want big houses, expensive cars, imported furniture, but the most important thing is to invest in education.”

In his speech, Najib said it was not easy predicting what might happen in 50 years. Before that, Malaysia will have to go through several challenges.

“We will be at a big crossroads in 2020 because what we do after that will be based on whether Malaysia is declared a developed nation and, even if it is, whether the Malays will be a developed race,” he said.

However, the Government's development plans were to make the Malays a developed race, he said.

Najib said that the Government is also hoping to create “Melayu glocal” – Malays who are globally successful, have great personalities and live their lives according to Islam Hadhari.

He also said the efforts to make Umno attractive to the young is important because members must always refresh Umno's image so that it is always seen as a dynamic party.

The establishing of Puteri and Pemuda Umno and Umno clubs overseas were examples of Umno reinventing itself, he said.

USM to lead research on biopharmacy
Monday November 5, 2007
TheStar


http://thestar.com.my/archives/2007/11/5/north/009403905.jpg

Penang Medical Practitioners' Society president Dr Simon Lo presenting a
mock cheque to National Cancer Society of Malaysia, Penang branch
chairman Datuk Dr T. P. Devaraj (right) during the society's 75th anniversary
dinner at G Hotel in Penang last night. Also present is Chief Minister Tan Sri
Dr Koh Tsu Koon.

UNIVERSITI Sains Malaysia, recently declared the country’s top university, has been chosen to lead national biopharmaceutical research activities.

Penang Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon said a national institute that focused on related research would be set up at USM.

The Federal Government’s move to set up the institute would further boost the biopharmaceutical industry in the country, he said.

He said this when attending Penang Medical Practitioners’ Society 75th anniversary dinner at G Hotel in Penang recently.

Dr Koh said the recognition of USM as a top university in the country was a result of hard work and networking.

The authorities recognised USM as the best overall university in a recent academic reputation survey.

Dr Koh said the state had also gained recognition in the medical sector as it now raked in 65% of the market share in the medical tourism industry.

“Penang has attracted 200,000 foreign patients.

“Our hospital bed ratio is one for every 390 persons. With the opening of three new hospitals, the ratio can be further improved,” he added.

At the function, Tan Sri Dr Sak Cheng Lum and Datuk V. Thurai-singam were accorded the society’s prestigious honorary membership.

Permata Shows Positive Progress - Najib
November 10, 2007 22:33 PM


PEKAN, Nov 10 (Bernama) -- The `Anak Permata Negara' (Permata) Programme, launched six months ago, has shown positive achievements in terms of early childhood education in the country, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

He said the effectiveness of the programme, which emphasised on early childhood education and care, was proven by a study carried out by Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI).

"After six months, the result was most encouraging. The children's intellectual and emotional development, discipline, skills in communication, and social relations are better compared to children who are not involved in the programme," he told reporters after launching the Permata Centre at Chini Timur 3, here today.

Also present was National Permata Policy Working Committee chairman Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.

Najib said 10 more Permata centres would be opened in Johor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Perak, Kedah, Perlis and Kelantan by year end.

"If the programme achieves its intended objectives the government may consider extending it nationwide," he said, adding that each Permata centre would need between RM200,000 and RM300,000 annually to operate.

Currently, 150 children aged between one and five are enrolled in Permata centres in Putrajaya, Cyberjaya, Kepala Batas in Penang, Mempaga and Chini in Pahang.

-- BERNAMA

Note the latest THES ranking for our universities has us dropping out of 200 ranking altogether.

http://www.nst.com.my/pix/pix_top_11141

GIFT OF THE GAB: Winners of the Datuk Seri Najib Razak children public speaking contest with their prizes presented by Najib’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor at the Kuala Lumpur City Hall building yesterday. The champions are are (from left, front row) Mashanis Mohamed for the Bahasa Malaysia category and Jeffrey Johan Adlan Disney for the English category. Other winners are (from left, back row) Nurzirahmi Ezrizal, Najah Musfirah Shaharuddin, Charin Teh En Yin and D. Divaasini. The Malaysian Children Public Speaking Competition 2007 is organised by the Yayasan Harapan Kanak-Kanak Malaysia and sponsored by Petronas.

Plan to shape varsities of world class
Wednesday November 14, 2007
By MUSTAPA MOHAMED
TheStar


IT is that time of year again. The latest Times Higher Education Supplement-Quacquarelli-Symonds (THES-QS) World University Rankings were published on Nov 8 and, as in previous years, have drawn much attention in Malaysia.

More so perhaps, as the 2007 results do not include any Malaysian university in the list of top 200 universities.

As Ben Sowter, head of research at QS Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd, the British company that conducts the survey has said: “In many places our advice was taken and understood ? but in Malaysia, the reduced performance of Malaysian institutions became a source of great focus for both the media and politicians.”

The reaction this year is therefore inevitable as some have concluded that the performance of Malaysian universities has dropped further.

Some may also feel that the current rankings are the result of an egalitarian education policy. Still, massification of higher education was the right choice for a young, developing country that had to ensure its citizens access to education, and thus a brighter future.

Now, however, we have begun to direct our attention to enhancing the quality of our institutions and championing academic excellence.

As our Prime Minister has accurately pointed out, in order for Malaysia to become a hub of educational excellence, we need universities recognised as outstanding and of world-class quality.

The THES-QS rankings are based on six criteria: peer review (40%), citations per faculty (20%), student to faculty ratio (20%), recruiter review (10%), international faculty ratio (5%), and international students ratio (5%).

The citations per faculty criterion is particularly important as an increase in citations can lead to greater peer recognition and hence better peer review scores. These can also generate greater interest among scholars to teach at a given institution, thus raising international faculty ratio scores too.

I am, of course, concerned about the standing of our universities internationally.

Left unchecked, perceptions may form that our exclusion from the THES-QS top 200 reflects a low standard of education – even though Sowter goes on to report that “the drop (in rankings of Malaysian universities) is entirely attributable to the combination of methodological enhancements and improved response dynamics in the rankings themselves.”

Malaysia has made great strides in higher education but we have not yet produced world-class universities.

Malaysians therefore must gain an accurate sense of where we stand today, and the changes being driven by the Higher Education Ministry to bring us to the next level.

As I write this, I have just finished meeting with some Malaysians working and doing business in Vietnam. As with other such visits I have had elsewhere, I am reminded that Malaysians working abroad, most of whom have studied in our local universities, are able to do very well anywhere in the world.

Malaysian institutions have also begun to export our education abroad. This too is reflective of the advances we have made in the quality of our higher education.

So does this mean that we are doing all right and can ignore international university rankings?

No. We cannot be satisfied with present performance. As we are running, others may be running faster. The race is getting tougher and this notion must sink into all our institutions.

The ministry recognises that our universities are not yet world class, so there is still much to be done, and it must be done with the greatest possible sense of urgency.

While changes and improvements to education systems take time to mature, this does not mean that we can take our time to bring about change and improvement.

I am encouraged to note that in the last few years, vice-chancellors have come to accept international university rankings as important guides to performance and a gauge of their progress in building the human capital Malaysia needs to remain globally competitive.

Our universities must establish a strong academic reputation and the crux of the matter lies in having our academics recognised and cited as they publish their work in high-impact and refereed journals.

Four universities have been granted research university status to accelerate this. Universiti Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia and Universiti Sains Malaysia have been given additional funding and revised terms of governance so that they can pursue research excellence.

Vice-chancellors must therefore ensure that their institutions uphold the academic tradition to “publish or perish”.

