EDUCATION Malaysia [Archive] - Page 3

rizalhakim

April 29th, 2008, 10:05 AM

Universiti Sains Angkasa Lepas bakal dibina di Johor

JOHOR BAHRU 27 April – Sebuah syarikat tempatan bersama rakan kongsi luar negara bercadang menubuhkan sebuah universiti bernilai RM6.1 bilion yang mengkhusus pengajian sains angkasa lepas.

Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Next Systems Sdn. Bhd., Noor Faizal Abdul Samad berkata, cadangan penubuhan universiti itu, yang masih di peringkat perbincangan dengan rakan kongsi luar negara, akan dikemukakan kepada kerajaan setelah segala perancangan selesai.

Katanya, sebuah kawasan seluas 1,000 hektar di Kota Tinggi telah dikenal pasti untuk pembinaan universiti yang akan dikenali sebagai Universiti Sains Angkasa Lepas Malaysia (UniSam).

“Jika cadangan terhadap penubuhan UniSam itu diterima, Malaysia akan muncul sebagai negara ketiga di dunia yang mempunyai universiti sains angkasa lepas selepas Embry Riddle Aeronautical University di Florida dan International Space University, Strasbourg, Perancis,” katanya kepada Bernama dalam satu temuramah eksklusif di sini, baru-baru ini.

Noor Faizal berkata, penubuhan universiti bertujuan mengembalikan era kegemilangan Islam di dalam bidang sains angkasa lepas seperti astronomi dan lain-lain.

Sains angkasa lepas, katanya, tidak hanya berkait dengan perkara-perkara di angkasa lepas tetapi turut merangkumi pelbagai perkara serta teknologi yang kini digunakan dengan meluas oleh manusia di bumi.

Beliau memberikan contoh mudah iaitu bateri “Lithium” yang menurutnya adalah satu teknologi yang tercipta hasil kajian pihak berkuasa angkasa lepas Amerika Syarikat, NASA, ketika di angkasa lepas.

“Teknologi sains angkasa lepas itu amat penting kerana ia telah berkembang kepada teknologi-teknologi lain yang memberikan faedah kepada manusia. UniSam yang akan berteraskan kepada kajian akan membantu kita meneroka teknologi-teknologi ini,” katanya.

Noor Faizal berkata, UniSam akan mempunyai lapan fakulti meliputi bidang-bidang kritikal di dalam kajian sains angkasa lepas seperti Kejuruteraan Angkasa Lepas dan Aeronautik, Kejuruteraan Mekanikal, Kejuruteraan Biologi, Bio Molekular dan Perubatan.

Bidang-bidang lain termasuklah Kejuruteraan Kimia dan Bio Kimia, Kejuruteraan Komputer, Robotik dan Perisian, Kejuruteraan Elektrikal dan Elektronik, Kejuruteraan Geologi, Atmosferik dan Planetari dan Kejuruteraan Matematik, Fizik dan Astronomi.

Beliau berkata, pihaknya bercadang menarik saintis-saintis sains angkasa lepas Islam yang terkenal di dunia seperti Prof. Ahmed Zemail, Prof. Ibrahim Semiz dan beberapa saintis terkenal untuk berkhidmat di UniSam.

Fakulti-fakulti terbabit, katanya, akan mempunyai 29 buah makmal yang dilengkapi dengan peralatan paling moden di Malaysia dan rantau bagi membolehkan projek-projek penyelidikan penuntutnya.

Di antara peralatan-peralatan yang dicadangkan untuk dibina di UniSam merupakan teknologi-teknologi ulung seperti Fusion Reactor atau Thermonuclear Reactor, Linear Collider, Large Binocular Telescope-Neural Network Telescope, High Performance Computing (HPC), Supersonic Wind Tunnel dan makmal simulasi 3D.

Nor Faizal berkata, pembinaan makmal dan peralatan berteknologi canggih di UniSam serta kehadiran saintis sains angkasa lepas terkemuka antarabangsa akan menjadikan universiti berkenaan sebagai pusat rujukan kepada saintis dalam dan luar negara.

“Ini akan menjadikan Malaysia sebagai pusat rujukan kepada kajian sains angkasa lepas,” katanya, sambil menambah kata bahawa, sebuah kolej universiti juga dicadang dibina untuk pelajar-pelajar peringkat menengah rendah, bertujuan mempersiapkan mereka sebelum memasuki UniSam.

– Bernama

rizalhakim

April 30th, 2008, 04:56 AM

HELP plans new campus

KUALA LUMPUR: HELP International Corp Bhd plans to allocate RM100mil for the construction of its new integrated campus in Shah Alam.

President and co-founder Dr Paul T.H. Chan said: “We need an integrated campus to accommodate the increasing number of students.”

Yesterday, shareholders approved the proposed acquisition of 23.29 acres in Subang 2 Delima by its wholly owned unit Help University College Sdn Bhd from Juta Permai (M) Sdn Bhd for RM20.29mil.

The proposed flagship campus, with a built-up area of 600,000 sq ft, would be developed in four phases and was expected to be completed in seven to eight years, Chan said after the company AGM and EGM yesterday.

The project would be funded by internal funds and bank borrowings, he said, adding that the campus would accommodate 13,000 students.

Chan said the construction of phase 1, which costs RM35mil, would start next year for completion by 2011. “We target the number of students to increase to 18,000 after the completion of our new campus in 2015,” he said.

Currently, HELP has 10,500 on-campus students, of whom 20% are foreigners from 65 countries.

According chief executive officer Low Kam Yoke, the population of foreign students would grow faster than that of local students this year due to increased enrolment from the Middle East and Africa.

Meanwhile, Chan said HELP would sign a deal with the Saudi Arabian government to deliver some courses in the country next month. HELP would also deliver its information technology and digital programmes to two institutions in Suzhou, China, he added.

To date, HELP had 12 franchising arrangements with Indonesia, Vietnam and China, said Chan, adding that it aimed to award at least 10 licences annually through similar arrangements.

“We anticipate our licensing and franchising arrangements with overseas partners to contribute 30% to the group's topline by 2010 from less than 10% currently,” he said.

Additionally, HELP was “actively exploring” possible mergers and acquisitions internationally, especially in Australia and the US, said Chan.

nazrey

May 2nd, 2008, 07:23 AM

Big plan to promote craniofacial studies
Friday May 2, 2008
TheStar

UNIVERSITI Sains Malaysia is embarking on a programme with Australian Cranio-Maxillo Facial Foundation (ACMFF) to promote craniofacial training studies.

The purpose of setting up a national foundation for the programme is aimed at providing education, training programmes and collaborative research studies to train professionals and postgraduate students on the study of skull and face.

USM and ACMFF signed a memorandum of understanding to set up the programme recently.

USM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dzulkifli Abdul Razak said the programme would be established with the approval of the Malay-sian Health Ministry.

Prof Dzulkifli represented USM while ACMFF was led by its chairman Prof David J. David . The simple MOU ceremony was held at the university.

Prof David said ACMFF would work together with the university to establish the programme.

He said ACMFF would play host to USM postgraduate students taking up the studies in Adelaide.

He said they would offer two seats a year for Malaysian students in ACMFF.

ACMFF would also provide on-going consultancy services and education to students and medical teams at USM for a specified term.

ACMFF was established in 1984 to raise funds to support the de-velopment of craniofacial services. It supports the work of the Aust-ralian Craniofacial Unit (ACFU) and Institute of Craniofacial Stu-dies (ICFS).

nazrey

May 2nd, 2008, 07:24 AM

Pakatan Rakyat To Propose Policy On Free Preschool-tertiray Education
May 01, 2008 23:27 PM

IPOH, May 1 (Bernama) -- Pakatan Rakyat will propose to the government to introduce a policy on free education from preschool to tertiary level, said Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin.

He said such a policy would reduce the financial burden of parents.

"This matter will be raised by our Pakatan Rakyat member in the Dewan Rakyat. We will also explain to the people how they can get free education," he told reporters after officiating at a Workers Day celebration organised by the Perak branch of the National Union of Rubber Product Industry Workers, here, Thursday.

Mohammad Nizar disputed the government's present concept of free education, saying that parents were given the impression that education at the primary and secondary school levels were free while they actually had to pay various fees.

"The only fees that are free are the one at RM4.50 for primary schools and RM9 for secondary schools. These are small amounts but the whole world think that there's free education in Malaysia when it is not true," he said.

On another matter, Mohammad Nizar did not dismiss the possibility of the Perak government introducing a minimum wage policy as a pre-condition for investors to invest in the state if provided for by law.

He said such a policy had long been implemented in developed countries to protect workers.

Meanwhile, he said there were no candidates yet for the post of Perak Islamic Religious Department director after Datuk Jamry Sury was given a 24-hour transfer notice on Tuesday.

He, however, declined to comment on claims that Jamry had been asked by certain quarters not to issue any statement on the controversy.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

May 3rd, 2008, 06:08 AM

Education Ministry to relook 9MP projects
Saturday May 3, 2008
TheStar

PUTRAJAYA: The Education Ministry is reprioritising its projects under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP).

Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the projects included the construction of sports and arts schools.

“We have been facing problems with land issues and the rising cost of things in the past two years which are unlikely to be resolved by the end of the 9MP,” he told reporters after chairing the weekly post-Cabinet meeting.

He said this was in line with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s statement that the Government would not sacrifice “people-centred projects” which had been lined up under the 9MP.

Abdullah said the projects had to be scaled down in terms of allocation or postponed but those related to the well-being of the people would not be sacrificed.

Hishammuddin said 75% of projects under the 9MP were under way.

“But as prices of goods have gone beyond what we planned for, the cost (of the projects) has gone slightly over the RM23.1bil allocated,” he said.

On another matter, Hishammuddin said his deputy Dr Wee Ka Siong visited the SJKC Damansara premises yesterday morning.

“We have to look into several issues such as why it was closed previously and reasons for it to be reopened,” he said.

In February, the Prime Minister had asked Hishammuddin to look into the request from the Chinese community that the school be reopened.

According to a report, the school was officially closed in 2001 and the 1,400 pupils moved to temporary premises at another school in Bandar Utama based on the request of a majority of parents.

Meanwhile, Hishammuddin said there were still complaints of stress and workload issues from teachers.

“My deputy Datuk Razali Ismail has been meeting the 24 teachers’ unions on this. We want them to be able to concentrate on their core business (of teaching),” he said.

rizalhakim

May 7th, 2008, 10:16 AM

UiTM Puncak Alam

http://www.senireka.com.my/_repository/seni/projects/Education/4-UiTM/4-Edu-Uitm-Library-01.jpg

nazrey

May 16th, 2008, 11:30 AM

10A1s students should be automatically offered PSD scholarships (:uh:), says Dr Subra
Friday May 16, 2008 MYT 4:51:16 PM
TheStar

PETALING JAYA: Students who score 10A1s and above in their SPM examinations should be automatically offered Public Service Department (PSD) scholarships, MIC secretary-general Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said.

He said such a policy would ensure that these students, regardless of race and background, were not sidelined appropriately rewarded for their academic efforts.

Dr Subramaniam, who is also Human Resources Minister, said parents would have a negative perception of the government if such a system was not implemented.

He said some 140 students who excelled in SPM had approached the party to support their PSD scholarship appeal after being rejected on various grounds this year.

"The PSD should give a clear explanation to the public on their selection criteria for scholarship recipients," he said in a statement Friday. . Dr Subrmaniam said the Education Ministry should also limit the number of subjects allowed to be taken by students, adding that some schools offered a maximum of 10 subjects while others allowed up to 17 subjects.

He suggested that the ministry offer separate certificates for additional subjects other that the compulsory subjects in the examination.

nazrey

May 16th, 2008, 11:45 AM

Jordan's Queen Rania (ttp://www.queenrania.jo/) Receives Honorary Degree In International Relations
May 16, 2008 14:37 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, May 16 (Bernama) -- Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan today received a honorary doctorate degree in international relations from Universiti Malaya (UM), Malaysia's oldest and premier university.

She received the degree from UM chancellor Sultan Azlan Shah in a special convocation at the university's Dewan Tunku Canselor.

Queen Rania is the second recipient of the degree after Malaysia's former permanent representative to the United Nations Tan Sri Razali Ismail who received it 2006.

UM vice-chancellor Datuk Rafiah Salim said the degree was in recognition of the contributions and commitment by Queen Rania who had played a key role in nurturing values of tolerance and acceptance of the global community by encouraging inter-cultural dialogues.

"It is our intention to combine an academic award with an act of personal respect by affirming our commitment to help promote the values that both Her Majesty and this university stand for," she said. Queen Rania, in her acceptance speech, thanked UM and Malaysia for the honour accorded to her.

"I might not be able to sing as well as Ayu (Norayu Damit, winner of the One in A Million reality programme on television), but you all made me feel like One in A Million," she said with a smile.

After the ceremony, Queen Rania briefly met local and foreign students and witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between UM and University of Jordan.

To mark her visit to UM, Queen Rania planted a "keruing pipit" tree at the university compound.

Queen Rania and her husband, King Abdullah II, arrived in Malaysia yesterday for a two-day visit.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

May 16th, 2008, 12:27 PM

Education ministry spent RM3.16b on ICT since 2003
15-05-2008: by Kevin Tan, YHEEDGEDAILY

KUALA LUMPUR: The government has spent more than RM3.16 billion to acquire information and communication technology (ICT) products and software and teachers’ training and incentives since it implemented the teaching of science and mathematics in English in 2003.

In an oral reply to a question from Nga Kor Ming (Taiping-DAP) in Parliament yesterday, Deputy Education Minister Datuk Razali Ismail said teachers training costs amounted to RM317 million, while incentives for education subject was RM638 million.

“The ministry is aware, and had expected all the obstacles and weaknesses that would be faced in the early stage of this policy’s implementation.

“As such, the government has decided to evaluate the implementation of teaching in maths and science in English as a whole, involving every school and teacher nationwide,” Razali said, adding that such an evaluation would be made twice a year.

He revealed that the education ministry was conducting the first phase of evaluation, and would implement the second phase from July.

“This evaluation together with several other studies would give a picture on the implementation, student achievement, as well as the readiness and progress of teachers (involved in the programme) in every school,” he said.

The deputy minister said the ministry would also evaluate and monitor the implementation of the policy on the standard six cohorts that would take the UPSR examination this year, as they were the ones who followed the programme since 2003.

“Findings from this evaluation will be used by the ministry to decide whether the policy will be continued, or whether any improvements are required to strengthen it,” Razali said.

Responding to a supplementary question from Mohamed Azmin Ali (Gombak-PKR), he explained that the teaching of maths and science in English did not mean mother-tongue languages would be sidelined.

“We are just seeing this as strategic to our future, as we are facing a globalised world with amazing science and technology. We want to compete, and we don’t want to be left behind,” Razali added.

The deputy minister, however, did not respond when Azmin stood up to ask which companies had benefited from the allocation to acquire new equipments and software under the policy.

rizalhakim

May 17th, 2008, 08:50 AM

UM leads in rankings
By SIMRIT KAUR and KAREN CHAPMAN

PUTRAJAYA: Universiti Malaya (UM) is the only public higher education institution to obtain a five-star rating in the Rating System for Malaysian Higher Education Institutions 2007 (Setara).

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said UM came out tops in the research university category in the first-ever local rating system.

A total of 17 public universities were rated and placed in three categories – research, broad-based and specialised.

International Islamic University Malaysia and Universiti Teknologi Mara both scored four stars each in the broad-based category, while Universiti Teknologi Malaysia was the only one to receive a three-star rating for specialised universities. No university earned the highest rating – six stars.

“The purpose of Setara is to enable universities to measure their quality and see where they stand in relation to one another,” Mohamed Khaled told a press conference yesterday.

Commenting on the universities' performance, Mohamed Khaled said there was still a lot of room for improvement. However, he added that by knowing their strengths and weaknesses, universities could strive to continuously improve in quality and ultimately, their position in the world rankings.

“We wanted to come up with our own system. Setara is more comprehensive compared to others, which are based more on perception and include things like peer review and employers' perception,'' said Mohamed Khaled referring to the Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) World University Rankings.

Setara involves a quantitative survey where data collected is analysed according to six domains – academic staff (25%), students' selectivity (10%), research (15%), academic programmes (25%), resources (15%), and management (10%).

The survey will be carried out once every two years and private higher education institutions may also be included in future.

Last year, the ministry released the results of an academic reputation survey where Universiti Sains Malaysia was named the best overall university.

At the event, Mohamed Khaled also announced that five public and two private higher education institutions had submitted proposals under the accelerated programme for excellence or apex university.