The rationale for the apex university initiative is to strive for excellence. The apex university concept is not about declaring an existing university world class. Rather, it is about identifying one or two institutions with the greatest potential of reaching such levels, and focusing resources for them to compete with the best in the world, and hence be recognised as world class.

It is for this reason that the ministry has launched its National Higher Education Strategic Plan and the corresponding National Higher Education Action Plan 2007-2010. The action plan is an initiative in the pursuit of excellence while improving quality all round.

The success we have with these plans lies in the quality of our delivery, and the vice-chancellors must lead their institutions to play their part in translating the action plan into reality.

This has to be done quickly and effectively.

Datuk Mustapa Mohamed is the Higher Education Minister.

Malaysia To Speed Up Student Visas - Mustapa
Bernama, 16th November 2007
By Tham Choy Lin


BEIJING, Nov 16 (Bernama) -- Malaysia will look into faster processing of visas for international students following complaints of delays due to a backlog of applications recently, said Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed.

Recruiting agents in Vietnam and China have raised the matter with Mustapa who visited Hanoi before coming here for a five-day trip.

"There was a peak in September and October and we have obtained the particulars of those involved to clear them immediately. But we have to look at a long-term solution because if this keeps recurring, we cannot be competitive as an education hub," he told Malaysian media.

"Now it normally takes about a month but ideally it should be two weeks. We will work towards this and, of course, take into account the meticulous checks by all parties involved to ensure the applications are by genuine students and not abused," he said.

He said this would require enhanced cooperation among all parties involved, namely his ministry, Immigration Department, colleges and universities, and recruiting agents who must ensure the right paperwork was submitted.

To prevent abuse of student visas and unscrupulous education institutions, the Higher Education Ministry is reviewing the list of institutions currently approved to accept foreign students.

"The list was reduced from 550 to 220 but this is still too many. About 150 would be ideal and we are doing the audit now," he said.

The colleges would be held accountable if they recruit bogus students who use such visas to gain entry into Malaysia.

Malaysia currently has 50,000 international students and is targeting to at least double the number by 2010.

Mustapa left for Shanghai on Friday after spending three days in the capital during which he met China's Education Minister Zhou Ji and visited the premier Tsinghua University and the Beijing Foreign Studies University.

He officially launched the Malaysia Education Office and met 30 recruiting agents from different parts of China to get first hand feedback to improve student flow from China, which is one of the fastest growing student markets in the world.

In addition to Beijing, Malaysia has similar offices in Dubai, Jakarta and Hanoi.

-- BERNAMA

Nineteen new schools for Penang
Thursday November 22, 2007
TheStar

PENANG will be getting 19 new schools.

Of these, 11 were primary schools and eight secondary, state Education and Economic Planning Committee chairman Datuk Dr Toh Kin Woon said.

He said construction work on six primary schools and seven secondary schools had already started.

He said no new schools would be built in Seberang Jaya.

However, RM8.04 mil had been allocated for extension, renovation and upgrading of 19 schools in Seberang Jaya, he said.

“The state authority follows the guidelines on construction of new schools.

“Developers are required to allocate a site to build a primary school for projects that involve construction of 1,250 houses.

“For construction of 2,500 units, the developer must allocate two plots of land – one for a primary school and another for a secondary school,” he said.

The local government would seek advice from the state Education Department for projects comprising 700 houses, he said.

Dr Toh said this in a written reply to a question posted by Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah (BN-Seberang Jaya).

Arif Shah had enquired how many of the proposed new schools would be built in Se-berang Jaya.

Note the latest THES ranking for our universities has us dropping out of 200 ranking altogether.

Our university may be lucky to be once ranked under THES. Usually THES gives preference to British-based education systems like Australia, Malaysia and the UK itself. Bear in mind, we also need to be ranked by the other 2 international rankings... so far our unis are too far from that.

Only if our unis are consistently ranked within the top 200 of the 3 rankings, then I say our education system has improved.

Our university may be lucky to be once ranked under THES. Usually THES gives preference to British-based education systems like Australia, Malaysia and the UK itself. Bear in mind, we also need to be ranked by the other 2 international rankings... so far our unis are too far from that.

Only if our unis are consistently ranked within the top 200 of the 3 rankings, then I say our education system has improved.

Agree, our uni's in general aren't able to compete yet. Not to say there aren't excellent teachers, or that you are unable to get a good education...cuz you can if you place the burden on yourself rather than the environment

Education, Quality Care Crucial For Children, Says Rosmah
Bernama, 24th November 2007

http://www.ytlcommunity.com/common/showimage.asp?imgid=82214

Kuala Lumpur-- Parents should place emphasis on education and quality care during the early stage of their children's growth, Deputy Prime Minister's wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor said today.

She said studies had proven that children with such an upbringing not only excelled in their education but were also of good behaviour and with good social norms.

Citing statistics, she said, less than one per cent of children below the age of one attended the 1,831 kindergartens registered in the country.

This, she said, was different in developed countries, like in Britain, where more than 20 per cent of children under three years old received early education while in South Korea, 20 per cent of children under three years old and 68 per cent of those aged between three and six attended kindergartens.

"Teachers are role models for children, the second most important person after their parents, to help mould their personality, behaviour and thinking," Rosmah said at the presentation of certificates to participants attending the Permata Negara Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) course here.

As such, she said, teachers should interact and involve parents in children's learning.

-- BERNAMA

Permata Negara Childhood

http://img30.picoodle.com/img/img30/5/12/7/f_05m_862e560.jpg

Work on varsity to start next year
NST Online » 2007/12/10

BACHOK: The Higher Education Ministry has allocated RM100 million to build the Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK) main campus on a 300ha-site in Tangok next year.

Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed said the first phase of development would include construction of the administrative building and lecture rooms on a 40ha-site.

"The area to be developed will be fenced up to keep out intruders," he said at a research grant presentation in Tangok yesterday.

Mustapa said the contractor had already been picked and the ministry was still discussing the cost and hoped work on the building could begin by March.

The amount allocated does not include compensation, estimated at RM30 million, to be paid to land owners.

UMK's temporary campus is within the Teachers' Training Institute grounds in Pengkalan Chepa with an initial intake of over 300 students.

On another matter, Mustapa said Universiti Putra Malaysia had been tasked with conducting research into the kenaf plant as an alternative cash crop to tobacco for farmers, especially here and in Pasir Puteh.

The cheque for RM700,000 for the six-month research work was handed over by Mustapa to UPM vice-chancellor Prof Dr Abu Bakar Salleh. -- Bernama

December 13, 2007 15:49 PM

Govt Plans A Technology Park In Each Research University


KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 13 (Bernama) -- The Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry and the Higher Education Ministry are considering setting up a technology park in each research university to push inventions for commercialisation.

In his speech at the Malaysian Toray Science Foundation award presentation ceremony here Thursday, Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Datuk Kong Cho Ha said the parks will enable researchers to work closely with companies commercialising their products.

Kong said the government has also selected Malaysia Technology Development Corporation, Malaysia Venture Capital and Malaysian Debt Venture Bhd to assist researchers in commercialising their inventions.

He said that under the Ninth Malaysia Plan, a total of RM816.9 million has been allocated for the Science Fund, RM1.24 billion for the Techno Fund and RM200 million for the Inno Fund.

"These funds are aimed at enhancing university researh," he added.

The research universities are University of Malaya, University of Science Malaysia (USM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).

-- BERNAMA

Hospitality Asia award for Taylor’s College
Saturday December 15, 2007
TheStar

TAYLOR'S College, School of Hospitality & Tourism (TCHT) has clinched the prestigious Hospitality Asia Platinum Awards (HAPA) for 2007-2008.

The award was announced recently at the HAPA 2007-2008 Gala Charity Dinner and Awards Presentation in Crowne Plaza Mutiara Hotel Kuala Lumpur.

The event was attended by over 800 hospitality and tourism professionals in Malaysia.

Taylor’s College chief operating officer Pradeep Nair said: “We dedicate this award to our staff, both academic and administrative, who have worked very hard over the last 21 years to build an institution that is today recognised by industry and society for the achievements of its over 6,000 alumni spread around the globe.

Organised by World Asia Publishing, the Hospitality Asia Platinum Awards is held biennially in Malaysia and Singapore to recognise excellence in hospitality and tourism.

The 6th edition of the HAPA Malaysia Series saw a total of 190 nominees vying for 53 awards across six groups, namely: Major, Establishment, Personality, Restaurant, Department and Travel Services Awards.

Indian company plans to build RM450m varsity
By : P. Chandra Sagaran in Chennai

PERAK'S vision to turn the state into an education hub received a boost with plans by an Indian company to set up a RM450 million international university at Gua Tempurong.

The university will be built by Blair Education Services Sdn Bhd in collaboration with five universities based in Chennai, Hyderabad and Belgaum in India.

The principal foreign equity holder in Blair Education Services is the Maan Sarovar Group of Companies, a property developer whose interests include hospitals and information technology parks here.

Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Tajol Rosli Ghazali, who led a delegation here, was briefed on the plans to set up the university. He said the state had approved a 100ha site for the project. Construction is expected to be completed by 2009.

In the delegation were Perak MIC chairman and National Unity and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman Datuk G. Rajoo; Education, Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovations Committee chairman Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir; Housing, Local Government and Public Transport Committee chairman Datuk Chang Ko Youn and principal assistant director of the university unit of the Higher Education Ministry, Dr Zubaidah Aman.

Tajol Rosli also witnessed the signing of an international collaboration agreement between Blair Education Services Sdn Bhd and a consortium of Indian universities.

The consortium included Anna University and the M.G.R. Medical University here, the International Institute of Information Technology and University of Hyderabad in Hyderabad and KLE University in Belgaum.

The delegation visited Anna University and M.G.R. Medical University.

The new university will offer medical courses, including dentistry, pharmacy and nursing, information technology, bio-technology, nano technology, geoscience and management courses.

Vice-chancellor designate of the university, Professor Datuk Dr V.G. Kumar Das said the collaboration marked a new chapter in the Indian educational scene.

The agreement provides for joint collaboration in research, PhD and double degree programmes and clinical training of students in medicine, dentistry and health sciences.

December 17, 2007 21:43 PM

Vocational, Technical Schools Set For Revamp Next Year


PUTRAJAYA, Dec 17 (Bernama) -- Revamping vocational and technical schools and increasing private sector participation in the field of education are among the Education Ministry's main agenda next year.

Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the exercise would include revamping the curriculum and upgrading the infrastructure.

"They will be offering courses that meet current market needs. Students at these schools may not be academically excellent but they have the potential to excel in technical and vocational fields.

"They should be trained to meet market needs. And this is where the private sector participation is needed," he told reporters here today.

Hishammuddin said the ministry would also be looking into special education for the disabled and pre-school education in 2008.

He said the government wanted the education system to not only educate young Malaysians but also foster closer integration among the various races in the country.

On another note, Hishammuddin, who is also Umno Youth chief, said the country's silent majority, including teachers, should come out in the open to reject street demonstrations which threatened the country's peace and stability.

-- BERNAMA

Malaysia Urgently Needs Higher Education Transformation
19th December 2007

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 19 (Bernama) -- Malaysia urgently needs a transformation in higher education for its future success, Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed said Wednesday.

"These changes will require the successful translation of long-range strategic plans into closely coordinated actions.

"The future economic, social and spiritual well-being of our nation depends critically on the success of the transformation," he in his speech at the launch of the International Centre For Education In Islamic Finance (INCEIF) here.

"In our region alone, South Korea, Singapore and China continue to make great strides in reinventing their leading institutions and higher education systems in general," he said.

"The strategic plan is a holistic long-term approach that would buttress the higher education sector in the country. It is also seen as a paradigm shift in producing qualified human capital that meets the market demands apart from ensuring that the academic staff is invariably the best minds," he said.

His speech was delivered by the Director-General of Higher Education Management Department, Datuk Prof Dr Hassan Said.

INCEIF was set up by Bank Negara in March 2006 to develop and enhance human capital in Islamic finance to meet the growing needs of the global Islamic finance industry.

The centre offers two doctoral programmes -- PhD in Islamic Finance by Reasearch and PhD in Islamic Finance by Coursework and Dissertation -- to 20 local and foreign candidates who will start the programmes on Jan 21.

-- BERNAMA

Uni Mas...University Malaysia Sarawak
by olivecolours

http://img31.picoodle.com/img/img31/5/12/30/f_06m_2082112.jpg

More foreign students at UTM
Monday December 31, 2007
By GLADYS TAY
TheStar

JOHOR BARU: International student enrolment for undergraduate programmes at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) has increased by almost 200%.

Assistant registrar Sabri Ahmad said about 320 foreign students would begin their studies today.

He said it was the first time that UTM was receiving such a large number of students from China (92) and Turkey (38).

The overwhelming Turkish enrolment was due to extensive promotion done by one of the lecturers, Dr Nurullah Kurt, he said.

“Dr Nurullah, who is Turkish, went back to his hometown and did the promotion on his own,” he said.

Dr Nurullah, who teaches Islamic studies, said the opportunity came when he was invited to introduce UTM on a television programme in his hometown.

“I gave a talk on the university in the show similar to Selamat Pagi Malaysia,” he said in fluent Bahasa Malaysia.

“This university is very well equipped with facilities such as a bank, hostel and post office.

“It provides a good environment for learning and I feel very proud to be a part of it,” said the 36-year-old who is now a permanent resident.

Dr Nurullah first came to Malaysia in 1993 when he took up Islamic studies in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).

He taught the same subject in two other colleges, in Kelantan and Johor Baru, before joining UTM more than a year ago.

Soleha Goolteken and Sheyma Yalvach, both 19, heard about UTM when Dr Nurullah went to give a talk at their school in Turkey.

“I am doing architecture while my friend is doing computer science,” Sheyma said.

Meanwhile, the students from China came to know about UTM from an agency.

San Xi, 19, said he chose Malaysia because it is an Islamic country.

“Islam is a religion that stresses cleanliness in all aspects and to me it means a safer and comfortable place to live in,” he said, adding that he thought it was a good idea to study abroad because he could gain more experience.

Other international students who have registered are from Indonesia, Myanmar, Yemen, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Iran, Iraq and Libya.

More Malaysians study in US
Thursday January 3, 2008
TheStar

KUALA LUMPUR: The number of Malaysian students going to the United States last year was the highest in the last five years, much to the delight of the US Embassy here.

US ambassador to Malaysia James Keith said 33,000 visas in total were given to Malaysians in 2007, and of this, 1,642 were student visas.

“This is an increase of about 19% from the previous year, when 1,384 student visas were approved.

“I think you will all be very happy with your choice to study in the United States, which provides some of the best opportunities for higher education in the world,” he told a group of 18 Malaysian students before handing them their visas yesterday.

The embassy’s Consul-General Andrew T. Miller said the number of student visas approved in 2005 was 1,274, 1,322 in 2004 and 1,479 in 2003.

“In the 1980s, we had 17,000 Malaysian students in the US, but Sept 11 has certainly been a big blow to us.

“One of the reasons why the numbers dropped in the last few years was because people thought they weren’t going to get through our security clearance process,” he said.