The ministry plans to identify one or two Malaysian institutions as apex universities, which have the greatest potential of being recognised as world class by 2010.

rizalhakim

May 22nd, 2008, 06:59 AM

HP to set up campus in Cyberjaya
Published: 2008/05/22

MULTIMEDIA Development Corporation (MDeC) has announced a project with Hewlett-Packard (HP) in which the US-based computer company will set up a 60-acre campus under MSC Malaysia in Cyberjaya.

The campus will include a state-of-the-art next generation data centre for HP’s outsourcing services business, a professional centre for internal global support functions and a call centre to support enterprise business customers.

The investment is in addition to an internal HP IT global application development and support centre announced in May 2007, MDeC said in a statement issued at the 16th World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) 2008.

Construction of the data centre and two office centres is expected to begin later this year, it said.

Further details of the project were not disclosed.

MDeC also announced a collaboration with the Korea Institute of Electronic Commerce (KIEF) in the areas of information and communications technology (ICT) development such as smart school, e-business, e-learning and knowledge-based businesses.

Potential cooperation projects and programmes are expected to focus on the exchange of information and experts through joint research and development projects and marketing advancement, MDeC said.

The MDeC-KIEF collaboration will have a significant impact on the companies concerned as the expected value of cooperation is estimated at US$3 million with nearly 2,000 new jobs, it said.

The exchange of documents for the two collaborations were among the 13 memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing sessions witnessed by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on the third day of WCIT 2008.

The event was jointly organised by MDeC and the Association of the Computer and Multimedia Industry of Malaysia (Pikom).

MDeC is a high powered government-owned corporation established to facilitate the development and promotion of MSC Malaysia, the premier Malaysian ICT initiative. — Bernama

rizalhakim

May 23rd, 2008, 10:12 AM

UiTM aims to be a research university of repute
By : Nisha Sabanayagam

KUALA LUMPUR: A research university with a difference -- that's what Universiti Technologi Mara aims to be by 2010.

UiTM vice-chancellor Datuk Seri Prof Dr Ibrahim Abu Shah said the difference would lie in the fact that the university would stress innovation and entrepreneurship.

"These are our strengths. We have won the most number of awards at innovation expositions worldwide," he said.

Ibrahim said UiTM won 163 awards at various innovation expositions locally and abroad last year.

It was also the local university with the highest number of gold medals from these expositions.

"Just this year alone, until April, we have won 63 awards for innovation," Ibrahim said after UiTM's 68th convocation ceremony.

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, who is also UiTM chancellor, graced the ceremony. Higher Education Minister Datuk Khaled Nordin was also present.

Ibrahim said UiTM was ranked fifth in the country in terms of research.

The others were Universiti Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malay-sia and Universiti Sains Malaysia.

Ibrahim believed the university was capable of making its mark as a research university of repute.

The convocation also saw the graduation of UiTM's first batch of 19 medical students.

The medical faculty started with only 20 students and now has nearly 600 students.

The advisory board to the medical faculty comprises experts from prominent medical universities abroad, including the Harvard Medical School in the United States.

The board visits UiTM once a year to review the curriculum and standard of the medical programme to ensure they are up to mark, Ibrahim said.

"So far, we have received positive feedback about our medical programme."

Asked about the development of the UiTM Hospital on the site of the former Sungai Buloh leprosarium, Ibrahim said that work was under way. The hospital was expected to be completed next year.

He said the former residents on the leprosarium grounds were happy with their new houses.

"Some of them even kissed my hand when they received the keys to their new homes."

The issue over the preservation of the leprosarium became a hotly-debated issue when UiTM began construction work on the 16ha site last September.

The National Heritage Commission and non-governmental organisations had protested against the development and said the settlement should be preserved as a heritage site.

However, UiTM maintained that the Health Ministry had approved the land for the construction of its medical and dental faculties.

Thirty-nine residents were affected by the development.

A total of 370 graduands from 16 faculties received their degrees from Tuanku Mizan.

UiTM will hold 12 more convocations until May 31 to confer degrees on more than 10,000 students.

nazrey

May 24th, 2008, 04:59 AM

UiTM Medical Grads Recognised By International Advisory Panel: Vice Chancellor
May 23, 2008 00:07 AM

SHAH ALAM, May 22 (Bernama)-- Medical graduates of Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) have recognition from an international advisory panel which monitored all aspects of their courses and teaching including practical training, said the university's vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Ibrahim Abu Shah.

He said the first 19 graduates who received their Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) degree today made history as the first UiTM batch of medical graduates. Ibrahim said by the international recognition, he meant that UiTM had a special committee that acted as an international advisory body made up of medical faculty professors from universities in Melbourne, the United States and the United Kingdom.

"Every year they will come here and check thoroughly the curiculum, the content quality, the standard of our students overall. We have received their yearly reports and they are very encouraging," Ibrahim said at a news conference after UiTM's 68th convocation here today.

The convocation lasting till May 31 has 10,914 recipients for degrees, diplomas and certificates from 23 faculties. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin conferred the MBBS degrees.

Ibrahim said UiTM's medical programme also got recognition from the Malaysia Qualifications Agency and the Medical Board Malaysia.

Asked about the building of the new 16-hectare campus for the Medical and Dentistry Faculty on the site of the National Leprosy Control Centre in Sungai Buloh, that ran into controversy last year, he said construction was going on and it will be completed next year.

At today's ceremony, UiTM also awarded an honorary doctorate in sports science to Datin Paduka Sharifah Mazlina Syed Abdul Kader, the first Malaysian and and Asian woman to trek to both the North and South pole.

-- BERNAMA

rizalhakim

May 26th, 2008, 05:36 AM

RM200mil nursing college to take shape in Bandar Sri Sendayan
By SHANNEN WONG

PROPERTY developer BSS Development Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Matrix Concepts Holdings Bhd, expects anchor investor International University College of Nursing (IUCN) to boost the economic development in its new township, Bandar Sri Sendayan in Seremban.

Today, state government agency Menteri Besar Inc of Negeri Sembilan will sign a deal to sell 200 acres in Bandar Sri Sendayan to Run Education Sdn Bhd, the owner and manager of IUCN.

Run Education will invest about RM200mil to build IUCN, Malaysia's first international nursing school.

BSS, in a joint venture with Menteri Besar Inc of Negeri Sembilan, is developing the 5,235-acre Bandar Sri Sendayan, which has a gross development value of RM3bil.

“We believe that the new IUCN campus will accelerate the growth of Bandar Sri Sendayan as well as stir up the local economic activities in Seremban,” Menteri Besar Inc of Negeri Sembilan chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Hasiah Mohd told StarBiz.

He said Menteri Besar Inc is confident of attracting students from neighbouring countries, as IUCN would have a competitive advantage in terms of location, being only 20km from the KL International Airport.

IUCN had a target of 60:40 ratio between international and local students, he added.

BSS managing director Datuk Lee Tian Hock said IUCN expected the first intake of 5,000 students in September next year and hoped to accommodate 20,000 students by 2011.

“We hope IUCN would attract foreign and local students to pursue nursing qualifications in Seremban as the cost of living is relatively lower than the Kuala Lumpur city centre,” he said.

Located in the middle of Bandar Sri Sendayan, the IUCN campus would be developed in two phases and construction was scheduled to start next month, said Lee.

According to him, Bandar Sri Sendayan is expected to have a population of 60,000 when it is fully developed in 15 years.

Meanwhile, BSS and the Negri Sembilan state government agency are currently in talks with a foreign party to sell 1,000 acres for over US$1bil for an integrated tourism-related project.

The deal was expected to be finalised next month, said Mohd Hasiah.

nazrey

May 26th, 2008, 06:52 AM

USM students grab Best Project Award
Monday May 26, 2008
TheStar

http://thestar.com.my/archives/2008/5/26/north/usm2.jpg

Winners of the NRIC main awards.

TWO final-year Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) chemical engineering students bagged the top prize at the 2008 National Research and Innovation Com-petition (NRIC).

Using carbon nanotubes, metal-oxide and polimer, Fan Mun Sing, 25, and Nor Khonisah Daud, 23, developed an energy-saving supercapacitor that saves 10 times more energy than existing supercapacitors to win the competition's Best Project Award and received a trophy and RM5,000.

Fan said he hoped the prototype would be useful in the electronics industry and further promote sustainable energy and development.

“The materials used to produce the supercapacitor (carbon nanotubes made from natural gas, metal-oxide and polimer) are very cost-efficient and not harmful to nature.

“The energy stored in the supercapacitor can power appliances in an eco-friendly manner.

“For example, by using the supercapacitor to power vehicles, petrol will not be needed,” he said during a press conference at USM’s Dewan Utama Pelajar.

Winning the Motorola Special Award, a trophy and RM4,000 was Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s team with its mobile Blue-tooth remote control.

Student Mas Ayu Shafie said the remote control used the Bluetooth profile to control a computer's mouse pointer, keyboard stroke and several applications.

Universiti Darul Iman Malaysia won the Best Industrial Design and Technology Award while Universiti Malaysia Perlis won the Best Invention and Innovation Award.

Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia won the Social Impact Policy Award (Information Tech-nology and Communication, and Social Transformation and Creative Arts).

The three teams each won RM3,000 and a trophy.

The four-day competition and exhibition held at USM featured 145 projects by 19 higher learning institutions and was organised by the university’s Student Representative Council in collaboration with the Higher Education Ministry. Motorola was the main sponsor.

travellator

May 26th, 2008, 04:56 PM

For Melb U alumni

University of Melbourne visit celebrates long-standing ties with Malaysia
Monday 26 May 2008

The Chancellor of the University of Melbourne, Mr Ian Renard, is leading a high-level University of Melbourne delegation to Malaysia from 24 to 26 May 2008.

The 36-strong delegation includes the University’s newly-appointed Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Peter Rathjen, Pro Vice-Chancellor (University Relations) Professor Warren Bebbington and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Graduate Research) Professor Dick Strugnell.

Dean of Arts Professor Mark Considine, Dean of Architecture, Building and Planning Professor Tom Kvan, Head of the School of Nursing and Social Work Professor Sanchia Aranda, and award-winning documentary film-maker Professor Ian Lang from the prestigious Victorian College of the Arts, will be joined by representatives of the University’s diverse faculties.
During their visit to Kuala Lumpur, they will meet with government, business, and education representatives, and with members of the University’s extensive Malaysian alumni.
Mr Renard says the University of Melbourne has strong, long-standing links with Malaysia, first developed almost 60 years ago when Malaysian students came to the University as part of the Colombo Plan.

“Last year the University of Melbourne was delighted to sign an agreement for a new partnership with seven Malaysian universities for an innovative ‘split’ PhD program. This partnership program for capacity building in the Malaysian higher education system is the most significant research partnership the University of Melbourne has entered into with the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education.”
During the Stakeholders’ Luncheon, Professor Tom Kvan, Dean of Architecture, Building and Planning at the University of Melbourne delivered the keynote speech on ‘Sustainable Cities’ at PJ Hilton, Kuala Lumpur.

The University of Melbourne opened an office in Kuala Lumpur in 2007 to engage more effectively with its growing alumni and with the families of its students, and to facilitate strategic research and academic collaborations with Singapore institutions.
In 2004, the University recognized the significant contribution Malaysian students and alumni have made to the University’s growing stature as a leading international university with the establishment of a prestigious scholarship, the University of Melbourne Prime Minister of Malaysia Scholarship.

Valued at $A180,000, this scholarship is a joint initiative of the University and its alumni in Malaysia. The Scholarship was offered by the University “to express its appreciation for the strong support it has received from the people of Malaysia”.

University of Malaya immunologist Sook-San Wong was the inaugural Scholarship recipient. Recently, Ms Noreen Izza Arshad from the Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP), has been awarded the Scholarship to undertake a PhD in Information Systems at the University of Melbourne.

The University of Melbourne is known throughout the Asia-Pacific and worldwide as a leading international university. The University is ranked No.1 in Australia ( overall measure of standing) and No. 27 in Times Higher Education, World University Ranking.

More information about this article:

Lauren Sarti
Corporate Communications Officer
lsarti@unimelb.edu.au
Tel: 8344 7194
Mob: 0423 412 104

Roots Asia Pacific (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd
Wee Yee Ling
Tel : +603-7494 0292
E-mail: yee_ling@roots.com.my

The University of Melbourne
Jan Drew
Regional Director of Malaysia & Singapore
Tel : +603 2615 7319
Fax: +603 2615 0088
Email : jan.drew@unimelb.edu.au

rizalhakim

May 29th, 2008, 10:49 AM

UTM chalks an Asian first in forensic science studies

KUALA LUMPUR: Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) will become the first higher learning institute in Asia to offer a bachelor’s degree in Forensic Science in July.

UTM deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic & Internationalisation) Prof Dr Siti Hamisah Tapsir said the initial batch of 14 students would undergo practical training at the forensics lab of the police training college in Cheras, from May to June next year.

She said the students would also undergo moot court sessions to understand real-life court proceedings and how to be expert witnesses.

“UTM is the first higher learning institution to take steps to help the Royal Malaysian Police in forensics.

“With this collaboration, findings from research done will benefit both parties financially, as both will be able to receive royalties. It will also enable our university to get noticed by scientists, both local and foreign,” she said after signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Royal Malaysian Police yesterday.

Also present was Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Ismail Omar.

The partnership allows lecturers from UTM’s Science Faculty to act as consultants for the police, while forensic force members can become independent assessors of the students.

Dr Siti Hamisah said although UTM started working with the police five years ago, the collaboration had only become official after the signing of the MOU.

Ismail said the collaboration was timely, as crime was becoming more sophisticated.

“We must always be one step ahead of criminals, to bring them to justice,” he said.

...now everbody can be like CSI huh!!!!....

rizalhakim

May 30th, 2008, 05:13 AM

IJN College to offer new courses
By : Annie Freeda Cruez

KUALA LUMPUR: IJN College will soon provide specialised courses for cardio-thoracic medical care providers and those working in the Intensive Care and Coronary Care Units.

The courses, ranging from cardiovascular and thoracic sciences, mentoring and assessing, to coronary critical care nursing (CCCN) will be introduced in stages this year.

The National Heart Institute (IJN) has also designed its own clinical programme in four critical areas -- profusion technology, cardiovascular technology/ultrasonography, cardiovascular imaging and peri-operative nursing.

IJN College is the only college in the country offering these programmes, which have been approved by the Malaysian Qualification Agency.

IJN College general manager Dr Sharifah Salwiyah Salim said two of the courses are offered in collaboration with institutions of higher learning abroad.

The 18-month diploma programme in cardiovascular and thoracic sciences is jointly offered by IJN College and Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) in Britain, while the six-month professional certificate in CCCN is offered with the University of South Australia.

Dr Sharifah said 20 IJN nurses, dieticians, perfusionists, and medical laboratory technologists started the 18-month programme in February last year.

The next intake in January will be open to those working in public and private hospitals.

Potential participants for the specialised programme include pharmacists, physiotherapists, healthcare educators and professionals.

Dr Sharifah said the CCCN programme, scheduled to start next month, provides specialised training in caring for critically-ill cardiac patients. The mentoring and assessing module is for health professionals.

In IJN's one-year intensive programme starting in July, participants will receive practical training during the week and attend lectures on weekends.

IJN College can accommodate about 200 professionals for these programmes.

Those interested in these courses, can call 03-26178279 or 26178285.

You can also e-mail college@ijn.com.my or salwiyah@ijn.com.my.

pedang

May 30th, 2008, 06:12 AM

ade gado besar kat kolej mantin, nilai. pelajar afrika kena belasah dgn student tempatan. abis la buruk nama malaysia :ohno:

rizalhakim

June 2nd, 2008, 04:36 AM

British U to start campus in Johor

KUALA TERENGGANU: The prestigious Newcastle University in Britain plans to open a medical campus in Johor by 2011.

British High Commissioner Boyd McCleary said the campus would be the first international branch campus for Newcastle University while 18 other universities in Britain were interested to have links in Malaysia.

“The medical campus offers several medicine and bio-medical related courses,” he said after calling on Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said at his office in Wisma Darul Iman during his two-day visit to the state.

http://thestar.com.my/archives/2008/6/2/nation/n_19ahmadsaid.jpg
Official visit: McCleary meeting Ahmad at the Mentri Besar’s office in Kuala Terengganu Sunday. — Bernama

The Newcastle University Medi-cine Malaysia campus would be located at the Iskandar Region.

On his meeting with Ahmad, Mccleary said it focussed on education and areas of enhancing English proficiency among the locals.

He said the British Council would continue to provide the expertise on the teaching of English in Terengganu schools.

McCleary will also visit the British Petroleum (BP) plant in Kemaman where the company was planning to expand its operation.

rizalhakim

June 5th, 2008, 04:11 AM

SEGi College gets university status
Published: 2008/06/05

SEG International Bhd said subsidiary SEGi College (M) Sdn Bhd has been officially invited by the Ministry of Education to upgrade to university college status.