“We want to remind everyone that our security process is now easier, unlike the visa interview five or six years ago. What students might have gone through then is very different from processes and systems in 2007,” he said.

Miller added that a student visa application could now be completed in four days.

today school starts. i really like the fact that the government give away free books. but they are spbt books and therefore i have to wrap it with plastic....and you can't write or conteng the books. some of my friends got the old ones..i got the new one.

^^Free textbook yar..but when I buy the workbooks for my sister..it was RM120..I think our workbooks weren't that expensive when go to primary school in the 90's:nuts:? The workbooks now even nipis2 one.If Malaysians still tanggung textbooks..I bet it'll cost at least RM300 altogether for primary, for secondary(more subjects) probably RM400 if they also have workbooks(I recall we I dun have workbooks, we were quite dependent on textbooks and workbooks are bought if the teachers use them in their class, but not compulsory).

USM to launch RM59mil Innovation Space in May
Saturday January 12, 2008
By NG SU-ANN
TheStar

PENANG: Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) will launch its research park which will focus on science and arts by May, said its vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dzulkifli Abdul Razak.

Touted the first of its kind in Malaysia, the RM59mil park spanning 12.5ha in Bukit Jambul would be called Innovation Space.

“The park’s infrastructure will comprise of the existing three buildings of a former college.

“We are currently negotiating with six companies, including multinational corporations and cutting-edge scientific companies, to conduct their research in the park.

“They will set up their own infrastructure and use our human resources. We will share the fruits of whatever products that emerge,” he told newsmen after delivering a two-hour New Year message to 1,000 staff members and students at the main campus yesterday.

Prof Dzulkifli said that since the middle of last year, the university had been offering full funding to local and foreign post-doctorate holders for a year.

“If they are good, we will extend the funding for another year. If they maintain their performance, we will then absorb them into our team for the research park.

“So far, there are 30 people from as far as Europe who are benefiting from this programme,” he said, adding that only those aged 35 and below were accepted.

Prof Dzulkifli also said that their research fields included brain science, nanotechnology and medical sciences.

USM, along with Universiti Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and Universiti Putra Malaysia, have been designated as research universities under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

This status entitles them to get an additional funding of RM153mil each for research and development and commercialisation activities.

Cadangan tubuh Universiti Apex

Oleh HELMI MOHD FOAD
PUTRAJAYA 15 Jan. – Kertas cadangan penuh penubuhan Universiti Apex yang dilaksanakan di bawah Pelan Strategik Pendidikan Tinggi Negara (PSPTN) dijangka dikemukakan kepada kerajaan pada pertengahan tahun ini.

Menteri Pengajian Tinggi, Datuk Mustapa Mohamed berkata, menjelang tempoh tersebut, pihaknya berharap satu atau dua buah universiti awam sedia ada dapat dikenal pasti untuk dijadikan Universiti Apex.

‘‘Setakat ini, jawatankuasa khas penubuhan Universiti Apex telah membuat beberapa pertemuan kecil manakala mesyuarat penuhnya telah diadakan semalam.

‘‘Jawatankuasa khas itu diberikan masa selama enam bulan untuk mengemukakan cadangan dan syor mengenai penubuhan Universiti Apex kepada kerajaan,” katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian pada sidang akhbar selepas majlis penyampaian watikah pelantikan penyandang Kursi Tun Abdul Razak ke-13 di pejabatnya di sini hari ini.

Mustapa ditanya mengenai proses penubuhan Universiti Apex yang terkandung dalam PSPTN Melangkaui Tahun 2020.

Pelan itu dilancarkan oleh Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi di Putrajaya pada 27 Ogos tahun lalu.

Pada majlis pelancaran itu, Perdana Menteri mencabar Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi supaya menubuhkan sekurang-kurangnya sebuah Universiti Apex sebelum Rancangan Malaysia Kesembilan (RMK-9) tamat pada 2010.

Universiti Apex ialah universiti tersohor yang menjadi penanda aras peringkat dunia dalam bidang pengajian tinggi.

Di bawah PSPTN, Universiti Apex dijanjikan autonomi dari segi kewangan, skim perkhidmatan, pengurusan, pengambilan pelajar, kepimpinan tertinggi dan penetapan yuran pengajian.

Kebebasan juga diberikan kepada Universiti Apex untuk mengambil lebih ramai pensyarah dan pelajar asing bagi membolehkan ia melahirkan para penyelidik bertaraf Nobel Laureate.

Universiti itu turut boleh menawarkan syarat-syarat perkhidmatan dan gaji yang lebih baik kepada pensyarah dari luar negara supaya ia menjadi lebih kompetitif meskipun ia kekal tertakluk di bawah Akta Universiti dan Kolej Universiti 1971.

Menurut Mustapa, pihaknya berpuas hati kerana anggota jawatankuasa tersebut memahami konsep penubuhan universiti berkenaan dan memberikan komitmen tinggi bagi menjadikan pusat pengajian tinggi itu institusi bertaraf dunia.

‘‘Kita akan kaji cadangan jawatankuasa itu dan menelitinya dengan pantas tetapi sudah tentu ia akan mengambil masa,” katanya.

Terdahulu ketika menyampaikan amanat tahun baru kepada kakitangan kementerian pada majlis berasingan, beliau berkata, pada tahun ini kementeriannya akan meneruskan usaha memberikan autonomi kepada universiti-universiti awam.

As-Salaamu-Alykum All

I am thinking of moving to Malaysia from U.K. to send my son to an Islamic school. Which the best Islamic school who provides the best Islamic Education and International Curriculum for primary and secondary level.

So far I have found on the net Adni Islamic school (Ampang), Khalifa Model School and International Islamic school (near KL). Obviously I don't know anything of the schools apart from what's on their website. Any information about above mentioned schools or any other that you know of will be much apreciated. Also little bit more details about the areas if possible. Thank you very much.

waalaikummussalam...

Malaysia has plenty of Islamic school using Malay Language as a medium, so far, i only knows the International Islamic School at Gombak, located near to International Islamic University...

i believe you've tried googling in the internet to get an info...but here is a good website on that, even though the website doesn't include schools run by foreign embassies (japan embassy has their own japanese school in KL, so as south korean). you may call saudi arabian embassy in KL to ask whether they has their own islamic school or not...

thank you, jazakallah...

http://www.schoolmalaysia.com/finder/profile.php?code=IIS

Oshkoshbgood

Jazakallah for the information. Please check PM sent.

I found an interesting Islamic school in Gombak, a suburb in Kuala Lumpur and near the International Islamic University Malaysia.It's a good area and your son may meet Islamic scholars from the university if he wants to.Here's the website
http://www.iis.edu.my/

Malaysia also have some good public Islamic schools, but the medium of teaching is in Malay and I dun think the Malaysian style boarding school lifestyle would appeal to your son, and it's difficult to have foreigners enrolled into public schools.

For anymore questions, you may forward inquiries to the Ministry of Education of Malaysia. It is highly encouraged that you comfirm the status of the Islamic Schools in Malaysia you found in the internet, in case they are bogus institutions.
http://apps2.emoe.gov.my/tayang.php?laman=utama&unit=utama&bhs=en
If you want a quick reply from the MOE, I suggest you call them, they're pretty slow when it comes to e-mailing :lol:.

is it true that if you're not active in school curricular activites,,,we won't get a seat in the U???

^^not 'won't' but ratther difficult. well, i support the decision bcoz education is to develop 'HUMAN' not 'ROBOT'...what's the meaning best in academic but lack of social and leadership..?