Formal acceptance and relevant submissions for the setting up of SEGi University College had been made to the MOHE yesterday, SEGi told Bursa Malaysia.

nazrey

June 12th, 2008, 06:59 AM

Sports school for KT
Thursday June 12, 2008
TheStar

http://thestar.com.my/archives/2008/6/12/southneast/ms_pg03mizan.jpg

We’re the champs: The Terengganu contingent celebrating their win at
the Sultan Mizan Abidin Stadium in Kuala Terengganu on Monday.

KUALA TERENGGANU: The Federal Government has agreed to establish a sports school in Terengganu to create more athletes of distinction, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said during the closing of Malaysia Games (Sukma) on Monday night at Sultan Mizan Abidin stadium here.

Abdullah said the school was a reward from the Federal Government to Terengganu for emerging overall champion in Sukma.

“I agreed tonight to the establishment of the sports school here. Hopefully, it will bring the country’s sports to a higher level,” he said.

Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah, Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said and Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob witnessed the event.

Earlier, during his speech at the closing, Ahmad requested the Federal Government to consider setting up a sports school near the stadium.

Terengganu received praises from Abdullah for winning 61 gold medals, 39 silver and 47 bronzes in Sukma.

Mudzaffar_MIEAust

June 14th, 2008, 09:28 PM

I just wondering is that really bad for people who have a Malaysian qualification like me just because that my university is not in the list of top 100 universities in the world? If it is that bad, how come employers in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand are welcoming me to work with them? Not forgetting, I even had a few calls from Canada and USA asking whether I am interested to join their organisations. I am currently working in the UK as a bridge engineer designing bridges for Network Rail and guest what? - I got the job with that 'shit hole' Malaysian degree :lol: . Last months, I was elected by Engineers Australia as a corporate member and that means I have been acknowledged by the Aussies who have their unis in the top 100 list best unis as a Professional Engineer in Downunder and guess what? - I also did it with my 'rubbish' Malaysian qualification (UKM) :lol: . If your earnings is relatively lower than me (almost RM25,000 a month), I advise you to stop complaining and try look at yourself and start thinking how to improve yourself. If you are really concern about your uni, especially those UM fellas, start thinking on solutions to help pushing up the UM rating. Personally, I think UM is irrelevant and I do not mind to see 'Sekolah Pondok' or 'Sekolah Kebangsaan Cina' representing Malaysian university in the top 100 best unis list :lol: . The moral of story is, it is not your university makes what you are today, it is yourself who makes what you are. Cheers!!!

forrestcat

June 15th, 2008, 02:28 AM

nazrey

June 15th, 2008, 07:30 AM

University college donates library software to charity
Saturday June 14, 2008
TheStar

Sunway University College has given a library software system to HOPE Worldwide Malaysia as part of its commitment to the community.

The university college presented the SyLibs library system software developed by its School of Computer Technology (SCT) students at the Hope Free Clinic and Centre in Jalan Sentul recently.

College undergraduate studies director Lim Tiew Ming handed over the system to Hope programme director Darick Wong Kai Ying.

A short multimedia presentation and a demonstration of the software was also conducted by the ICT R & D Unit members.

The library system was created in 2004 by Joni Nurdin and Budianto Zhuang, both students of SCT, to provide users with the tools and functions necessary for them to process transactions in libraries easily.

With the system, each book's ID code would be automatically generated, preventing duplications.

ICT R & D unit member Chin Seng Choy further enhanced the system in 2005.

The software was introduced to school principals and administrators in 2005 at the closing ceremony of an ICT Workshop at the college and it was officially launched at SMK Subang Utama in 2006 during the School Adoption Cere-mony.

So far, seven school libraries use the SyLibs library system.

Mudzaffar_MIEAust

June 15th, 2008, 10:07 PM

The rankings are mainly for the vanity of the greedy vice chancellors who mostly do not care about the students.:lol: I do not think they affect how graduates perform in the workforce. What employers seek now are graduates with the right skills and soft skills. But I dunno how much this applies in Malaysia with its cables and racial quota,even big/MNC companies dominated by certain race will tend to take their own race in:ohno:. But in the West, even if you're from TAFE or technical college, you'll get a job if you have what they want.

Hi, I totally agree with your comment and I think that Malaysia is currently having a 'brain drain' syndrome. It is stated that about 4,000 experienced Malaysian engineers are working in Dubai alone. If this statement is true, soon Malaysia will suffer an epidemic from this syndrome. If Malaysian wants to be a developed nation, they must learn to put aside racial issues in order to move forward.

rizalhakim

June 16th, 2008, 09:02 AM

International university for nursing in Sedayan

http://www.nst.com.my/Streets/Monday/Stories/2268376/insidepix1
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan (third from left) being briefed by International University College of Nursing executive chairman Summugam Ramasamy after the singing of the sale and purchase agreement in Bandar Sri Sedayan, Seremban, recently. At right is Run Education director Tunku Nadzaruddin Tuanku Ja’afar.

SEREMBAN: Bandar Seri Sendayan is set to house the first international university dedicated to nursing education following the signing of a sale and purchase (S&P) agreement recently.

The S&P was signed between Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBI) and the International University College of Nursing (IUCN) for a 80ha plot for the construction of the college, which will be the first and one of its kind in the world.

The S&P was signed by Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and state Financial Officer Datuk Abdul Radzak Abdul Rahman, while the IUCN was represented by its executive chairman, Summugam Ramasamy, and Run Education director Tunku Nadzaruddin Tuanku Ja'afar.

IUCN is wholly-owned and managed by Run Education Sdn Bhd.

"I am really gratified with IUCN for building their campus here as it promises much benefit for the people in the state.

"The college will help create more employment benefits and a more buoyant economy for the state and country," said Mohamad.

He said the development of projects like IUCN would make Sendayan, Mantin and Nilai the new education hub in the area.

IUCN will be built in two phases. Phase one will see the construction of the campus, the amenities and hostels.

It is expected to be ready in July next year.

"This highly demanding profession sees a world shortage and IUCN will contribute towards increasing the number of nurses, locally and internationally.

"According to the World Health Organisation, the ideal ratio of nurses and patients in this country is 1:200.

"However, in Malaysia, it is currently 1:645.

"At least 130,000 nurses must be trained by 2020 to meet the demands."

Bandar Seri Sendayan is a 2,000ha township comprising residential, commercial, institutional and industrial properties all valued at about RM3 billion.

It is dubbed the Southern Growth Corridor of the Greater Klang Valley Conurbation.

Mohamad said Bandar Seri Sendayan was set to enhance the landscape of Negri Sembilan as the area would be transformed into a comprehensive township project by MBI and BSS Development Sdn Bhd.

It will take 15 years to complete the project.

MBI will work closely with BSS Development to ensure all projects run smoothly and meet the objectives of the Negri Sembilan government to deliver a project that enhances the viability and sustainability of the state.

"Bandar Seri Sendayan will be modelled as the most modern development in the state, where the density is low and covered with lush greenery and verdant parks."

The comprehensive development will also boast its own town centre, recreational park, golf course, nature reserve, a landscaped lake, library and many institutional areas.

The new township also opens up great investment opportunities for local and foreign investors.

IUCN will invest RM200 million on the campus and facilities. Construction of the campus is planned to start soon and the college is targeting 5,000 students when it opens for registration in September next year.

The faculty members will be from the international institutions, including Australia, India, Canada, Indonesia and China.

rizalhakim

June 16th, 2008, 09:23 AM

Cempaka International Ladies College Will Be First Private Girls Boarding School

KUALA LUMPUR, June 14 (Bernama) -- Cempaka International Ladies College (CILC) will be the country's first private, boarding international secondary girl school when it is completed at the end of the year.

Cempaka Schools chairman Datin Freida Pilus said the school would be opening in January next year and accommodate about 560 girls from around the world.

She said the school would run the United Kingdom-based International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) curriculum, leading to the broad-based International Baccalaureate curriculum at pre-university level.

“In January, we will first start with Year 7 through to 10 and the CILC Year 10s will progress to Year 11 in September and sit for their IGCSEs in May 2010," she said after the launch of the CILC at Cempaka International School's Cheras campus which was officiated by Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Nur Zahirah here Saturday.

Freida said the school would create girls who were confident, intelligent and more importantly, girls who would become the next generation of world leaders.

The school buildings are coming up on a 35-acre site near the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and a three-minute drive from the Formula One Circuit in Sepang.

Over the past 25 years, Cempaka Schools has seen its group grow from one national primary school in Bukit Damansara to five national and international school, and currently educates over 2,500 students.

-- BERNAMA

liping_t

June 17th, 2008, 03:48 PM

rizalhakim

June 20th, 2008, 07:52 AM

Indian college may set up Penang campus

GEORGE TOWN: An Indian international college branch campus may soon become a reality in Penang, Deputy Chief Minister II Prof Dr P. Ramasamy said.

He said the college, which specialised in engineering courses and had branches in nine countries, had expressed interest in opening a branch campus here.

Ramasamy said institutions of higher learning from the Netherlands and South Korea also wanted to open branch campuses in Penang.

"The institution in Netherlands which specialises in food production training is keen to have a branch here," he said, adding that there were now five international schools and a number of private colleges operating in the state.

Ramasamy said the state government was looking into offering more incentives to spur foreign investments in the education sector.

He was speaking after a briefing on the inaugural Penang Education, Training and Career Expo 2008 in Komtar yesterday. The expo will be held on Dec 20 and 21.

rizalhakim

June 23rd, 2008, 11:16 AM

USM builds R&D park

GEORGE TOWN: Universiti Sains Malaysia will spend RM450mil on its science and arts park in Bukit Jambul here, which is expected to be ready in 2014.

Vice-chancellor Prof Tan Sri Dzulkifli Abdul Razak said the park would have apartments, a hotel, an international school, incubator laboratories, galleries, a mini theatre and research centres.

The centre, dubbed SAINS@USM which stands for Science and Arts Innovation Space, would serve as a research centre, tourist attraction and public park, he said.

“It will represent an innovative space that promotes integrated research with dedicated incubators and laboratories.

http://thestar.com.my/archives/2008/6/23/nation/n_usm.jpg
Royal launch: Dr Dzulkifli (left) explaining the model plan for SAINS@USM to Tuanku Sirajuddin and Tuanku Fauziah at the university on Sunday.

“SAINS@USM will not only represent the ideal space for academia and businesses to thrive, it will also reach out to communities near and far in a truly comprehensive and holistic manner,” he said at the launch of SAINS@USM at Dewan Budaya, USM here yesterday.

It was launched by the university’s chancellor Raja of Perlis Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Syed Putra Jamalullail.

Also present were his consort Tuanku Fauziah Tengku Abdul Rashid, Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas and his wife Toh Puan Majimor Shariff.

An MoU was also signed between the university, Khazanah Nasional Bhd and six corporations to collaborate on SAINS@USM.

At the function, a representative from the Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC), Norhalim Yunus, presented a RM24.35mil mock cheque for the funding of eight research projects at SAINS@USM.

rizalhakim

June 24th, 2008, 05:04 AM

High priority on education
By K.KASTURI DEWI

MALAYSIA is probably the only country in the world which allocates between 20% and 25% of its total budget each year for education.

Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop (pic) said this showed that the Government was serious in its efforts to provide the people with quality education without burdening them.

“No other country is giving free education right from Year One until university level.

“This is because the Government realises that it is only through education that the people's standard of living can be uplifted,'' he said at the inaugural Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) Students' Excellence Awards ceremony at Dewan Sri Pinang yesterday.

A total of 277 students who excelled in their SPM examination last year received contributions from the Federal Government.

Nor Mohamed also said in his speech that although the country had gone through different styles of administration under the leadership of five Prime Ministers in the past 50 years, each of them had placed the utmost priority on education.

“This is one of the advantages that we enjoy in our country because compared to other countries like Nigeria and the Latin American countries which have a lot of natural resources, Malaysia has progressed at a relatively faster pace,'' he added.

He also urged parents to continue playing an important role by motivating and encouraging their children to excel in education.

“Parents especially play a very crucial role in their children's education because our children and youth today are exposed to many temptations and negative elements in society,'' he said.

Speaking to reporters later, Nor Mohamed said the Government planned to make the awards presentation an annual affair.

Also present was director-general of the Implementation and Coordination Unit of the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Khalid Ramli.

rizalhakim

June 25th, 2008, 06:50 AM

2 international schools to be built in Penang
By : Lee Keng Fatt

GEORGE TOWN: Two international schools - one from India and the other from South Korea - will be set up here by early next year.

Deputy Chief Minister II Prof Dr P. Ramasamy said they were looking for suitable sites on the island.

"This is good news for the state government as it will surely bring about more economic growth to the state," he said.

Ramasamy said the state government was confident that businessmen from the two countries would invest here as the international schools would be able to cater to their children's educational needs.

He said efforts were being made to turn Penang into an educational hub in the region.

Speaking after opening the KDU College's Technology Week, Ramasamy said he would be calling all heads of private schools and colleges here for a dialogue soon.

"We want them to help us turn Penang into the educational destination of choice in the region."

He was surprised that there were only 571 foreign students in private schools and colleges here.

On a separate matter, Ramasamy said the state government wanted a better working relationship with Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).

"Right now, our relationship with USM is weak.

"They have never invited me to any of their functions or events since the formation of the new state government by the Pakatan Rakyat in March," said Ramasamy, who is also the State Economic Planning, Education and Human Resources, Science, Technology and Innovation Committee chairman.

Earlier, he also said that the state government would investigate claims that syndicates were bringing in foreign workers and registering them as students before sending them to work elsewhere.

rizalhakim

June 26th, 2008, 09:03 AM

Starbucks beroperasi di IPTA

PUTRAJAYA 25 Jun – Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi hari ini memberi kebenaran kepada kafe francais seperti Starbucks, kopitiam dan Dunkin Donuts untuk membuka premis mereka di pusat tumpuan pelajar di institusi pengajian tinggi awam (IPTA).

Timbalan Menteri Pengajian Tinggi, Datuk Idris Haron berkata, sebelum beroperasi kafe-kafe francais itu perlu mendapatkan kebenaran naib-naib canselor universiti berkenaan dan diwajibkan menyediakan perkhidmatan jalur lebar Wi-Fi untuk kemudahan pelajar.

Katanya, walaupun terdapat IPTA yang sudah menyediakan perkhidmatan Wi-Fi, namun liputannya masih belum menyeluruh.

Menurut beliau, pada masa ini ramai penuntut universiti sanggup keluar kampus untuk mengunjungi kafe Starbucks di pusat bandar sambil melakukan tugasan mereka.

“Saya terfikir kenapa tidak kita bawa Starbucks ke universiti kalau usaha ini boleh menggalakkan pelajar melakukan perbincangan di kafe yang menyediakan perkhidmatan Wi-Fi,” katanya selepas menutup Konvensyen Pengetua dan Kolej Kediaman IPT Peringkat Kebangsaan di sini.

Idris menambah: “Saya tidak nampak ada halangan atau masalah yang akan timbul tetapi kafe-kafe itu mesti beroperasi di pusat tumpuan pelajar.”

Katanya, kewujudan kafe-kafe francais di IPTA akan meningkatkan lagi keselesaan para penuntut IPTA kerana kemudahan Internet membantu pembelajaran mereka.

Bagaimanapun, katanya, pemilik kafe-kafe itu perlu memberi subsidi kepada penuntut kerana harga minuman dan makanan di premis itu agak mahal.

nazrey

June 29th, 2008, 01:07 PM

RM13.5 Billion For Rural Education Will Benefit Sabah - Masidi
June 26, 2008 23:34 PM

KOTA KINABALU, June 26 (Bernama) -- Sabah today described the prime minister's announcement on the RM13.5 billion allocation to develop rural education, as "a wise decision" that could benefit thousands of rural people, especially in Sabah.

Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun, who is the minister in charge of education, said the huge allocation would go a long way in enhancing the level of rural education in Sabah.

"We welcome the announcement. Sabah still lacks basic facilities... for instance classrooms and teachers' houses are in dilapidated condition, and in some places there are none at all.

"So we hope the huge allocation can be used to tackle the problem," he said when asked to comment on the RM13.5 billion allocation announced by Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in the Dewan Rakyat Thursday.

Tabling the Ninth Malaysia Plan's mid-term review, Abdullah said special attention would be given to rural schools in Sabah and Sarawak, including pre-school education.

Masidi also urged the federal government to build hostels in each rural school in Sabah.

"There are pupils who have to walk for miles to get to school. I think it's time that we do something to help them," he said.

He also welcomed the government's move to equip rural schools with information and communication technology (ICT) facility.