^^not 'won't' but ratther difficult. well, i support the decision bcoz education is to develop 'HUMAN' not 'ROBOT'...what's the meaning best in academic but lack of social and leadership..?

I agree.I am also pushing my sister to be active in sports and clubs.:)

Being from a nobody national school where the extracurricular activities are lethargic, I quite regret that I was not that very active in sports at school and in clubs. :bash:

yeap,.,i believe being active in school curricullar activities is important as it trains students to have leadership qualities and being coopearative.. but sometimes,,,it just takes up alot of time/.......eventhough you're active in school curricular activities but your results are horrible..what's the point???...some of my friends,,,there're really activel in school curricular activities...some of them were elected as chairman,secretary,,vice-president,,they're really active...but,,,their results~~~~...are just simply horrible.....and most of them are in the 3rd or last class........

Malaysia scores again
Thursday January 31, 2008
By FOO YEE PING
TheStar

NEW YORK: Malaysia has scored again in science and technology, proving to 40 other United Nations’ counterparts that the country has succeeded in using science and ICT as tools for development.

Deputy Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Kong Cho Ha said that as the chair of the 41-member Commission on Science and Technology for Development, Malaysia was an example of how it was leapfrogging in economic progress through the use of science and technology.

Kong is here to attend a meeting with the functional commissions of UN’s Economic and Social Council (Ecosoc).

There are 13 commissions under Ecosoc. Yesterday’s meeting was meant to enhance interaction among the commissions, which include the Commission on Sustainable Development, Commission for Social Development and Commission on Narcotics Drugs.

Malaysia was picked last year to lead this year’s session of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development.

“It is a huge recognition for Malaysia as the commission has always been led by developed countries,” Kong said.

At the meeting, he said Malaysia made it clear that the commission must move beyond rhetoric and “get down to business on how science and technology could be used to create wealth for the well-being of the people.”

“We do not want to come here just to attend meetings. We want to see the outcome. We want to see results,” he said.

As chair of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development, Kong said Malaysia wanted to see each of the 41 countries introduce at least one technology company so that they could kick-start a business and trade exchange among themselves.

“It is time to show that science and technology is a key enabler to economic growth.”

Malaysia, he said, was an example of a success story of how it had used science and technology to create a pool of entrepreneurs and sectors such as biotech.

“Ours is a story that can be highlighted to other countries so that we can all learn from one another,” he said.

University of London to set up campus in Negri
Friday February 1, 2008

KUALA LUMPUR: A prestigious British university has agreed to set up a branch campus here by next year.

Royal Holloway, University of London, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with KLEC Ventures Sdn Bhd to set up its first offshore campus in Asia at Bandar Enstek, Negri Sembilan under the KL Education City project (KLEC).

KLEC is planned as an integrated and self-contained education city that will feature a mix of international, local and regional education institutions. Royal Holloway is one of the constituent colleges of the University of London and is a leading research-based university.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed, who witnessed the signing of the MoU, described the proposed branch campus as a milestone in the development of Malaysia as a higher education hub.

“Such collaborations will help Malaysian institutions move up the value chain and improve the quality of our higher education.”

Mustapa added that Royal Holloway would be the fifth foreign university to have a branch campus here. The other branch campuses are Monash University, Nottingham University, Curtin University of Technology and Swinburne University of Technology.

“This new branch campus would result in more foreign students coming to Malaysia. There are about 8,000 students studying in these four branch campuses, and about 25% of their enrolment is made up of foreigners.”

He said Malaysia had always had strong links with Britain in the field of education.

“Currently, there are 12,000 Malaysians studying in Britain and 80 British institutions have cooperative programmes here,” he said.

Signing on behalf of KLEC was its group managing director Kahlil Anwar Kamal while Royal Holloway was represented by vice-principal (academic affairs) Prof Rob Kemp.

Najib: Foreign student enrolment expected to reach 100,000 by 2010
Friday February 1, 2008
BY SARBAN SINGH
TheStar

SEREMBAN: Private institutions of higher learning have been told to ensure that their lecturers are competent to deliver quality education in efforts to make Malaysia recognised as a regional education hub.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said this was important as the country planned to increase its foreign student enrolment from 55,000 to 100,000 by 2010.

“We do not only want modern infrastructure but also quality faculty members to deliver quality education as well.

“We must invest to have quality manpower,” he said when opening the Legenda Education Group campus in Mantin, some 25km from here.

He said quality higher education could be achieved if administrators focused on implementing efficient and innovative learning and teaching strategies.

To achieve this, more lecturers and tutors needed to be trained to ensure they could effectively impart knowledge, he said.

“The ultimate objective is to make Malaysia one of the key destinations for international students.

“On our part, we will make sure the process of issuing visas for foreign students and their study and living environments here are conducive,” he said.

Najib said the Government had introduced several measures to ensure that people, particularly the younger generation, had access to affordable quality education.

“In the 1980s, we promoted the twinning programme concept. In the 1990s, we allowed the private colleges to offer degree courses on a franchise basis with foreign institutions.

“This was followed by the setting up of several new private universities and allowing foreign universities to set up branch campuses here,” he said.

Najib said the Government wanted to see every four out of 10 students between 17 and 23 years of age complete tertiary education in the year 2010.

“By 2020, half of those in that age group must be graduates. This is important if we want to be able to move forward,” he said.

Log in to apply for public universities

PUTRAJAYA: Students applying for entry to public universities for the 2008/9 academic session must do so online through the Higher Education Ministry.

Its minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed said students could choose to apply online or via forms previously.

“Those applying for entry into public universities with STPM results or its equivalent can register between Jan 7 and Feb 7 while those waiting for their SPM results can register under two phases,” he told reporters at his ministry.

Mustapa said this was a pre-emptive measure to ensure students no longer faced problems with the ministry’s server when applying for entry.

He said 97,639 students waiting for SPM results had already registered online in the first phase from Nov 12 to Dec 31 last year.
Students who have not registered can do so again in the second phase from Feb 4 onwards until 10 days after the official SPM results are released, he said.

The same would apply to students waiting for their STPM results as they too would have 10 days to submit their choice of programmes after the results are released, he added.

“What they need to do is fill out their personal information so that once their results are released, they only need to list down their choice of programmes,” he said.

The ministry’s helpline and hotline numbers are 03-8883 5848 and 03-8883 5858 respectively.

UCSI main campus to be a major project

PUTRAJAYA: The establishment of UCSI Education Sdn Bhd's main campus on a 160-acre site at Bandar Springhill, Negri Sembilan, will cost “a few hundred million ringgit,” said UCSI president and vice chancellor Peter T.S. Ng.

UCSI’s campuses are in Cheras, Kuala Terengganu and Kuching.

Ng said the first of the three-phase development involved the setting up of an international school for primary and secondary education.

“The first phase on a 28-acre site will start in May or June, with the first intake expected in September next year,” he told reporters after the signing ceremony between UCSI and West Synergy Sdn Bhd yesterday.

Bandar Springhill is a 2,000-acre township being developed by West Synergy - a 60:40 joint venture between the MUI group and Chin Teck Plantations Bhd. To date, about 550 acres have been developed.

West Synergy chairman Wong Aun Pui said the 160-acre plot owned by West Synergy was sold to UCSI at a “nominal price.”

“The success of UCSI development would have a spill-over effect on the township. It's a win-win situation for us,” he said.

Ng noted that Bandar Springhill had good infrastructure as development there had been on-going for 10 years.

Upon completion of the international school, UCSI would proceed to set up the main campus, which would house the Faculty of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Management & Information Technology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Centre for Pre-University Studies and a centre dedicated to continuous research on the Blue Ocean Strategy.