"This is one of the ways in which we can bridge the digital divide between rural and urban schools. But the ICT equipment will be rendered useless if the schools are without electricity," he said.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

June 29th, 2008, 01:08 PM

Kolej Risda Melaka's Status To Be Lifted To That Of Univeristy College
June 28, 2008 17:36 PM

JITRA, June 28 (Bernama) -- Risda is taking steps to upgrade the status of Risda College in Melaka to that of a university college so it can be self-reliant and produce more experts in the agricultural field, said its chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik.

Abdul Rahim said all along the college had been a franchisee of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) which awarded diplomas and certificates in the field of agriculture to the college's graduates.

"It is Risda's vision to one day see the college become a serious and renowned educational institution in agriculture.

"Risda will carry out a review so that the college can provide better services and facilities and have a bigger student population," he told reporters after launching the Kedah Risda productivity year programme at the Kubang Pasu Mara Junior Science College here, Saturday.

He said among steps to be taken was to have twinning programmes with higher education institutions that conducted agricultural research like the Bogor Agricultural Institute in Indonesia.

"Risda will have a memorandum of understanding with the institute which will incorporate a student and staff exchange programme," he said.

Risda would also have a twinning programme with a Thai institute specialising in agriculture, he said, adding that Indonesia and Thailand were picked as they had achieved a high level of expertise in the area.

The Risda College offers diploma courses in agriculture.

With accreditation by UPM and the National Accreditation Board, graduates of the college can further their studies at any public institutions of higher learning that offers advanced courses in agriculture.

samson

June 30th, 2008, 03:41 AM

Hi, I totally agree with your comment and I think that Malaysia is currently having a 'brain drain' syndrome. It is stated that about 4,000 experienced Malaysian engineers are working in Dubai alone. If this statement is true, soon Malaysia will suffer an epidemic from this syndrome. If Malaysian wants to be a developed nation, they must learn to put aside racial issues in order to move forward.
I'm totally agree on ur statement, actually everyone understand this theory but it's easy to talk hard to be implement. by the way, I hope that a day you can be our educational minister to lead our government to give up racial differentiation policy like cancel quota system in PTPTA. *just kidding*:lol: As few weeks ago I have read a news talking somethings about Analyst stated that if Malaysian concern about talented people, give up racial policy and fair education opportunity given to every racial in the country our country has potential became the 2nd strongest country in Asia based on we have many natural resource, world-class facilities, dun have serious disaster and so on...:ohno: In fact, those policy like NEP origin with good intention, but failed to implemented it's a sad. Anyway, hope our lovely country will became more peaceful and stronger again :)

rizalhakim

June 30th, 2008, 03:59 AM

Zencall pays RM2m for advertising college
By Rupinder Singh Published: 2008/06/30

PRIVATELY held Zencall Holdings Sdn Bhd has bought Institute Advertising Communication Training (IACT) for RM2 million and will invest between RM10 million and RM15 million in the advertising college in the next five years.

Zencall Holdings managing director Raymond Chew said the company plans to build a new 75,000 sq ft city campus in three to five years' time.

The new city campus will be able to take in between 3,000 and 4,000 students.

IACT's existing 30-year-old premises in Damansara Uptown, Petaling Jaya, can hold only about 300 students in its 21,000 sq ft building.

It is planning to move into a new 50,000 sq ft building in six to 12 months, which will act as its temporary campus for the next two to three years.

"Moving to bigger premises is one of the many commitments we have made to IACT in our five-year expansion plan for the college.

"We have several locations within Petaling Jaya earmarked for IACT's new city campus and we see every possibility of moving to our new (leased) premises within the next six months," Chew told reporters after a signing ceremony between Zencall and Marcomm Management Services Sdn Bhd in Kuala Lumpur last Saturday.

Chew bought 80 per cent of IACT via family-run Zencall Holdings.

Marcomm, which includes The Association of Accredited Advertising Agents (4As) and the Malaysian Advertisers Association (MAA), has diluted its stake in IACT from 45 per cent to 10 per cent, while IACT executive director and principal Lee Kok Leong sold his 10 per cent stake to Chew.

For the immediate future, Chew said IACT will act as a second-tier college that becomes a feeder for the first-tier private university colleges.

"My ultimate long-term vision is for IACT to become a tier-one university college," he added.

IACT will also explore working with foreign educational institutions as well as rope in esteemed retired faculty members from foreign universities.

Other plans include expanding IACT's offerings of academic and professional development programmes.

"We believe that in-house professional development programmes for organisations in our industry will be another niche market for IACT to exploit," Chew said.

rizalhakim

June 30th, 2008, 04:13 AM

IACT seeking bigger campus
By SHANNEN WONG

INSTITUTE Advertising Communication Training Sdn Bhd (IACT) wants to lease a bigger campus with improved facilities in the next six to 12 months as part of its plans to expand and reposition itself in the niche segment of advertising.

Zencall Holdings chairman Raymond Chew said IACT was too small for a purpose-built campus right now and would require a bigger campus to accommodate the increasing number of students in the near future.

http://biz.thestar.com.my/archives/2008/6/30/business/b_14vincent.jpg
Datuk Vincent Lee (second from left) exchanging documents with Raymond Chew. With them are Lee Kok Leong (left) and Peter Das

He was speaking after the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Zencall Holdings Sdn Bhd and Macomm Management Services Sdn Bhd on Saturday.

Chew, who is also the chairman and group chief executive officer of advertising agency Pos Ad Sdn Bhd, has bought an 80% stake in IACT for RM2mil via Zencall Holdings. Of the 80%, 70% was bought from Macomm and the remaining 10% from IACT executive director Lee Kok Leong.

Macomm, in which the Malaysian Advertisers Association (MAA) and the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents Malaysia (4As) own a 90% stake, now holds 20% in IACT.

Chew said IACT planned to invest about RM2mil in a new campus of 50,000 sq ft. Currently, it has a 21,000-sq-ft campus in Damansara Utama.

With the new leased campus, IACT targets student population to hit 2,000 in the first year of operation from about 300 students currently, he said.

Chew said IACT hoped to build its own purpose-built campus once its student population hit 3,000 to 5,000 in five years.

“We might eventually need a new campus that requires a huge investment of RM10mil to RM15mil,” he said, noting that it would apply for a licence to offer courses on other disciplines.

The advertising college planned to employ the best teaching professionals from overseas to lecture at IACT for three to four years, he said.

On the takeover, 4As president Datuk Vincent Lee said IACT needed a private entity to take over to enjoy faster growth, as a huge investment was needed to sustain the growth of the college.

Meanwhile, MAA president Peter Das said: “IACT needs to recruit more full-time teaching professionals in its faculty to stay competitive in the industry.”

nazrey

July 3rd, 2008, 07:35 AM

Bina Puri wins RM20m infra works
03 Jul 2008 12:22 PM
THEEDGEDAILY

KUALA LUMPUR: Bina Puri Holdings Bhd subsidiary Bina Puri Sdn Bhd (BPSB) has secured a RM20.4 million infrastructure contract from the Works Department for Universiti Malaysia Kelantan’s Bachok campus in Kelantan.

In a statement yesterday, Bina Puri said BPSB has a 70% stake in the project while its partner TA-3 Sdn Bhd holds the remaining interest. They expect to complete the works within eight months. Currently UMK operates temporary campuses in Pengkalan Chepa and Kota Bahru.

The company said the award of the project would strengthen its presence in the East Coast, particularly in Kelantan. It said the group managed to increase its order book to RM2 billion last year from RM1.6 billion in 2006.

rizalhakim

July 9th, 2008, 10:54 AM

Al-Alqeelah to invest RM330m in aviation academy here
by Racheal Lee Mei Nyee
Email us your feedback at fd@bizedge.com

KUALA LUMPUR: Kuwait-based Al-Aqeelah Group will build the world's largest aviation academy in Malaysia, with an initial investment of US$100 million (RM330 million).

"The size of the land would be dependent on the land the Malaysian government can give us," Al-Aqeelah Leasing, Finance and Investment Company of Kuwait managing director Hamed M Khajah told a press conference here yesterday.

He added that the government had given the company the option of three locations - Senai airport in Johor, Batu Berendam in Melaka and Kuantan.

"Senai airport is our first choice with the availability of facilities and infrastructure. We will finalise the location within the next few weeks," Hamed said, adding that the construction of the academy would start nine months after the location had been decided.

The academy will provide courses in pilot training, airport management and airline technology. It is expected to train 400 pilots during its first year of operation.

The project will be implemented via a joint venture. Al-Aqeelah is currently in discussions with several local strategic partners. The partnership would be concluded in two months' time.

Hamed said the academy had received response from some airline players, which may outsource the education and training of pilots to the academy. He expects the academy to cater to the growing demand for pilots.

rizalhakim

July 11th, 2008, 04:52 AM

Grandpa the oldest student
By CHRISTINA CHIN

AMONG a crowd of young, excited teenagers, pensioner Abdul Hamid Yunus eagerly waited in line to register for his degree programme at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) School of Humanities recently.

At 71, the former army officer was among a batch of students enrolling for their first semester of the university’s Bachelor of Arts programme.

“I am very proud to be the school’s oldest fulltime student. I will try my best to follow the lectures,” he said.

Abdul Hamid said he loved examinations.

http://thestar.com.my/archives/2008/7/10/north/grandpa.jpg
Eager beaver: Abdul Hamid registering for the degree programme.

“As soon as I get the questions, I will start writing non-stop,” he added.

He said he had a passion for life-long learning and never got bored of studying.

Abdul Hamid said he never had the opportunity to advance his education earlier as his family was not well off.

“Now that I can, I am adamant to continue studying right up to the post-graduate level, God willing,” he said.

Abdul Hamid, who lives with his wife and son’s family in Kuala Lumpur, said he would be moving to Penang alone.

“My wife, Fatimah, wants to be with our grandchildren. She and my grandchildren initially did not understand why I wanted to continue studying at this age but they are supportive,” he laughed.

The Syariah diploma holder from Universiti Malaya said he also studied at religious schools in Indonesia and Kelantan before enrolling at the university.

“In Islam, Allah encourages us to always seek knowledge,” the grandfather of five said.

Asked how she felt, his 61-year-old wife said it was “good” that he wanted to improve himself.

In his welcoming speech, school dean Prof Datuk Abu Talib Ahmad said he was very pleased that the senior citizen had chosen to continue his studies at USM.

“We currently have four senior citizens enrolled in our programmes,” he said, adding that a 72-year-old student received his PHD degree from the school recently.

nazrey

July 11th, 2008, 06:30 AM

MIMOS, UKM ink MoA on sensor tech research
10 Jul 2008 1:05 PM
THEEDGEDAILY

KUALA LUMPUR: MIMOS and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) has inked a memorandum of agreement (MoA) to formalise its sensor technology research collaboration aimed at enhancing the country’s precision agriculture competitiveness and developing grassroot competency.

In a statement yesterday, MIMOS said towards that end, the collaboration would focus on the joint development of chemical sensors for environmental monitoring including the detection of chemical and moisture in water and soil.

MIMOS will work with researchers from UKM’s Institute of Microengineering and Nanoelectronics (IMEN) and the School of Chemical Sciences & Food Technology to develop sensors aimed at upping the ante on sensor technology to include the development of future sensor technology such as nanosensors.

Precision agriculture is an emerging agronomic management systems approach that has the potential to realise sustainability by increasing profits and optimising crop yields while minimising the adverse environmental impacts.

rizalhakim

July 11th, 2008, 11:27 AM

British U to start campus in Johor
KUALA TERENGGANU: The prestigious Newcastle University in Britain plans to open a medical campus in Johor by 2011.

British High Commissioner Boyd McCleary said the campus would be the first international branch campus for Newcastle University while 18 other universities in Britain were interested to have links in Malaysia.

“The medical campus offers several medicine and bio-medical related courses,” he said after calling on Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said at his office in Wisma Darul Iman during his two-day visit to the state.

The Newcastle University Medi-cine Malaysia campus would be located at the Iskandar Region.

On his meeting with Ahmad, Mccleary said it focussed on education and areas of enhancing English proficiency among the locals.

He said the British Council would continue to provide the expertise on the teaching of English in Terengganu schools.

McCleary will also visit the British Petroleum (BP) plant in Kemaman where the company was planning to expand its operation.

nazrey

July 13th, 2008, 01:49 AM

Sabah To Receive Half Of The Additional Allocation For Education Ministry
July 12, 2008 19:05 PM

TUARAN, July 12 (Bernama) -- The Education Ministry, which received an additional allocation of RM950 million under the 9th Malaysia Plan (9MP) Mid-Term Review, will channel almost half of the allocation to Sabah to assist rural schools.

Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said RM400 million would be allocated to provide hybrid solar energy to almost all of the 122 schools in the state that had yet to receive electricity supply.

"Despite the economic slowdown, the allocation for the Education Ministry had been increased by almost RM1 billion, and the move to channel half of this amount to Sabah showed the ministry's commitment to ensure that educational development programmes in Sabah would be continued," he said when officiating the electricity (solar hybrid) supply project for schools in the interior areas of Sabah at the SK Tudan, here Saturday.

The Education Ministry had earlier received a ceiling allocation of RM23.198 billion under the 9MP and of this amount, Sabah received the largest allocation of RM3.43 billion.

Hishammuddin also announced that his ministry had approved the construction of a matriculation college in the state which was projected to cost about RM300 million.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

July 16th, 2008, 04:23 PM

Ministry To Promote Good Private Varsities Internationally
July 15, 2008 15:47 PM

KAJANG, July 15 (Bernama) -- The Higher Education Ministry will look back at its role as a facilitator for the private institutions of higher learning in realising the objective to internationalise the country's education system.

In this regard, the ministry would identify good private higher educational institutions and promote them internationally so as to draw more foreign students to Malaysia, Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said Tuesday.

"Private institutions of higher learning play a role in realising the internationalisation policy in terms of the entry of foreign students to our country.

"On this reason, the ministry will look back as to how it is to become a facilitator for the institutions to play this role including by promoting the suitable ones and drawing foreigners to study in Malaysia."

He said this when visiting Kuala Lumpur Infrastructure University College (KLIUC) here. "The ministry will identify good private institutions of higher learning in the internationalisation drive in terms of the courses and facilities they are offering -- this is very important," he said.

Earlier, Khaled witnessed the signing of a memorandum of agreement under which the Yemen Republic would send its students to further their education at KLIUC.

In his speech, he said that if local private colleges and universities were willing to take on the internationalisation challenges and further expand their international student capacity and clientele, the ministry would provide full support and facilitate such a move.

"I have already instructed the Private Institution of Higher Education Sector within the ministry to pursue this matter and to see how we can further enhance and strengthen the internationalisation programme at our private universities," he said.

-- BERNAMA

rizalhakim

July 17th, 2008, 07:29 AM

Kolej perubatan baru di Gapam siap 2010

Oleh LUKMAN ISMAIL

MELAKA 16 Julai - Sebuah kolej perubatan swasta tempatan, Kolej Universiti Sains Perubatan Cyberjaya akan membuka kampusnya di Gapam dekat sini melibatkan pelaburan bernilai RM50 juta.

Ketua Menteri, Datuk Seri Mohd. Ali Rustam berkata, projek pembinaan kampus yang mampu memuatkan 2,000 pelajar itu dijangka dapat dimulakan tahun ini dan siap pada tahun 2010.

Menurut beliau, kampus universiti itu adalah pelaburan terbaru yang diterima negeri Melaka di kawasan Bandar Kesihatan dan Pendidikan, di bawah projek pembangunan Hang Tuah Jaya.

''Sebelum ini kita sudah menerima persetujuan beberapa kolej untuk membuka kampus mereka iaitu sebuah kolej kejururawatan yang melibatkan kos RM10.90 juta, pusat latihan Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri dan juga sebuah hospital perubatan antarabangsa," katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian kepada pemberita selepas majlis menandatangani perjanjian jual beli tanah untuk pembinaan kampus Kolej Universiti Sains Perubatan Cyberjaya antara pemilik kolej berkenaan, In-Fusion Solutions Sdn. Bhd. dan Yayasan Melaka selaku pemilik tanah.

Majlis yang berlangsung di pejabat Ketua Menteri, Seri Negeri di sini turut dihadiri oleh Pengarah Urusan In-Fusion Solutions, Dr. Mohamad Salmi Mohd. Sohod.

Mohd. Ali berkata, pelaburan tersebut tidak termasuk cadangan pembinaan sebuah hospital swasta di Klebang.

Sementara itu, Mohamad Salmi berkata, pembinaan kampus barunya itu bertujuan membolehkan kolej tersebut menawarkan program-program peringkat ijazah pada masa depan.

Kata beliau, di Melaka, pihaknya akan menempatkan Fakulti Kesihatan Bersekutu dan untuk permulaan kursus tersebut akan ditawarkan dengan kerjasama Kolej Sains dan Teknologi Antarabangsa Melaka (MiCost).

''Apabila kampus kami di Gapam itu siap kelak, semua pelajar berkenaan akan ditempatkan di sana dan kami akan menyediakan kursus sehingga ke peringkat ijazah," katanya.

Katanya, pada masa kini kolej beliau di Cyberjaya menawarkan kursus dalam bidang perubatan dan farmasi dengan jumlah pelajar seramai 600 orang.

rizalhakim

July 17th, 2008, 09:58 AM

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nazrey

July 17th, 2008, 03:41 PM

UKM To Include Mercy Malaysia In Co-curriculum
July 17, 2008 21:50 PM

BANGI, July 17 (Bernama) -- Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) plans to include the Malaysian Medical Relief Society (Mercy Malaysia) in its co-curriculum for which credit hours will be given.

UKM vice-chancellor Datuk Dr Sharifah Hapsah Syed Hasan Shahabudin said this would enable students who were interested in humanitarian efforts to have more choices.

"This is a good opportunity for students wishing to join Mercy Malaysia programmes as they instill humanitarian values which transcends cultures," she told reporters after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mercy Malaysia here Thursday.

Mercy Malaysia was represented by its president Datuk Dr Jemilah Mahmood.

Dr Sharifah Hapsah said the Mercy Malaysia programme would also be incorporated in the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities' curriculum next year.

"From next year, it will be compulsory for students at the faculty to undergo training with non-government organisations (NGOs) and government agencies," she said.

On the inclusion of UKM students as volunteers in NGO relief operations, she said approval must be sought with vice-chancellor first.

The MoU, among others, spells out the collaboration between UKM staff and students and Mercy Malaysia volunteers in courses and research.

In her speech, Dr Jemilah said Mercy Malaysia needed more volunteers not only from the medical field but also the psychology and education fields.

"I hope the MoU will enable Mercy Malaysia not only to increase its volunteers but also to increase and upgrade the quality of its research," she said.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

July 19th, 2008, 09:07 AM

nazrey

July 20th, 2008, 12:06 AM

Use Knowledge To Value Add Nation's Development, PM Tells Young People
July 19, 2008 19:40 PM

KEPALA BATAS, July 19 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi advised young people, as the backbone of human capital, to use their knowledge to value add the development the nation has achieved over the last 50 years.

The prime minister said students, on the other hand, should acquire knowledge to instil excellence in the nation's progress and success in the future.

"If the country is to achieve rapid progress, the human capital has to be developed with knowledge from diverse fields and a suitable educational aspect," he said at the presentation of study offers and educational sponsorship of the private Island College of Technology for 350 students at the Kepala Batas Dewan Millenium, here.

Abdullah advised all the students to use their educational opportunity as best as possible, saying such an opportunity was scarce.

"The education that you acquire will help create a more competitive and progressive future generation," he said. The prime minister also said that the government was committed and sensitive to the question of making available quality education.

"This is a very meaningful assistance and every member of the younger generation of today must have an education as a preparation to face global challenges," he said.

The Island College of Technology, located in Balik Pulau, Penang, was set up 10 years ago and has produced 2,700 diploma and first-degree holders so far.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

July 20th, 2008, 03:13 PM

The Living Classrooms attracts strong interest
By Azlan Abu Bakar Published: 2008/07/19
BusinessTimes

http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/Industries/Franchising/livingclassf.xml/Article/Current_News/BTIMES/Images/btgraph9/living.jpg

The education franchise has received enquiries from Kelantan and also earmarked a number of English teachers in Terengganu to open up centres there

THE Living Classrooms, a new home-grown education franchise, has received more than 10 enquiries from interested parties since launching its prototype centre in 2007.

"We expect to see our first franchise centre to open by the third quarter of 2008," co-founder Alma Ahmad Yeop said, noting that they also plan to expand its franchise network to include other countries in the region.

She said next possible locations for the centre include areas in the East Coast, Shah Alam and Kuala Lumpur.
received at least two enquiries from Kelantan and have also earmarked a number of English teachers in Terengganu to open up centres there
"We as well," she told Business Times in Kelana Jaya, Selangor, recently.

Alma said with initial investment of between RM90,000 and RM120,000, franchisees could expect a return in investment within three years.

"For a cost of RM20,000, franchisees will get six sets of lesson plans for year one to year six. It will include teacher training, franchise training and branding," she said.

The Living Classrooms sees the importance of nurturing the English language among the young generation, but through a more fun and interesting approach.

"Children need to know that English is all around them. It is at home, in the shops, on television and in books of all subjects," said Alma.

Alma and long-time friend Siti Suzannah Ismail took up the challenge of setting up their own English language centre in 2003 before deciding to turn it into a franchise.

"When we first started, people thought The Living Classrooms is owned by a foreign franchise but it is not. We developed the concept and syllabus ourselves, here in Malaysia," she said.

Alma said The Living Classrooms is a place where learning English is coupled with increasing students' knowledge about the world around them.

"Proficiency in the language is not the only determining element in producing excellent students, accuracy must be coupled with good personality and the ability to speak in front of the public," she said, noting that English could be used to teach any subject.

Alma, who is also managing director of the centre, said with guidance and assistance from the Ministry of Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development and Perbadanan Nasional Bhd, they developed their franchise documents in 2005 before obtaining the franchisor status two years later.

nazrey

July 21st, 2008, 02:58 PM

KUIS Aims Full University Status By Next Year
July 20, 2008 18:37 PM

BANGI, July 20 (Bernama) -- Kolej Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Selangor (KUIS) is in the process of applying for full university status from the Malaysian Qualifications Agency.

Chairman of KUIS Board of Directors Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim who is Selangor Menteri Besar said the university college aimed to be granted the accreditation next year.

To achieve the objective, he said, KUIS would enhance and upgrade its infrastructure which included accomodation for the students, study facilities, the service centre for international students and teaching experts.

Speaking to reporters after KUIS's 11th Convocation here, Sunday, he said that after the status upgrade, the university college would allocate between 10 and 30 percent of the seats to international students.

KUIS was established in 1995 as a private college and wholly-owned subsidiary of the Selangor Islamic Religious Council.

In has been recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation as an institution that develops Arabic education.

KUIS Rector Datuk Mohd Adanan Isman said the university college would increase the number of teaching staff with doctorate degrees and offer new courses including master's progammes in Islamic banking, Syariah management and comparative religious studies.

"We have approved 30 staff to undergo Phd studies under the Academic Training Scheme provided by KUIS to strengthen the teaching force here," he said in a speech.

A total of 857 graduates received their diplomas and degrees in Arabic, Syariah, Usuluddin, Al-Quran and Sunnah, Dakwah, Tahfiz Al-Quran and Al-Qiraat and Islamic Laws from Khalid at today's ceremony.

Meanwhile commenting on a remark by Umno information chief Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib that a crack had appeared in Parti Keadilan Rakyat after an assemblyman's aide slapped Kelana Jaya Member of Parliament Loh Gwo Burne -- both from the same party -- Khalid said: "This is his hope and his expectation. The truth is it is a sign of maturity in Malaysian politics".

Disagreements and differences of opinions always existed in an alliance and each member should know how to tackle it so that an amicable solution could be achieved, he said.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

July 21st, 2008, 02:59 PM

RM1 Bln Extra Funds For Rural Students, Says Hishammuddin
July 20, 2008 19:32 PM

KLUANG, July 20 (Bernama) -- The Education Ministry will channel the RM1 billion additional allocation under the Ninth Malaysia Plan Mid-Term Review to rural students, Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said, Sunday.

He said although the funds were not enough to meet the total expenditure needed, at least it could reduce the gap between rural and urban students in accordance with the Education Development Blueprint.

"Actually, the government needs at least RM3 billion to assist rural students. Nevertheless, I am grateful and glad with the RM1 billion allocation though I am concerned the economic situation may worsen in a year or two," he said.

Earlier, Hishammuddin who is Sembrong Member of Parliament launched a programme for Felda folk and an encyclopedia for students published by Utusan Publications & Distributors Sdn Bhd at Felda Ulu Penggeli here.

He said the ministry would have to use other sources including funds slated for projects which could not be completed soon to realise those for development in rural areas.

"Projects facing problems such as with regard to land status or those which can be covered under the 10th Malaysia Plan, we will use their allocations to channel aid to the students. With this, we can save money," he said.

Hishammuddin said the ministry was still committed to extending aid to rural students including providing food, textbooks and tuition vouchers as well as implementing physical development projects because children should not be let to become victims of the escalating fuel prices.

On the Education Development Blueprint, he said the implementation of most programmes under the master plan had achieved 49 percent and in terms of physical development it had surpassed 50 percent.

"Actually, the ministry's decision to undertake development much earlier was timely. If we were to start today the cost was surely high.

"All development projects under the Eighth Malaysia Plan have been completed and we no longer hear problems like school laboratory collapsing or roof leakages," he said.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

July 28th, 2008, 11:17 AM

Three Sabahans among first medical UMS grads
Monday July 28, 2008

KOTA KINABALU: Three Sabahans are among the inaugural batch of 30 University Malaysia Sabah (UMS) medical graduates who will receive their scrolls soon.

UMS School of Medicine Dean Prof Dr Osman Ali said the graduation of the maiden batch would put to rest doubts on the “quality” of the faculty set up five years ago,

He said the aspiring doctors had even proven themselves in foreign hospitals where some had been assigned for elective posting.

“The selected overseas hospitals had given positive feedback on our students,” Dr Osman said, adding that the medical school was also receiving about 30 to 40 appeals annually from those seeking a place there.

To produce better doctors, he said, the medical students were exposed to communities of different racial, socio-economic and health backgrounds.

Such exposure would allow them to better understand and recognise the problems faced by the rural indigenous and urban communities, he added.

Dr Osman said that for now, the medical faculty students were being sent for their eight-week clinical postings on a rotation basis to the Queen Elizabeth, Likas, Bukit Padang Mesra and Papar hospitals.

The medical students had also spent time in some of Sabah’s remote communities such as Pulau Banggi, Beluran, Nabawan and Long Pasia.

Soon, their exposure will include the northern Kudat district where a RM20mil Rural Medical Education Centre is being constructed.

He said the centre would not only serve as a venue for the medical undergraduates for clinical postings but also as a centre for rural medical research.

The UMS School of Medicine has an enrolment of 335 with an annual intake of 75 students.

Dr Osman said about 20% of the undergraduates were Sabahans.

nazrey

July 28th, 2008, 11:28 AM

Textbook Loan Scheme For Religious Schools Too
July 27, 2008 20:18 PM

JOHOR BAHARU, July 27 (Bernama) -- The Education Ministry will extend its Textbook Loan Scheme (SPBT) to integrated religious schools or state government integrated schools, starting next year.

Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the aid would be given starting in Johor, Selangor, Perak, Kedah and Terengganu involving a yearly allocation of RM1.9 million.

"For a start, 42 religious schools with 9,435 students in those states would be benefitting from the aid. The policy needs to be extended to prove that the ministry has never neglected the other types of schools, including religious schools, in line with the Education Development Master Plan (PIPP)," he said.

Hishammuddin said this after attending the closing ceremony of the first ever national-level 'kompang selawat and berzanji marhaban' competition among schools, here today.

He said the aid would only involve primary religious schools that were registered under the state government and did not involve private religious schools.

He said the move to extend the text book loan scheme following the suggestion by Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman that the scheme be implemented in Johor state government primary integrated religious schools which used the National Primary Syllabus (KBSR).

"The ministry has evaluated all suggestions and I feel that this policy has to be extended not only to lessen the burden of the parents, but also to ensure that students from low-income families were not left behind in the school system," he said.

-- BERNAMA

rizalhakim

July 29th, 2008, 04:22 AM

http://www.ariffin.izahusni.com/pic/badawi.jpg

nazrey

July 29th, 2008, 08:27 AM

Limkokwing To Get Assistance In Teaching Malay Studies
July 29, 2008 14:05 PM
From Rohana Mustaffa

LONDON, 29 JulY (Bernama) -- The Limkokwing University's Centre for Malay Studies here will be assisted in getting expertise for the interactive teaching of the Malay language and Malay arts and culture to its students.

Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal who visited the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology here Monday, gave the assurance that experts in the fields would be seconded to the centre for the purpose.

He said he would also ask the National Arts and Culture Academy (Aswara) to loan their teaching staff to the centre.

Limkokwing University had asked for the ministry's help in getting experts to teach and promote the Malay World to the centre's students who currently number 350.

The university requires several lecturers and experts for the Malay Studies centre, which was simultaneously launched with the Limkokwing University London campus by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Oct 1, 2007.

Mohd Shafie said he was impressed with the seriousness of Limkokwing University in focusing on Malay language, arts and cultural studies to students from different racial and cultural backgrounds.

"Better understanding of a race by learning its language, culture and traditions could reduce friction and conflicts among people of the world," said the minister who is here for the 'Malaysia Week' event which will be launched on July 30.

He also congratulated the ministry's cultural troupe which won several awards at the 12th World Championship of Performing Arts in Los Angeles that began on July 17.

"I have seen their performances before and they are really awesome," he added.

Meanwhile, Datuk Sulaiman Othman, the special assistant to the Limkokwing University president, said the university's Centre for Malay Studies here had also received the support of various agencies in Malaysia, including Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka and Kraftangan Malaysia.

He said the university planned to become a hub for Malay language study and the Malay World's resource centre by creating a Chair which would offer studies in Malay anthropology, history, culture and linguistics.

-- BERNAMA

rizalhakim

July 30th, 2008, 07:22 AM

USM links up with foreign universities for drug research

UNIVERSITI Sains Malaysia (USM) has linked up with 18 other universities from the United States, Mexico, Thailand, Indonesia, Pakistan and the Philippines to develop new vaccines and drugs.

USM vice-chancellor Tan Sri Prof Dzulkifli Abdul Razak said a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed with the universities’ representatives yesterday to pave the way for collaboration on pharmacy education and research.

“Two major companies namely Chemical Company of Malaysia (CCM) Bhd and Guardian Singapore, which operates the Guardian Pharmacy chain, also signed a similar memorandum with us.

“It is good that these corporate bodies have chosen to support our efforts as each new drug discovery would need an estimated US$1bil (RM3bil) to develop,” he said in his opening speech.

Dzulkifli said the collaboration between the universities had actually been going on for some time and with the MoU signing, the efforts had been formalised and would include academic staff exchange in the near future.

“I am sure that the fruits of our research would have a positive impact on the society. We managed to develop a kit which is able to diagnose typhoid in 15 minutes compared to three days previously and the kit is now being used worldwide.”

School of Pharmaceutical Sciences dean assoc prof Dr Syed Azhar Syed Sulaiman said three University of San Diego undergraduates from the United State were presently doing a research on developing a bird flu vaccine in USM.

“Student exchanges would now be more regular among the 18 universities with the signing of the MoU.

“The scope of research being done would depend on the respective universities’ niche,” he said.

Dzulkifli also launched the Science for Society Fund to nurture and expose poor students, aged between 11 and 13, to the importance of science and education for a better future.

“Five children including one from Indonesia have been ‘adopted’ by the School of Pharmacy using this fund. Close to RM20,000 have already been collected from individuals and private companies.

“We are appealing for more and I hope that more companies would come forward to donate towards the cause.”

They can contact Dr Syed Azhar (04-6533812 or 04-6532211) for more information.

nazrey

July 31st, 2008, 03:01 AM

HMs want better perks
Sunday July 27, 2008

THE Malaysian Headmasters Council (GMGBM) has asked the Education Ministry to include the post of headmaster in the management group (DG36, DG38 and DG40) and no longer in the support group, in recognition of their role and contributions in education.

Its president, Ruslan Madon, said the council also urged the ministry to increase the allowance of headmasters from RM100 to RM500 and asked for an entertainment allowance of 5% to be entered straight into the emolument payment.

These were among 11 resolutions passed at the close of the four-day 14th Education Convention organised by the council in Kuala Terengganu last week, which was attended by over 7,000 primary school teachers from throughout the country.

Deputy director-general of education Datuk Noor Rezan Bapoo Hashim simultaneously closed the convention and the GMGBM delegates conference last Wednesday.

Ruslan said one of the resolutions asked for the structuring of headmasters’ posts in primary schools to be expedited and the implementation of the DG41, DG44 scheme for graduate headmasters, and DG38, DG40 and DG46 for non-graduate headmasters.

The council also agreed to implement programmes to enhance the capabilities of teachers and students in primary schools. The headmasters also agreed to use the resources and expertise at the school, district and state levels to carry out programmes that would have a big impact on students, especially in developing soft skills and preparing them to compete at the global level.

The headmasters also wanted an allocation be set aside for them to attend seminars, conferences, conventions and workshops at national and international levels in order to enhance their knowledge and skills.