The project is due for completion by 2016.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Negri Sembilan Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

New UiTM campus in Terengganu
Wednesday February 6, 2008
MYT 4:19:19 PM

KUALA TERENGGANU: Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) will set up a 1000-acre campus in Bukit Besi, 85km from here, under the East Coast Economic Region (ECER) initiative.

A tender has been called for Phase 1, consisting of 300 acres, and scheduled to start construction in May, Ketengah, one of the government agencies tasked with the economic development of Terengganu, said in a statement.

Estimated to cost RM60 million, the campus will be built at the edge of Tasik Puteri near an 18-hole golf course, and will form a part of the state’s recreational areas, said UiTM Vice-Chancellor Datuk Seri Professor Dr Ibrahim bin Abu Shah.

The 700-acre Phase 2 will commence upon the completion of its initial phase. “The first phase is expected to operational by June 2010 and will have its first student intake of 1,000 students in sports sciences and marine architecture. By 2012, the university will have about 5,000 students based on-campus,” he said. Education has been earmarked as one of the main drivers of ECER’s economic growth. In addition to developing human capital, it has also been designated as a tourist draw.

Existing university branch campuses of UiTM are located in Machang, Dungun and Jengka.

USM Announces Findings On Use Of Stem Cells In Neuro Treatment


KOTA BAHARU, Feb 10 (Bernama) -- A group of researchers at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) created a milestone in the field of neuroscience with their findings on the use of embryonic and bone marrow stem cells to treat neuro diseases.

These two stem cells can be used in the treatment of paralysis, brain injury or backbone injury, according to Prof Jafri Malin Abdullah who led the team of researchers.

Announcing the outcome after a year of research today, Prof Jafri said the two stem cells could be used to treat neuro diseases by replacing the damaged cells.

There are four categories of stem cells -- embryonic stem cells, fetal stem cells, umbilical cord stem cells and adult stem cells which could be obtained from the bone marrow, intestines, heart, skin, brain, pancreas and eyes, he added.

He said the treatment could be used on humans in three to five years' time.

"A lot of researches have been done on stem cells but this is the first involving neuroscience in Malaysia," he added.

Meanwhile, USM Vice Chancellor Prof Datuk Dzulkifli Abdul Razak said the finding by the team was another success by USM Hospital in the field of medical research.

"We hope the outcome of this research can be used to treat human in the future," he added.

The research is funded by the Higher Education Ministry under the Basic Education Fund involving an allocation of RM250,000.

Welcome to UCSI (Malaysia) - The University.The ExperienceUCSI's School of Medicine intends to recruit and train students as health care
http://www.ucsi.edu.my/prog_med.asp
by f9593 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/57794752@N00/sets/72157603897154299/)


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by Kavi Glenister

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Two more campuses

By CHOI TUCK WO

HOT on the heels of its London campus, Limkokwing University of Creative Technology has set its sights on two more closer to home – Penang and Kelantan.

Dubbed the cyber kampung, the Limkokwing University of Hospitality & Tourism will be built in Balik Pulau while the other in Kota Baru is still under study.

Costing over RM100mil, the 20ha Penang campus is designed for 10,000 students and is even bigger than the main one in Cy-berjaya.

Its president Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing said the campus would in-corporate a tourist resort and offer courses such as arts, culture and music from certificate level up to post-graduate.

He said they had reached an agreement with several British in-stitutions of higher education, in-cluding the Thames Valley University, for collaborative programmes with the Penang campus.

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Proposed campus:Lim showing an artist's impression of the LimKokWing University of Hospitality & Tourism in Balik Pulau.
“Our key message is to train Malaysians to be among the best in the world,” he told The Star at its newly-opened British campus in Piccadilly, London, last Wed-nesday.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi opened the university two days earlier, the first in Britain to be set up by Malaysia as well as an Asian and Commonwealth country.

Lim said Abdullah, who was briefed on the Penang campus by him, had suggested that it must be of high quality and international standard without losing the local flavour.

Work on the project is expected to start early next year and scheduled to be fully completed by mid-2010.

“We have identified several sites in Balik Pulau and hope to fi-nalise the location very soon,” he added.

Based on a traditional Malay kampung architecture, the spraw-ling campus will be fully-wired while the 200-room resort will comprise chalets built on stilts.

Lim said they were also looking for a heritage building, preferably a row of shophouses in George Town, to act as the urban campus.

“We can start recruiting students for the city campus by the middle of next year and for Balik Pulau the following year,” he add-ed.

He explained that they would combine creativity and innovation with Penang’s rich heritage and cultural diversity to take the industry to greater heights.

“We will bring the best out of our people, their gentleness and ready smiles and fuse it with the arts, craft and music of Penang,” he added.

Lim stressed that the Penang campus would act as one of the economic drivers of the Northern Corridor Economic Region, especially with the rising number of tourists from North Asia, particularly China.

He said a centre would also be set up in Kepala Batas to provide training in halal branding, design and packaging of products like kain songket, batik, pottery and ce-ramics.

He added that they had been invited by the Kelantan Govern-ment to open a branch campus offering courses in ICT, tourism management and creative designs.

“We are still studying the proposal as the East Coast is the bedrock of traditional arts and crafts,” he said.

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cyber kampung.... a damn smart businessman.

Kuala Langat also set to become an education hub
Thursday March 6, 2008
By EDWARD RAJENDRA
TheStar

FISHERMEN’S jetties along the Langat River in Kuala Langat are where folks from Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya go to for a quick weekend getaway to enjoy fresh seafood and a breeze blowing in their faces.

Cooked in Chinese, Javanese or Indian style, the fresh seafood attracts foreign tourists and those from neighbouring districts.

Kuala Langat is famous for its agricultural produce, industries that recycle scrap metal, home stay programmes for tourists and for its National Space Centre in Kanchong Darat.

Kanchong Darat is popular with Kuala Lumpur chefs from five star hotels who buy vegetables and poultry from the farms as well as seafood from fishermen at the jetties.

Kuala Langat is located in the southwestern part of Selangor’s border with Negri Sembilan and to the west is the Straits of Malacca.

Among the major towns are Jugra, Banting, Kanchong Darat, Telok Datok and Morib.

The parliamentary constituency has 66,515 voters, made up of 36,751 Malays, 17,354 Chinese, 12,297 Indians and 113 others.

Putrajaya and the KL International Airport (KLIA), linked by the new highways, have become the catalyst for Kuala Langat’s development.

The Telok Panglima Garang Free Trade Zone, industries manufacturing electronic components and car parts have created many job opportunities for the locals.

Road networks and infrastructure in the district are good, making it viable for manufacturers to transport their finished goods on freight trucks to Kuala Lumpur, KLIA and Port Klang.

There are three state seats in the Kuala Langat parliamentary constituency – Sijangkang, Telok Datuk and Morib.

Newcomer Kuala Langat Umno division vice-chairman Sulaiman Mohd Karli is the Barisan Nasional flag-bearer for the Kuala Langat parliamentary constituency for this election, replacing Datuk Dr Mohd Shafie Salleh.

“Being a local and a teacher at three Muslim religious schools from 1979 to 1996 give me the edge as most of the youths eligible to vote are my former students. Support is there and I am confident because of my social work and close rapport with the people,” said Sulaiman

For Sijangkang, incumbent Datuk Abdul Fatah Iskandar (BN) who is facing Ahmad Yunus Hairi (PAS) is banking on his service track record as the assemblyman for three terms.

Telok Datuk state seat will see incumbent Datuk Ei Kim Hock from Barisan face Philip Tan Choon Swee of DAP.