Ruslan said the 11 resolutions would be officially forwarded to Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein soon for consideration.

Meanwhile, Noor Rezan suggested that all schools should explain the National Education Blueprint to students during assembly.

”It is important for students to understand the blueprint to spur them to help the nation meet its objectives and aspirations,” she said.— Bernama

nazrey

August 3rd, 2008, 06:52 AM

nazrey

August 4th, 2008, 07:07 AM

Monash JB begins 2nd phase at clinical school
Monday August 4, 2008
TheStar

JOHOR BARU: Monash University’s Clinical School here is expanding and its second phase construction has begun.

The school’s head professor Datuk Dr Khalid Kadir said, with the second phase expected to completed by February 2009, the school would be able to accommodate up to 120 students a year.

“With the new building, more researches can be done and we can provide better facilities for staff and students,” he said, adding that the new three-and-a-half-storey building would cost RM4.7mil.

He said that each lecturer and professor would be given a private room for private discussions with students when necessary.

“There will also be learning suites where students can carry out examination of patients and the process can be recorded on video for teaching purposes,” he said.

Dr Khalid was speaking to pressmen during the visit of Governor of Victoria Professor David De Kretser’s to the school and Sultanah Aminah Hospital here recently.

He said the new building would also house six clinical skills laboratories and eight seminar rooms.

“We now have only two clinical skills laboratories and two seminar rooms,” he said, adding that the library’s capacity would be increased to 7,000 books from its current 2,500.

The school caters to Year Three and Four students and will accept Year Five students from February next year.

Clinical School manager Sathi Gunasegaram said that 15% of its 96 students were foreigners from various countries including Singapore and South Africa.

“Our students are sent to Hospital Sultanah Aminah, Hospital Permai, Polyclinic Tampoi, Polyclinic Tebrau and Polyclinic Kempas for practicals,” he said.

rizalhakim

August 7th, 2008, 04:47 AM

Career day for UTM students
ABOUT 2,000 visitors flocked to the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia campus in Skudai for Career Path 2008 recently.

The much anticipated two-day career fair on Aug 2 and 3 saw participation of more than 40 corporations and private establishments.

Job seekers, mostly graduates, were given walk-in interviews by participating firms.

Assistant director of the inaugural event, Rickson Lee, said that the organisers will be assisting the undergraduates from UTM submit resumes to companies of their choice.

Besides exhibitions and on-the-spot interviews, UTM Student Chapter organised nine sessions of career talks to enable visitors to be better prepared for the job hunt.

"The aim of the fair was to expose students to career opportunities and methods to clinch dream jobs.

"We hope that the companies will be able to provide internship opportunities to third-year undergraduates from the university," he said.

Some of the corporations that took part in the event were Nestle, MMi Precision Manufacturing, Titan Chemicals, Sime Darby, Lafarge Cement, Motorola, Intel Penang Design Center, Lion Group and Sunway Group.

rizalhakim

August 7th, 2008, 07:45 AM

Empat kolej matrikulasi baru dibina
Oleh Syuhada Choo Abdullah

KUALA LUMPUR: Empat kolej matrikulasi baru dengan kapasiti pelajar 12,000 pelajar akan dibina bagi peluang kemasukan kepada lulusan Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM).

Pengarah Bahagian Matrikulasi, Kementerian Pelajaran, Prof Datuk Dr Zainal Abidin Ahmad, berkata kolej baru yang masing-masing boleh menampung pengambilan 3,000 pelajar, akan dibina di Terengganu, Kelantan, Selangor dan Sabah.

Katanya, kolej di Terengganu, Kelantan dan Selangor sedang dalam proses pembinaan serta dijangka siap menjelang 2010 atau 2011, manakala projek di Sabah pula sudah selesai peringkat lawatan tapak.

Beliau berkata, pembinaan kolej baru selaras peningkatan permohonan kemasukan setiap tahun dalam Program Matrikulasi Kementerian Pelajaran yang dikenal pasti antara pilihan utama lulusan cemerlang SPM untuk melanjutkan pelajaran.

“Kualiti calon memohon juga meningkat dengan rata-ratanya berpencapaian cemerlang, malah ramai daripada mereka adalah lulusan terbaik SPM peringkat kebangsaan.

“Permohonan kemasukan calon bukan Bumiputera juga meningkat dengan drastik sehingga mencecah 20,000 calon sedangkan hanya 2,000 tempat ditawarkan kepada mereka,” katanya ketika dihubungi di sini, semalam.

Akhbar sebelum ini melaporkan lebih 100,000 permohonan diterima, termasuk daripada kira-kira 60,000 calon yang memenuhi syarat kelayakan, bagi memenuhi 26,000 tempat kemasukan ditawarkan pada sesi akademik 2008/2009.

rizalhakim

August 8th, 2008, 08:45 AM

Encorp gets RM150m contract to build schools

Email us your feedback at fd@bizedge.com

KUALA LUMPUR: Encorp Bhd subsidiary Encorp Construct Sdn Bhd has received letters of award from the Ministry of Education for the construction of 11 schools with a total value of RM150 million.

Encorp said yesterday the schools would be built over a period of 12 to 24 months. “The contract is expected to contribute positively to Encorp’s earnings from financial year ending Dec 31, 2009,” it added.

nazrey

August 9th, 2008, 03:05 AM

MMU score over UTeM Malacca in final of ABU Robocon 2008
Saturday August 9, 2008
TheStar

MALACCA: Months of hard work, drilling, soldering, welding, discussions, testing and competing against each other paid off for the Multimedia University (MMU) Robocon team when it emerged as national champion in the Asia Broadcasting Unit (ABU) Robocon competition.

The win entitles the team of eight final-year engineering students, Kendrick Saw Tin Hoe, Lee Chee Cheong, Ng Wai Keong, Yap Wai Leong, Wong Siew Kham, Tan Wei Qiang, Ryan Tan Chee Chiang and Ng Yin Yeo, to represent Malaysia in the upcoming international level-competition in Pune, India, on August 31.

It was not an easy win as the annual competition saw the participation of 64 teams from 31 institutions of higher learning nationwide.

The team also faced the strong UTM team in the semi finals.

“Not only were UTM’s and our robots similar in designs and abilities, our strategies and counter attacks were alike, making it a very close match.

“It was our robots’ speed, stability and accuracy that helped us triumph over our rivals.

“Of course, our manual robot operator Lee Chee Cheong played an important role,” said team manager Kendrick Saw.

They faced UTeM Melaka in the finals to clinch the championship and cash prize of RM10,000.

Their robots won the best idea, best engineering and best design special awards with RM5,000 as reward.

“We did everything from scratch, from building of the robots, gathering the materials, designing the circuit boards, writing the programs, implementing our strategies and improvising on it after numerous test runs, all with the help of every team member,” said Lee.

Lecturers Thum Chia Cheh, Desmond Kho Teck Kiang, Dr Koo Voon Chet and Yong Yik Seng from the faculty of engineering and technology helped by giving ideas, comments and suggestions while supervising the students.

“The contest is among the best ways to test students on what we teach in class as they have to apply their knowledge and implement it through the machines,” said Thum.

“It is our final year at the university and we are proud to have achieved something before leaving.

“Our hard work and efforts have paid off,” said Ng.

Koo, who is also associate dean, said he was proud with the achievement, adding that Multimedia University was the leading institution in robotics and automation technology.

nazrey

August 9th, 2008, 02:29 PM

UM Top Student Excels Due To Interest In Studies
August 09, 2008 20:20 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 9 (Bernama) -- Universiti Malaya's top student this year, Satina Jasni, was confident that she had chosen a faculty that suited her interest in literature.

Satina who was awarded a First Class Degree in South-East Asian Literature realised in Form Six that her interest in literature was related to South-East Asia.

"I was a science stream student but I had no interest in it. I shifted to literature in Form Six and then I realised how interested I was in the subject," said Satina who had achieved a CGPA of 3.73.

The Pasir Gudang lass said: "There will not be any problems to study if we have an interest in the subject and insya-Allah it will make it easier for us to understand and master as well."

Satina is now temporarily working in the finance department at the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development while waiting to pursue her Masters in South-East Asian Literature in December.

For her next thesis she plans to prepare a report regarding gender, especially on the involvement of effeminate men and homosexual activities that were increasing in the University of Malaya.

Satina did not limit herself to only academics, but she was active in other activities such as culture.

She was also a journalist and wrote economic reports for the university.

Satina received her award on Saturday from Universiti Malaya Pro-Chancellor Tan Sri Siti Norma Yaakob at the university's convocation.

-- BERNAMA

rizalhakim

August 11th, 2008, 04:20 AM

Taylor's going to Sri Hartamas
By LEONG HUNG YEE

AFTER almost four decades of operating from its “territory” in Subang Jaya, Taylor's Education Group is expanding beyond its nucleus to Sri Hartamas in Kuala Lumpur.

The new 50,000 sq ft campus in Sri Hartamas which costs about RM6mil will be launched by Higher Education Deputy Minister Dr Hou Kok Chung tomorrow.

The education group, which was founded in 1969, has been expanding aggressively throughout the area surrounding its main campus Subang Jaya to include four additional campuses.

The new campus is the first to be set up outside the Subang Jaya vicinity.

Group managing director Datuk Loy Teik Ngan said the group was expanding fast and needed more facilities and space to accommodate the growing student population.

“Although Subang Jaya has been our hub for many years, we are running out of space there. The changing times coupled with Taylor's own growth has resulted in the investment in the new campus.

http://biz.thestar.com.my/archives/2008/8/11/business/b_p14Loy.jpg
Datuk Loy Teik Ngan at the Sri Hartamas campus library

“It is a two-pronged strategy. We will be able to cater to students living in this part of the city as well as have a nice and spacious location for our new campus,” Loy told StarBiz.

About RM6mil was spent on renovation and furnishings such as classroom equipment, campus facilities and so forth but excluded land costs.

Loy explained that the land belongs to Malaysia Land Properties Sdn Bhd (Mayland) and the group was renting it from the company.

“Sri Hartamas is not too far from our hub in Subang Jaya and we can manage it easily. We are very optimistic with this campus,” he said.

Currently, Taylor's University College Sri Hartamas campus can cater to about 800 students for the Cambridge A-Levels programme.

It will be able to take in more students once all three floors of the campus are ready.

The campus is equipped with state-of-theart facilities including a library, student lounge, lecture theatres, ICT and physical recourses department, multipurpose areas, science laboratories, discussion rooms, surau and examination unit.

The entire campus is also Wi-Fi enabled to allow students to use digital technology as learning tools.

“The new campus is planned to meet the increasing education demands of our student enrolment which has increased year-onyear,” Loy said, adding that the campus provided an alternative for those living around the vicinity.

“As one of Malaysia's oldest, most successful and reputable private institutions of higher education, we are proud to announce that over 50,000 graduates have passed through our doors. This campus will continue our product heritage of academic as well as teaching and learning excellence,” he said.

Taylor's University college, which currently offers nine programmes, has submitted its application to the Higher Education Minister to conduct medical courses.

Loy expects the medical school to be up and running a year from now once it has received all the necessary approval from the Government.

He said the medical school would be situated at its Lakeside Campus in Subang Jaya.

The Lakeside Campus is currently under construction and expected to be ready in early 2010.

Taylor's will also be introducing more courses going forward, Loy said. Apart from expanding its course offering, the group will also expand its primary and secondary private education.

The group runs Garden International School, Sri Garden KL, Australia International School as well as soon-to-be launched Nexus World-School Taylor's aims to have 20,000 students by 2015 from the 16,000 it currently has.

“Overseas students contribute 14% to our revenue, but there is no urgent need to expand elsewhere yet,” Loy said.

He said Taylor's main priority was to ensure teaching excellence thus prompting the group to invest about 4% of salary into staff training compared with the 1% recommended by the Government.

However, Loy added that Taylor's has been on the lookout for opportunities to expand beyond the Klang Valley and even Malaysia but such plans would take time.

rizalhakim

August 11th, 2008, 05:45 AM

Khalid all for open door at UiTM

SHAH ALAM: Universiti Tek-nologi Mara should be opened up to all races although it was set up to produce Bumiputera professionals.

Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said he agreed to suggestions that the university be opened to all, and further proposed that 10 per cent of all new student intakes in UiTM be reserved for non-Bumiputeras and foreign students.

He said the move would be timely as it followed the changes in the education system. At the same time, it would give early exposure to UiTM students to be more friendly towards other races.

"UiTM was set up to uplift Malays and Bumiputeras from Sabah and Sarawak in the education sector. This effort must continue.

"But at the same time, UiTM should think more globally to ensure their graduates are more friendly with people of different races in the nation."

Abdul Khalid said this after flagging off the participants in the Shah Alam-Adidas King of the Road 2008 Run here yesterday.

He was commenting on reports that several quarters were trying to get UiTM to have closed-door discussions about opening its doors to non-Bumiputeras.

He said inter-ethnic interaction was crucial for UiTM graduates as they would be better prepared to step into the working world, which was far different from life as they knew it.

He said he agreed with state executive councillor for higher education Dr Halimah Ali, who said there was nothing wrong in opening up UiTM to non-Bumiputeras.

She, however, had said that detailed studies should be carried out so as to ensure that any such move did not contradict the university's original goal.

UiTM was set up in 1967 as Institut Teknologi Mara, when then prime minister Tun Abdul Razak wanted to raise the socio-economic status of the Bumiputeras.

OshHisham

August 11th, 2008, 06:10 AM

it's time for UiTM to get out of its old dogma. a university is a place to build confidence, not a place where students are bound to feel afraid of challenging...

rizalhakim

August 11th, 2008, 07:30 AM

Khalid syor UiTM ambil 10% bukan bumiputera

Oleh AZIAN AZIZ

SHAH ALAM 10 Ogos - Menteri Besar Selangor, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim mencadangkan 10 peratus daripada jumlah semasa kuota pelajar di Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) dibuka kepada bukan bumiputera serta pelajar asing.

Abdul Khalid berkata, cadangan itu akan dapat mempertingkatkan kualiti pendidikan dan persaingan di kalangan pelajar institusi pengajian tinggi (IPT) tersebut.

Menurut beliau, syor itu juga dianggapnya sebagai wajar dan tepat dengan usaha UiTM yang mahu melahirkan pelajar daripada golongan Melayu dan bumiputera yang berdaya saing.

''UiTM perlu bersikap global dalam usaha untuk menentukan siswazahnya lebih mesra dan serasi dengan masyarakat yang berbilang kaum dan bangsa agar dapat bersaing secara sihat," kata beliau kepada pemberita selepas menyertai 'Fun Walk' anjuran Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam (MBSA) bersama Adidas di sini hari ini.

Beliau berkata demikian ketika diminta mengulas kenyataan Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Tetap Pendidikan, Pengajian Tinggi dan Pembangunan Modal Insan, Dr. Halimah Ali dalam sebuah akhbar hari ini yang berpendapat UiTM perlu 'dibuka' kepada kaum lain jika ingin mewujudkan persaingan yang sihat.

Bagaimanapun, kata Abdul Khalid, cadangan yang dilontarkan ini perlu difikirkan sedalam-dalamnya daripada semua aspek agar tidak bercanggah dengan dasar penubuhan IPT itu dalam melahirkan generasi bumiputera yang berilmu dan berdaya saing.

nazrey

August 14th, 2008, 07:16 AM

Kedah Govt to build RM340m KUIN campus
Thursday August 14, 2008
TheStar

THE Kedah Government will build a new campus for Kolej Universiti Insaniah (KUIN) in Baling.

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak said the campus to be built on a 323.7ha site was expected to be completed by 2011.

“The new campus will replace KUIN campus on Jalan Sultanah here.

“The ground breaking for the campus will start in January next year,” he told newsmen after chairing the state exco meeting here yesterday.

Azizan said that the first phase of the project cost about RM250mil while the second and third phases of the project would cost RM50mil and RM40mil respectively.

He said that the state had identified a contractor who would be involved in the project.

Azizan said the new campus would accommodate between 9,000 and 10,000 students in the initial stage and up to 12,000 students when fully operational.

He said currently KUIN had about 8,000 students studying at its campus on Jalan Sultanah.

Azizan said the state planned to introduce more subjects at the new campus including tourism, agriculture, engineering and law at diploma and degree levels.

The university collage currently offers Syariah, Usuluddin, Arabic language, Business Studies, Accountancy, Information Tech-nology and also Quran ‘Tahfiz’ (memorising).

On another issue, Azizan hoped that forums on issues that touched on the sensitivitities of certain people would not be conducted in Kedah.

He said such forums would bring more bad than good to the state.

“If you conduct a forum touching on the sensitivities of others, they will conduct similar forums that touch issues that are close to you.