The Morib constituency will see incumbent Hasiman Sidom of Barisan taking on Mohd Sallehuddin Hafiz of PAS.

Ei, who is Kuala Langat MCA chief, said the district would continue to boom and change its image with the Klang Valley Two development that would be completed by 2015.

Hasiman said Morib is being moulded into an education hub and that plans were afoot to set up a few educational institutions in Jugra.

“We have the Kuala Langat Community College and Industrial Training Institute. Other institutions being built are a matriculation college, a polytechnic and a Mara skills training institute,’’ he said.

First foreign university to open in Perak by 2010
Thursday March 6, 2008
MYT 5:38:06 PM
By CLARA CHOOI
TheStar

IPOH: Perak will see the opening of its first foreign university when construction of the RM450mil Premier International University of Perak in Gua Tempurung is completed in 2010.

Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Tajol Rosli Ghazali said that the university would be set up by India's Blair Education Services consortium, which has a string of five universities in its home country.

"It will be a viable institution and we are certain that it will be successful. At least now, our children will not have to travel all the way to India to take up courses - the ones offered here would be cheaper and just as credible.

"At its peak, the university would be able to accommodate as many as 8,000 students," he said after handing over land offer letters to Blair Education Services Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Dr R. Subramanian at the Impiana Casuarina Hotel here on Wednesday. Tajol Rosli added that the university, set to be built on a 101ha site in Gua Tempurung, some 20km from here, would only be partly residential.

"I requested that the university authorities not set up a fully residential campus. I want the students to live in the surrounding areas of Ipoh too," he said.

India’s Blair university to be set up in Perak
Friday March 7, 2008
TheStar

IPOH: Perak will get its first foreign university when construction of the RM450mil Premier International University of Perak in Gua Tempurung is completed in 2010.

Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Tajol Rosli Ghazali said that the university would be set up by India’s Blair Education Services consortium, which has five universities in the subcontinent.

“Our children will not have to travel all the way to India to take up courses – the ones offered here would be cheaper and just as credible.

“The university can accommodate as many as 8,000 students,” he said after handing over land offer letters to Blair Education Services Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Dr R. Subramaniam here on Wednesday.

Tajol Rosli said the university would be built on a 101ha site in Gua Tempurung, some 20km from here.

Dr Subramaniam assured the state government that the construction of the campus would not affect the environment in the surrounding areas and Gua Tempurung.

The university will have five faculties – medical, dentistry, pharmaceuticals and allied health sciences, business and management, and integrative sciences and technology.

SPM and STAM results out on March 12

PETALING JAYA: The Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia (STAM) results will be released on March 12.

Education director-general Datuk Alimuddin Mohd Dom said students would be able to obtain the results after 10am from their respective schools.

“Private candidates will receive their results through the post,” he said in a statement released yesterday.

A total of 439,255 students sat for the SPM examination while 6,522 students sat for the STAM papers last year.

Alimuddin said an analysis of the results would be announced on the same day.

Kedah student scores 21 As in SPM
Wednesday March 12, 2008
MYT 4:52:02 PM
By KAREN CHAPMAN
TheStar

PUTRAJAYA: SMKA Yan student Azali Azlan has set a new record by obtaining 21 As – 20 1As and one 2A – in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.

He has beaten the record set by former SMK Ulu Tiram student Nur Amalina Che Bakri who scored 17 1As in 2004.

Education director-general Datuk Alimuddin Mohd Dom said Azali was the only student who took 21 subjects.

"We encourage students to take between eight to 10 subjects but because it is an open certificate, we cannot stop students from taking more subjects if they feel they can cope," he told reporters Wednesday while announcing the SPM and Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia (STAM) results at the ministry.

He said one student each took 19 and 18 subjects respectively, two took 17 and 10 took 16 subjects.

Azali, 17, who wants to study biotechnology either in the United States or Britain, said he wanted to thank his teachers from kindergarten to secondary school.

"My success is not mine alone as I could not have done it without my parents and all my teachers," he said.

Asked why he took so many subjects, he said he wanted to prove to himself that he could do it, adding that he had obtained 18 1As and 3 2As in the trial examination.

Azali said he performed the solat hajat and fasted during the entire examination period, adding that he had dates and drank honey water for strength every day.

STPM: English main answer choice
Wednesday March 12, 2008
By KAREN CHAPMAN
TheStar

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Prof Dzulkifli: ‘Urban candidates performed better in both the
Science and Arts streams compared to rural areas’

KUALA LUMPUR: About 91.9% or 60,697 students who sat for the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) examination last year opted to answer the Science and Mathematics papers in English.

Malaysian Examinations Council (MEC) chairman Prof Datuk Dzulkifli Abdul Razak said this was an increase of 6.2% compared to 2006.

“This shows that the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English has not affected performance,” he said, when announcing the STPM results yesterday.

Since 2004, candidates have been given the choice of answering the Science and Mathematics papers – Mathematics S, Mathematics T, Further Mathematics T, Computing, Physics, Chemistry and Biology – in either English or Bahasa Malaysia.

Prof Dzulkifli said although candidates were allowed to take five subjects, the majority took four last year, as the Higher Education Ministry’s requirement for entry into public universities is four subjects, including the General Paper.

He said 25 candidates obtained As in all five subjects taken last year compared to 34 in 2006.

“A total of 59 candidates obtained four As out of five subjects taken and 361 obtained As in all four subjects,” he added.

Prof Dzulkifli said that 437 candidates obtained a cumulative grade point average of 4.0 compared with 503 in 2006.

In terms of candidates’ performance in urban and rural areas, Prof Dzulkifli said there was still an obvious difference.

“Urban candidates performed better in both the Science and Arts streams with 13.71% obtaining all As compared to 4.62% in the rural areas,” he said.

He said this could be due to a lack of facilities and infrastructure when asked why there was a difference.

Prof Dzulkifli who is also Universiti Sains Malaysia vice-chancellor, said six subjects; namely Chinese Language, Literature in English, Malay Literature, Accounts, Physics and Sports Science showed an improvement in the passing rate.

Four subjects; namely Arabic, Usuluddin, Computing and Further Mathematics T showed a decline.

“There was a 0.75% increase where 56,896 candidates passed at least one subject,” he said.

There was a decrease in the number of candidates who sat for the STPM from 73,691 in 2006 to 66,047 last year, he added.




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total of 16 top performers received RM1,000, a certificate and a plaque from Prof Dzulkifli in a presentation ceremony.

The MEC also presented prizes to students who achieved a Band Six in the Malaysian University English Test.

Meet Azali - the 21A student
Thursday March 13, 2008
TheStar (http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/3/13/nation/20625314&sec=nation)

PUTRAJAYA: SMKA Yan student Azali Azlan has set a new record by obtaining 21 As – 20 1As and one 2A – in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.

He has beaten the record set by former SMK Ulu Tiram student Nur Amalina Che Bakri who scored 17 1As in 2004.

Education director-general Datuk Alimuddin Mohd Dom said Azali was the only student who took 21 subjects.

“We encourage students to take between eight to 10 subjects but because it is an open certificate, we cannot stop students from taking more subjects if they feel they can cope,” he told reporters when announcing the SPM and Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia (STAM) results at the ministry yesterday.

He said one student each took 19 and 18 subjects respectively, two took 17 and 10 took 16 subjects.

Azali, 17, who wants to study biotechnology, either in the United States or Britain, said he wanted to thank his teachers from kindergarten to secondary school.

“My success is not mine alone as I could not have done it without my parents and all my teachers,” he said.

Asked why he took so many subjects, he said he wanted to prove to himself that he could do it, adding that he had obtained 18 1As and 3 2As in the trial examination.

Azali said he performed the solat hajat and fasted during the entire examination period, adding that he had dates and drank honey for strength every day.

SMK Hwa Lian student Quek Khai Ren was the only one to score 16 1As in the examination.

“I am hoping to obtain a scholarship; that’s why I did 16 subjects because I want to stand out from the rest who usually do 10 or 11 subjects,” he said.

Quek, who wants to study either engineering or actuarial science, said he did not want to burden his parents as he had three younger siblings.

Alimuddin said 189 special students out of 355 managed to obtain an SPM certificate.

“The best special student (blind category) is Loh Wei Siong from SMK Batu Lintang in Kuching who scored six 1As and two 2As,” he said.

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5% increase in students with straight As
Thursday March 13, 2008
TheStar

PUTRAJAYA: A total of 6,247 students who took the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination last year obtained As in all their subjects.

Education director-general Datuk Alimuddin Mohd Dom said this was an increase of 5.2% compared to last year.

“Of the total, 1,072 obtained 1As last year compared to 1,280 in 2006,” he told a press conference when announcing the SPM and Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia (STAM) results at the ministry yesterday .

He said the students who sat for the SPM last year were the first cohort in Form One under the Teaching of Science and Mathematics in English introduced in 2003.

“It has not affected the students’ performance in Science and Mathematics as there are improvements in Additional Mathematics, Physics and Biology at national level in both urban and rural areas,” he said.

As an example, he said, 252,513 students opted to answer the Mathematics paper and 161,972 students answered the Additional Mathematics 2 paper in English.

He said there had also been an increase in the proficiency of English among students.

“A total of 52,931 students obtained 1A or 2A in English last year compared to 47,547 in 2006,” he said.

Effective last year, he said students who took the Principles of Accounting subject and obtained good results would receive international recognition.

This, he added, was for Level Two of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and exemptions for a Certified Accounting Technician paper under the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants qualifications.

Educate your children, Adnan tells the poor
Thursday March 13, 2008
TheStar

KUANTAN: There is no reason for the poor to be ashamed of their situation, and they must work hard to educate their children, Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob said.

“With state aid, you must ensure your children go to school for a better future,” Adnan said before presenting financial contributions totalling RM308,809 to 186 recipients under the Urban Poverty Eradication Programme here recently.

“Programmes aimed at helping the people started in the First Malaysia Plan and continues in the present 9th Malaysia Plan.

“No other country has a programme like us,” he said.

State Secretary Datuk Muhammad Safian Ismail said the financial aid given to the recipients included monthly house rental, transport allowance for school-going children, allowance for technical training courses and a one-off payment of RM1,000 for those from poor families accepted into public universities or for medical treatment.

He said the programme came under the Housing and Local Government Ministry.

In Pahang, those who fell into the poor category earned less than RM660 monthly while the hardcore poor earned less than RM420 monthly, said Muhammad Safian, who is also Focus Group chairman, a group set up to streamline poverty eradication programmes.

Sarawak plans hybrid school
Sunday March 23, 2008
TheStar

MIRI: The Sarawak government and a British education group that specialises in international education have initiated plans to set up a “hybrid international school” in the state to cater both to local students and the rising number of foreign children here.

The hybrid international school, to be based in oil capital Miri, will have very special features: it will have 40% Malaysians and 60% foreign students and it will have classes from primary levels to upper secondary levels (pre-university levels).

Other international schools have a policy of 100% foreign students and cater only for primary schoolchildren.

Sarawak Assistant Minister for Infrastructure Development and Communications Lee Kim Shin, who held a series of intensive talks with the management of the Centre of British Education Trust to set up the school, said it would be named Borneo International School.

If approved by the Education Ministry, this hybrid international school here will be the first of its kind in the state.

The proposed site for the school is at the Sarawak Curtin University of Technology campus ground, said Lee, the state assemblyman for Senadin.

“Sarawak has seen an increase in the number of expatriate families because of the current boom in the oil and gas industry,” Lee said after meeting British Education Trust chairman John Howard.

“There is now a greater demand for international education. The demand comes not only from expatriate families, but also from locals who want their children to be exposed to an international system of education.

“Thus, we have devised this hybrid system. I hope it can start operating by early next year,” Lee said.

“What we want is to build a world-class prestigious international school in Miri that would be an asset to the state and country,” Howard said.

However, important issues such as funding, the curriculum and the size of the school need to be sorted out first, he added.

Source : http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/4/3/nation/20831402&sec=nation

Malaysia-Japan varsity set to take off
PETALING JAYA: The proposed Malaysia-Japan International University of Technology is gaining ground with 50 Japanese universities forming a consortium to contribute to the project.

Japanese Ambassador to Malaysia Masahiko Horie said the university, which was mooted several years ago, would be a landmark project for Japan here.

“Four Japanese universities have already sent their professors here to work on a syllabus.

“We have to work out the financing and the temporary base for the university is at Universiti Teknoloji Malaysia,” he said during a visit to Menara Star here yesterday.

The envoy, who was posted here last September, was accompanied by his wife Yoko and press attache Kaori Shinozaki.

Horie said he planned to meet the chief executives of top Japanese corporations to seek their help in establishing the university.

He said Japanese investments were also pouring in, with big firms having the confidence to expand their operations here.

There are about 1,400 Japanese firms operating in Malaysia.

Expressing satisfaction with progress on the bilateral front, Horie said he would leave for Tokyo next month to woo more business investments for Malaysia.

“Compared to China, India and Vietnam, Malaysia holds the comparative advantage. You have the complete infrastructure, skilled labour and social stability.

“Japanese corporations here are very happy with the locals they have employed and this is a major pulling power for them,” he said.

He said about 700 Japanese nationals had also participated in the Malaysia My Second Home programme.

Horie added that the country was also a top draw for Japanese tourists.

TRC secures RM196m project
09 Apr 2008 11:03 AM
THEEDGEDAILY

KUALA LUMPUR: TRC Synergy Bhd has secured a RM196.5 million main contract from Majlis Amanah Raya (MARA) to design and build a new campus for Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) in Pasir Gudang, Johor.

In a statement yesterday, TRC executive chairman Datuk Seri Sufri Mohd Zin said with the contract, its outstanding order book now stood at about RM1 billion.

“Our established track record in delivering high-quality projects on time puts us at an advantageous position to secure more jobs in the near future,” he said.

The new campus will sit on a land area of about 24ha and have a built-up area of about 66,000 sq metres.

The new UniKL campus will accommodate an estimated 1,500 students.

TRC said construction would start immediately and was expected to be completed within 24 months.

Wawasan Open University Penang (WOU)
by Hélène Thailand

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by Mau Horng

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Limkokwing 'not a threat in UK'

KUALA LUMPUR: The Limkokwing University of Technology in London has raised the alarm among British institutions of higher learning.

In an article published by The Independent newspaper entitled "From Malaysia to Mayfair: The foreign university that is sending shivers in the higher education world", the university's presence was described as a "threat".

In a statement, Professor Emeritus Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing said the university does not see itself as a threat to British institutions but to complement an established fraternity of tertiary education.

"It is not the aim of the university to compete with British institutions of higher learning, we would just like to offer a unique brand of education."

He hoped that being a Malaysian institution, Limkokwing's presence would be viewed as a recognition to the British education system, as Malaysia still sends thousands of its students to obtain their degrees, master's and doctorates in the United Kingdom.

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Well done Lim, you have made something so special for Malaysia.
By the time it listed in the Top 100 uni in the world ranking, my cert will become a precious piece of paper.

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female almost double male candidates..ouch.