“This is unhealthy because it would create chaos. We want to avoid such a situation here,” he said.

nazrey

August 15th, 2008, 10:06 PM

New Unimas courses to lure foreigners
Friday August 15, 2008
TheStar

KOTA SAMARAHAN: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) will offer new courses and bring in foreign students as it continues to develop.

Vice-chancellor Prof Dr Khairuddin Ab Hamid said the engineering faculty would offer a new degree programme in chemical engineering in the coming academic session beginning next year.

He said this followed a new degree course in finance under the economics and business faculty which was introduced this year.

In addition, he said the university would introduce two degree courses in biotechnology and information technology in collaboration with Vietnam’s Nong Lam University next year.

“We are making plans to offer a course in tourism and a basic science programme for SPM leavers soon,” Prof Dr Khairuddin said at the second session of the 2008 convocation here on Tuesday.

He also said the university was currently finalising the intake of at least 100 students from China to study full-time next year.

On the university’s new permanent campus, he said a main hall, sports complex, Islamic centre, and buildings for several faculties would be built under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

“The new campus reflects our commitment to give the best to our students and the community through the provision of state-of-the-art facilities and a conducive environment.

“We want to continually encourage academic excellence, sustain rigorous research and improve the quality of our scholarship,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud called on Unimas lecturers to establish links with foreign experts and obtain peer recognition in their research work.

He said that by producing quality research, Unimas would be able to gain international recognition.

Taib, who is also Unimas pro-chancellor, later handed out scrolls to 350 graduates from the economics, business and engineering faculties.

A total of 1,591 graduates received their degrees.

nazrey

August 16th, 2008, 11:21 AM

UniMAP Expands Educational And Industrial Network Overseas
August 16, 2008 16:14 PM

KANGAR, Aug 16 (Bernama) -- Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) has signed another 28 memoranda of understanding with local and foreign learning institutions and organisations to enhance its educational and industrial network.

The signing of the MoUs was held a dinner hosted in conjunction with the university's third convocation last night.

UniMAP vice chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Kamarudin Hussin said the new MoUs, involving 12 industrial sectors, were signed with SIRIM Berhad, Infineon Technologies Sdn Bhd, Big Harvest Sdn Bhd, Dream Catcher Consulting Sdn Bhd and institutions of higher learning from Switzerlend, Jordan, China, Norway, Indonesia and Thailand.

He said since 2005, the university had inked cooperation with almost 100 organisations and learning institutions in 16 countries, and had sent more than 20 students, under the student exchange programme, including to Indonesia, Norway, Thailand, Australia and Germany.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

August 17th, 2008, 04:13 AM

UTM grads win royal education award
Sunday August 17, 2008
TheStar

JOHOR BARU: Two university graduates, who were among the first Malaysians to represent the country under the Harvard College Asia Programme, were honoured with the Royal Education Award from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM).

The UTM graduates Jasrul Jamani Jamian, 23, and S. Ratnakala, 25, received the award from Sultanah Zanariah Tunku Ahmad during the university’s 41st convocation ceremony yesterday.

Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical) degree holder Jasrul Jamani said he was honoured to be selected for the award as there were also other graduates who had excelled in academic and co-curricular activities.

“Our participation in the programme is perhaps one of the major contributing factors that led us to winning the award,” said the son of a lorry driver.

He was among a group of nine UTM students who were the first Malaysians to undergo the one-week programme in February last year.

He said he learnt how to prepare and conduct conferences that included participants from other countries such as Singapore, Japan and India.

“I have also learnt how lessons were conducted at Harvard University, which saw greater participation from students,” he said.

He started tutoring at UTM three weeks ago and planned to further his studies there.

His father Jamain Mathan, 50, said he was proud of his son’s success, adding that he would be a role model to his five younger siblings.

Ratnakala, who graduated with a Bachelor in Architecture, said she had received offers of employment from several companies and was still considering what she should do.

The youngest of three siblings said being involved in various activities also helped her grow.

“I also learnt to trust God in many ways after my father passed away in 2000. My father and I were very close.”

The recipients of the Chancellor's Award were Ling Dian Mioa (Bachelor of Engineering – Electrical – Mechatronics) and Izwyn Zulkapri (Bachelor of Science with Education – Sports Science).

The Academic Excellence Award went to Noratiqah Mohd Ariff (Bachelor of Science – Mathematics), who obtained a CGPA of 4.0 for all semesters.

All five award winners were among 6,531 graduates in the five-day convocation who received PhDs, Master's, Bachelor's degrees and diplomas.

nazrey

August 17th, 2008, 11:27 PM

Harvard dream come true for Penangite
Saturday August 16, 2008
By WINNIE YEOH
TheStar

IT’S the dream of many university students to be invited to the largest annual Harvard University event in Asia – the Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR) business conference.

Michael Teoh, 21, from Prai, is among 400 students worldwide who have been picked to attend the ongoing conference in Kuala Lumpur. The conference, which began on Thursday, will end tomorrow.

What surprised him was that he was invited just a day after he submitted his entry of two 2,000 words essays to Harvard University in the United States.

“It was truly a pleasant surprise. I even emailed the university to ask if it’s for real as my friend from Singapore told me he only received his invitation two weeks after his application,” he said in an interview at Inti College in George Town, Penang.

The participants will discuss about the business trends in Asian countries at the conference where Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is scheduled to be one of the speakers.

Teoh, who did his matriculation studies at Inti College in Penang and is now in his final year studying international business and marketing in Auckland University of Technology (AUT), has also made some achievements in New Zealand.

He was recently selected from among 10,000 AUT business students as the most outstanding business student and achiever for AUT 2008.

His other achievements include being the first international student to win twice, this year and last year, in New Zealand in the Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) competition. SIFE is an international organisation that mobilises university students around the world to make a difference in their communities while developing the skills to become socially responsible business leaders.

Teoh was part of the team which represented New Zealand at the SIFE World Cup in New York last year where they emerged top 10 among teams from 50 countries.

He will also be part of the New Zealand team at the SIFE World Cup in Singapore in October.

On the home front, Teoh has been nominated as a candidate for the Asian Youth Ambassadors (AYA) Dream Malaysia Awards 2008 which is supported by the National Unity and Integration Department.

If he wins the award in Nov 9 competition, he has to inspire other youths to excel in whatever they do.

Teoh advised youths to be daring in their ventures.

“I’ve had many failures before and my advice to other youths is be daring enough to take the unknown steps.

“You wouldn’t know the outcome if you don’t attempt it and if you do try, here’s a 50/50 chance of getting what you aimed for,” he said.

nazrey

August 20th, 2008, 08:08 PM

All Health Ministry Colleges To Have ICT Facilities, Says Liow
August 19, 2008 16:23 PM

SEREMBAN, Aug 19 (Bernama) -- All colleges under the Health Ministry will be equipped with information and communication technology (ICT) facilities to allow students to have access to latest information on medical treatment, its Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said today.

The ministry, he said, would also ensure training facilities at its hospitals and health clinics were up-to-date and meet the training curriculum.

"It is our hope that graduates from our colleges are able to provide the best service and meet the needs of our clients, who are becoming more complex and sophisticated.

"Only with knowledge and skills can our clients be satisfied with our service," he said at the convocation ceremony for nurses at the Seremban College for Health Assistants (KPPS) here today.

Liow's speech was read by the State Health, Science, Technology and Innovation Action Committee Chairman Datuk Ismail Taib.

He also advised graduates to practice life-long learning as the knowledge would enable them to keep abreast with development in medical treatment.

A total of 1,290 graduates from the Seremban Nursing College, KPPS and the Port Dickson Community Nursing College received their diploma and certificates at the ceremony today.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

August 20th, 2008, 08:09 PM

KIST To Take In Foreign Students
August 18, 2008 12:17 PM

NARATHIWAT (Thailand), Aug 18 (Bernama) -- The Kelantan Islamic Science and Technology College (KIST) will accept its first batch of foreign students with the enrolment of three Thai students next month.

KIST president Muhd Zamly said the three students, who would be sponsored by the college, would enrol for a three-year diploma course in psychology.

He said the college was offering a discount of between 30 and 50 percent in study fees for students from neighbouring countries.

The college, which now has 1,500 students, also offers diploma courses in nursing, health assistant and diagnostic radiotherapy, he added.

rizalhakim

August 25th, 2008, 08:17 AM

SEGi mulls own training hospital
by Chong Jin Hun
Email us your feedback at fd@bizedge.com

PETALING JAYA: SEG International Bhd (SEGi), looking beyond its bread-and-butter education business, plans to set up a training hospital to complement its medical and health science courses.

The university-college operator is also planning to venture into the information technology (IT) sector. It intends to conduct research and development with partner universities to develop commercially-viable offerings.

“Medical institutions and hospitals go hand-in-hand. We are exploring and should be able to decide by early next year. There could also be IT-related businesses,” SEGi group chief executive officer Datuk Clement Hii told The Edge Financial Daily in an interview recently. He did not elaborate.

The initiatives come at a time when SEGi is expanding its portfolio of academic courses to include higher-margin offerings, and increasing student-intake capacity in line with its aim to double revenue by the financial year ending Dec 31, 2010.

At present, the education provider has some 16,000 students across six campuses in the Klang Valley, Penang and Sarawak. The enrolment is expected to grow by up to 9.4% to 17,500 students by the end of this year.

Foreign students make up 18% of the current enrolment, of which about 70% are full-time students. Hii said foreign students are expected to constitute about a quarter of the student population by end-2009.

SEGi, which started off with courses in business and accountancy, has widened its portfolio to include medicine, nursing and pharmacy, according to its website.

It is capitalising on the global shortage of nurses. Hii said the company was expanding the training unit to become Malaysia’s largest nursing school in terms of student number and campus facility in three-and-a-half years. It already has around 2,000 student-nurses under its roof and the number is expected to quadruple to about 8,000 within the period.

“As the market becomes more competitive, we should go towards high-ticket, high-margin programmes which will allow us better returns. And we should also go into programmes where there are higher entry barriers.

“SEG International is facing very interesting times and it needs to continuously change and re-invent itself in the face of keen competition as well as the constantly changing needs of consumers,” said Hii.

Group earnings improved in the first quarter ended March 31, 2008. Net profit more than doubled to RM5.79 million from RM2.26 million a year earlier as it introduced new courses. Gains from the disposal of its Kota Damansara campus also boosted profit. Revenue, meanwhile, rose 27.1% to RM25.48 million from RM20.05 million.

And owning a hospital would allow SEGi to generate a new income stream from patients.

Note that a university-college status trims overall operating cost as the education provider can confer its own academic qualifications instead of relying on the credentials of partner universities to whom it pays royalty. SEGi was conferred university-college status by the Higher Education Ministry in June.

In general, shares of Malaysian private education entities have outperformed the wider market. Analysts said this was due to the inelastic and recession-proof qualities of the education sector amid poorer economic sentiments which had prompted consumers to spend less.

“The education sector is recession-proof because it is a necessity. There is a lack of substitution due to limited places in public universities,” OSK Research Sdn Bhd analyst Nor Fauzi Nasron told The Edge Financial Daily.

This lack of places at public universities has created a thriving market for private education players in Malaysia. Another contributory factor is that the country is a cheaper destination for foreign students compared with countries like Singapore and Hong Kong.

There are only a handful of public-listed education providers in the country. SEGi ‘s rivals are Inti Universal Holdings Bhd, Stamford College Bhd and HELP International Corp Bhd. SEGi, Inti, HELP and Stamford closed unchanged at 70 sen, RM1.18, RM1.36 and 25 sen, respectively, last Friday.

rizalhakim

August 26th, 2008, 06:22 AM

RM5 for a college course in Malacca

MALACCA: It won't cost you a bomb to study at a community college in Malacca. It can cost as little as RM5 for a short course of between two weeks and three months.

The community colleges in the state will be used to help empower poor people.

"This is one way we can effectively eradicate poverty in the country," said Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Idris Haron

"Furthermore, courses offered in the community colleges are affordable to everyone, as the short-term courses can cost as low as RM5," he added.

Idris said the state's poor, especially in rural areas, could register for the various short, medium and long-term courses offered by community colleges.

He made the announcement after the opening of the Tangga Batu Community College by Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah, the wife of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi,

"These colleges can teach them new skills and also the know-how to do business, leading to improvements in their standards of living.

"It is open to everyone, regardless of their race, age and educational background," he said.

The courses offered include reflexology, body massage, cake-making, landscaping, photography, telephone repair and sewing.

Idris said the long-term courses cost a mere RM200 per semester, and the minimum requirement for those interested is the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia.

The Tangga Batu Community College, offers courses related to tourism.

rizalhakim

August 29th, 2008, 05:39 AM

nazrey

September 2nd, 2008, 06:21 AM

UM and USM lead the way
By SIMRIT KAUR and KAREN CHAPMAN

PETALING JAYA: Both Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Universiti Malaya (UM) are frontrunners to receive apex university status.

Many believe that by virtue of its history and status UM would be the natural choice but USM may spring a surprise.

In last year’s Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings, UM was the highest ranked at 246, followed by USM at 307, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) at 309 and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) at 364.

UM was the only public higher education institution to obtain a five-star rating in the Rating System for Malaysian Higher Education Institutions 2007.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is expected to announce the name of the university selected under the accelerated programme for excellence (apex) when he delivers Budget 2009 at the Dewan Rakyat today.

A selection committee headed by former Universiti Malaysia Sarawak vice-chancellor Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Mohamad Zawawi Ismail short-listed four universities – UM, USM, UKM and UPM.

Other universities that applied for the status were International Islamic University Malaysia, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia as well as two private universities – Universiti Teknologi Petronas and Universiti Tenaga Nasional.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin had said the chosen university had the greatest potential among Malaysian universities to be world-class and as such, would be given additional assistance to compete with top-ranked global institutions.

USM's plan was titled “Transforming higher education for a sustainable tomorrow”, focusing on environmental issues.

The recommendation to have at least one apex university was contained in the National Higher Education Strategic Plan which was launched by Abdullah in August last year.

He had said the country would select one or two apex universities, which would be granted more autonomy and resources to create an environment that would attract the best students and faculty.

ASIA
Times Higher Education - QS World University Rankings 2007
Top 400 Universities

Asia Rank (World Rank) School Name Country
1 (17) University of TOKYO Japan
2 (18) University of HONG KONG Hong Kong
3 (25) KYOTO University Japan
4 (33) National University of SINGAPORE Singapore
5 (36) PEKING University China
6 (38) The CHINESE University of Hong KongHong Kong
7 (40) TSINGHUA University China
8 (46) OSAKA University Japan
9 (51) SEOUL National University Korea, South
10(53) HONGKONGUniversityofScience&Techno.Hong Kong
11(69) NANYANG Technological University Singapore
12(85) FUDAN University China
13(90) TOKYO Institute of Technology Japan
14(102) TOHOKU University Japan
14(102) National TAIWAN University Taiwan
15(112) NAGOYA University Japan
17(125) NANJING University China
18(132) Korea Advanced Institute of Scie Korea, South
19(136) KYUSHU University Japan
20(149) CITY University of Hong Kong Hong Kong
21(151) HOKKAIDO University Japan
22(155) UniversityofScienceandTechnologyof China
23(161) KEIO University Japan
24(163) SHANGHAI JIAO TONG University China
25(180) WASEDA University Japan
26(197) KOBE University Japan
27(209) ZHEJIANG University China
27(209) University of TSUKUBA Japan
29(212) HIROSHIMA University Japan
30(223) CHULALONGKORN University Thailand
31(243) KOREA University Korea, South
32(246) Universiti MALAYA (UM) Malaysia
33(254) University of DELHI India
34(256) The HONG KONG Polytechnic UniversityHong Kong
35(269) Indian Institute of Technology BombayIndia
36(273) NAGASAKI University Japan
37(284) MAHIDOL University Thailand
37(284) CHIBA University Japan
39(307) Indian Institute of Technology DelhiIndia
39(307) Universiti Sains MALAYSIA (USM) Malaysia
40(309) Universiti Kebangsaan MALAYSIA(UKM)Malaysia
41(324) TIANJIN University China
42(331) GUNMA University Japan
43(334) National TSING HUA University Taiwan
44(335) TOKYO Metropolitan University Japan
45(336) National CHENG KUNG University Taiwan
46(345) GIFU University Japan
47(354) YOKOHAMA NATIONAL University Japan
48(360) Universitas GADJAH MADA Indonesia
49(364) Universiti Putra MALAYSIA (UPM) Malaysia
49(364) TOKYO University of Science (TUS) Japan
49(364) OSAKA CITY University Japan
50(369) BANDUNG Institute of Technology Indonesia
51(377) OKAYAMA University Japan
52(380) SUNG KYUN KWAN University Korea, South
53(386) KUMAMOTO University Japan
54(395) University of INDONESIA Indonesia
53(398) SOGANG University Korea, South
53(398) University of the PHILIPPINES Philippines
53(398) National CENTRAL University Taiwan

From : QS Top Grad School (http://www.topuniversities.com/worlduniversityrankings/results/2007/overall_rankings/top_400_universities/)
Source: THES (http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/) – QS World University Rankings

nazrey

September 2nd, 2008, 06:22 AM

Penang Girl Top Malaysian Student In Adelaide
September 02, 2008 12:09 PM

MELBOURNE, Sept 2 (Bernama) - Adelaide University student Wan Ilma Dewiputri Wan Burhanuddin has been named top final-year Malaysian student in South Australia.

Wan Ilma was presented with the Australia-Malaysia Business Council of South Australia (AMBCSA) Patron's Merdeka Award for Excellence by former governor of South Australia Sir Eric Neal at a glittering ceremony at the weekend in Adelaide to mark the 51st anniversary of Merdeka.

Wan Ilma, who is completing a Bachelor of Health Science (Honours) degree, having completed her Bachelor of Science (Biomedical), received a laptop and A$1,500.

The Merdeka Awards were established in 1998 by the AMBCSA to recognise the best final-year Malaysian student from the three universities in Adelaide.

The objectives include encouraging Malaysian students to excel not only in their academic achievements, but also to encourage them to be all-rounders.

The other Merdeka Award recipients this year were Chan Yee Hon, from Kuching, who is completing his Bachelor of Medical Science at Flinders University and Ng Chia Ying, from Kedah, who is in her final year of Bachelor of Medical Radiation (Diagnostic) at the University of South Australia.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

September 3rd, 2008, 01:46 PM

USM dipilih universiti Apex
03/09/2008 3:53pm

KUALA LUMPUR 3 Sept. – Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi mengumumkan Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) sebagai universiti Apex.

Menterinya, Datuk Khaled Nordin berkata, USM dipilih selepas ia memenuhi ciri-ciri kualitatif dan kuantitatif yang ditetapkan. – Utusan.

USM picked as Apex university
Chan Kok Leong | Sep 3, 08 5:36pm
Malaysiakini

Universiti Sains Malaysia beat a field of eight other higher learning centres to emerge as the Higher Education Ministry's choice for Apex university.

Most likely to become world class

Beat eight other applicants

nazrey

September 3rd, 2008, 01:47 PM

USM granted apex status
Wednesday September 3, 2008 MYT 7:30:10 PM
By SIMRIT KAUR and KAREN CHAPMAN
TheStar

PUTRAJAYA: Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has been granted apex status and hundreds of millions of ringgit in additional funding to transform it into Malaysia's first world-class university.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said that both quantitative and qualitative criteria were used to select USM under the accelerated programme for excellence (apex).

"The selection committee evaluated each university's state of readiness, transformation plan and preparedness for change.

"After a thorough evaluation, the committee decided that only one university truly met all the criteria, namely USM,'' said Khaled Wednesday in a press conference at his ministry. The Cabinet agreed to the decision at its meeting on Aug 27.

The university given apex status is one that has the greatest potential among Malaysian universities to be world-class, and as such, would be given additional assistance to compete with top-ranked global institutions, added Khaled.

With apex status, USM will be expected to move up the World University Rankings with a target of top 200 in five years' time and top 100, if not top 50, by 2020, he said.

In last year’s Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings, Universiti Malaya (UM) was the highest ranked Malaysian university at 246, followed by USM at 307, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) at 309 and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) at 364.

A selection committee headed by former Universiti Malaysia Sarawak vice-chancellor Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Mohamad Zawawi Ismail short-listed USM, UM, UKM and UPM.

USM's transformation plan, entitled Transforming Higher Education For A Sustainable Tomorrow focused, among other things, on diagnostics, medical biotechnology, waste management, pharmaceuticals, nano technology, carbon nanotube, membrane technology and vaccinology.

"I hope the apex status will spur other universities to strive for excellence too. It's not about selecting the oldest university but choosing one with a doable plan that can help us transform our higher education,'' said Khaled when asked why UM was not selected.

The other universities that applied for apex status were International Islamic University Malaysia, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Petronas and Universiti Tenaga Nasional.

Khaled said that two more apex institutions would be selected among centres of excellence and newer, more specialised universities.

nazrey

September 4th, 2008, 04:07 AM

V-C: Great birthday gift for university
Thursday September 4, 2008 TheStar

PUTRAJAYA: Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) is grateful for any additional help towards becoming the first Malaysian university to attain world-class status.

“It is a good birthday present as USM is turning 40 next year,” said its vice-chancellor Prof Tan Sri Dzulkifli Abdul Razak of the government's decision to grant USM apex status.

He added that the university’s transformation plan was put in place six years ago.

Prof Dzulkifli added that the university planned to use its autonomy to improve three critical areas – talent, resources and governance.

“We would like to have our own charter like other autonomous universities,” he said.

In terms of funding, Prof Dzulkifli said USM has asked for an additional RM830mil for 2009–2013.

UM vice-chancellor Datuk Rafiah Salim congratulated USM on its achievement.

“Of course, we are disappointed not to be chosen based on our track record of transforming UM to become the top-ranked local university within two years.”

However, she said, UM will continue with its transformation plan, “with or without apex status”.

rizalhakim

September 4th, 2008, 04:34 AM

taken from http://kumpulanakitek.com.my

http://kumpulanakitek.com.my/inst14.gif
UNIVERSITY TECHNOLOGY OF MALAYSIA, KUALA LUMPUR

http://kumpulanakitek.com.my/inst15.gif
ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY COMPLEX, UNIVERSITY PUTRA MALAYSIA, SELANGOR

rizalhakim

September 4th, 2008, 07:44 AM

USM chosen as Apex university over UM
By : Regina Lee

http://www.nst.com.my/Thursday/Frontpage/20080904074919/insidepix1
Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin and Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Idris Haron (left) at a press conference yesterday to announce USM’s Apex university status.

PUTRAJAYA: Universiti Sains Malaysia has been chosen to be the country’s first Apex university.

The university was chosen based on its state of readiness, its transformation plan and preparedness for change.

USM scored an upset against the older and the higher ranked Universiti Malaya, as well as beating Universiti Kebangsaan and Universiti Putra Malaysia, which had also been shortlisted.

“It is not about the ranking. We are just choosing the most suitable one for the programme.

“Apex is about the future. We are not talking about the position of the universities, but we are identifying one that can go leaps and bounds into excellence with government help,” said Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin here yesterday.

He added that USM’s transformation theme that could unify all its seven niche fields and its impressive Key Performance Index were among factors that convinced the ministry that it deserved the Apex status.

The university’s five-year budgetary plan will be taken into consideration, with the government making a decision in the 2010 Budget.

Bigwigs from the university will soon be called to discuss with the ministry a viable implementation plan for autonomy.

The ministry also has another programme to develop centres of excellence within non-Apex universities.

New or emerging institutions will also be given focus.

“Being an Apex university is a long and transformative journey which the institution will have to undertake on its own.

“Depending on USM’s performance, if it can stand on its own soon enough, then we can look into getting another university to be an Apex univer-sity.

“But I expect USM to be ranked in the top 200 in the ratings such as the Times Higher Education Supplements ranking in five years, and ma-ke it into the top 100 by 2020.”

In the latest THES ranking, USM is listed in 307th place, while UM is the highest ranked local university at 246th place.

nazrey

September 4th, 2008, 08:01 AM

USM dipilih universiti Apex pertama
Utusan

http://utusan.com.my/pix/2008/0904/Utusan_Malaysia/Dalam_Negeri/dn_02.1.jpg

Mohamed Khaled Nordin ketika mengumumkan Universiti Sains Malaysia dipilih
sebagai universiti Apex di kementeriannya di Putrajaya, semalam.
- Gambar BERNAMA

PUTRAJAYA 3 Sept. - Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) dipilih sebagai universiti Apex pertama selepas mengetepikan tiga lagi universiti yang turut disenarai pendek iaitu Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) dan Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM).

Menteri Pengajian Tinggi, Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin berkata, pemilihan itu bermakna USM kini memikul peranan penting untuk menjadi universiti terbaik dunia dalam tempoh lima hingga 10 tahun akan datang.

''USM dipilih sebagai universiti Apex selepas ia diberi penilaian yang lebih tinggi dalam tiga aspek iaitu keadaan semasa, kesediaan untuk berubah dan penyediaan pelan transformasi," katanya pada sidang akhbar di kementeriannya di sini hari ini.

Universiti Apex ialah pengiktirafan yang diberikan kepada institusi pengajian tinggi tempatan untuk menjadi penanda aras di peringkat dunia dalam bidang pengajian tinggi.

Di bawah program itu, USM disasarkan untuk disenarai dalam ranking 100 universiti terbaik dunia dalam tempoh lima tahun dan ranking 50 terbaik menjelang 2020.

Ditanya mengapa universiti tertua iaitu UM tidak dipilih, Khaled berkata, sejarah bukan faktor yang diberi penilaian dalam pemilihan universiti Apex.

''Ia bukan tentang mana universiti yang lebih awal ditubuhkan, ia adalah mengenai universiti mana yang boleh mencapai transformasi pengajian tinggi ke arah bertaraf dunia," katanya.

Beliau berkata, pemilihan USM sebagai universiti Apex akan merangsang universiti-universiti lain untuk meneruskan usaha ke arah kecemerlangan di peringkat dunia.

''Ini tidak bermakna selepas USM dipilih sebagai universiti Apex, universiti lain akan ditinggalkan.

''Kita bukan nak letakkan ranking antara universiti ini, ketiga-tiga universiti penyelidikan yang lain juga mempunyai kekuatan sendiri," katanya.

Mengenai autonomi urus tadbir dan peruntukan yang akan diberikan kepada USM, Khaled berkata, perkara tersebut akan dibincangkan dengan pihak universiti.

''Soal urus tadbir dan kewangan serta pelan pelaksanaan program Apex akan dibincangkan. Kita akan panggil mereka untuk mewujudkan pelan implementasinya.

''Universiti Apex akan kemukakan cadangan bajet untuk tempoh lima tahun dalam pelan transformasinya. Kita akan pertimbangkan cadangan itu setiap kali bajet negara dibentangkan," katanya.

Ditanya sama ada lebih banyak universiti akan dipilih untuk menyertai program Apex, Khaled berkata, perkara itu akan ditentukan melalui prestasi USM.

''Jika USM bergerak cepat, mungkin kita akan pertimbangkan untuk mewujudkan lebih banyak universiti Apex," katanya.

nazrey

September 4th, 2008, 04:40 PM

USM Bears Huge Responsibility As Apex University, Says Khaled
September 04, 2008 22:23 PM

PENANG, Sept 4 (Bernama) -- The recognition given to Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) as Malaysia's first Apex university is the start towards becoming an elite university of world status.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin said that recognition also meant that USM would bear a huge responsibility in realising the dream.

"As a start, the step that needs to be implemented as soon as possible within four months is to draw up a roadmap for transformation with a performance assessment index.

"Besides, USM also needs to set several goals which will be achieved in the next five years," he said.

He told reporters this after the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the university and KLEC Ventures Sdn Bhd at Dewan Tuanku Syed Putra, USM, here Thursday.

Khaled on Wednesday announced that USM had been selected as the first Apex university over three other shortlisted candidates, namely Universiti Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and Universiti Putra Malaysia.

The Apex university status is a recognition given to local higher learning institutions to serve as a world stage benchmark in field of higher education.

Under the programme, USM should be listed among 100 world best universities in five years and best 50 by 2020.

Khaled said the government would provide funds within the period so that USM would achieve the goal.

He said the recognition would also serve the best opportunity for the teaching staff, researchers and students to drive USM onto the world map of excellence.

"The recognition is the start for USM, much more need to be done to put USM on the same row as international universities," he said.

-- BERNAMA

rizalhakim

September 5th, 2008, 04:28 AM

USM can help transform Penang into knowledge hub

GEORGE TOWN: Universiti Sains Malaysia is in the best position to transform Penang into a knowledge hub following its selection as the country's first Apex university, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said.

This would further boost the state's appeal internationally as well as improve the lives of the people here, he added.

He also said it was important for the university to play a bigger role in the lives of the wider Penang community, especially in enhancing its ties with industries, so as to propel Malaysia to the next level in all fields.

This was one of the key linchpins to realise the state's vision to transform Penang into an international city as the location of choice for investors, destination of choice for tourists and habitat of choice for residents desiring sustainable living, he said.

"We look forward to greater collaboration and cooperation with USM... this decision is a massive boost for USM in particular and Penang in general.

"We want to congratulate USM for being chosen as the sole Apex university," he said yesterday.

On Wednesday, Higher Education Minister Datuk Mohamed Khaled Nordin announced that USM has been chosen as the country's first Apex university.

Lim said USM's challenge now was to fulfil expectations by becoming one of the best universities to be ranked in the top 200 ratings such as the Times Higher Education Supplements (THES) ranking in five years and make it to the top 100 by 2020.

In the latest THES ranking, USM is listed in 307th place while UM is the highest ranked local university at 246th place.

rizalhakim

September 5th, 2008, 04:28 AM

UM not deterred, to strive for global status

KUALA LUMPUR: Despite not being chosen as the country's first Apex university, Universiti Malaya will still proceed in its efforts to reach top university status on a global scale.

Its vice-chancellor Datuk Rafiah Salim said that UM started implementing strategies towards this goal two years ago.

"The results have been seen as far as local university standards are concerned," she said.

On Wednesday, Higher Education Minister Datuk Khaled Nordin announced that Universiti Sains Malaysia would be the country's first Apex university.

USM was chosen based on its state of readiness, its transformation plan and preparedness for change.

It scored an upset against the older and the higher ranked UM, as well as beating Universiti Putra Malaysia and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, which had also been shortlisted.

Rafiah said UM's next step was to move towards the global higher educational platform.

One of the initiatives taken in this direction was the setting up of a RM30 million fund to send local UM students on foreign exchange programmes, she added.

"Our aim is to send 1,000 students a year supported by the fund."

She said the first batch of 50 students from various faculties had already been selected for the programme.

UM has also ventured into having joint post-graduate programmes with top universities overseas.

"The University of Sydney has a partnership with us in the sport medicine programme and we are in the process of having similar partnerships with some universities in the UK," she said.

On the government's aim to have another Apex university by 2011, she said UM's efforts would continue regardless of this.

UPM vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Nik Mustapha Abdullah said they had put in a good proposal in applying for Apex university status but "USM had put in a better proposal".

Asked if UPM would step up its efforts to try to be the country's next Apex university, he said that UPM would stick to their current proposal but be more competitive in terms of key performance indicators (KPI). "We will raise the standards of our KPIs."

He said UPM had already implemented many of the criteria of an Apex university, such as having a high foreign student enrolment.

Meanwhile, UKM vice-chancellor Datuk Dr Sharifah Hapsah Syed Hassan Shahabuddin said that they would still go ahead with their transformation plan, irrespective of gaining Apex university status.

nazrey

September 5th, 2008, 07:03 AM

Penang always knowledge hub ever since!

rizalhakim

September 5th, 2008, 08:27 AM

USM’s apex status a boost for Penang
by Regina William
Email us your feedback at fd@bizedge.com

PENANG: Being chosen as the sole Accelerated Programme for Excellence (Apex) university by the federal government after intense competition from nine other applicants is a boost not only for Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) but also for Penang.

In congratulating USM, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the announcement by Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin came with a new status for USM, enabling greater autonomy and larger funding.

“USM is in the best position to transform Penang into a knowledge hub, which will boost Penang’s appeal internationally, as well as improving the lives of the Penang people. One of the key criteria of an apex university is ensuring stringent and rigorous criteria for selecting lecturers and deans as well ensuring a merit system for students.

“USM vice-chancellor Prof Tan Sri Dzulkifli Abdul Razak has said that the university planned to use its autonomy to improve three critical areas — talent, resources and governance.

“This dovetails into the Penang government’s CAT philosophy of competency, accountability and transparency of using the knowledge as one of the key lynchpins to realise our vision to transform Penang into an international city as the location of choice for investors, destination of choice for tourists and habitat of choice for residents desiring sustainable living,” Lim added.

He said the Penang government looked forward to greater collaboration and cooperation between the state government and the university.

“It is important for USM to play a bigger role in the lives of the wider Penang community, especially enhancing its ties with industry, and so propel Malaysia to the next level in all fields.”

Lim said USM’s challenge is to fulfil expectations by being ranked in the top 200 in rankings such as the Times Higher Education Supplements (THES) in five years, and the top 100 by 2020.

In the latest THES ranking, USM is listed in 307th place, while UM is the highest ranked local university at no 246.

“Only by choosing the best can USM realise its goal of being one of the top 100 universities in the world.

“The Penang state government believes there must be no discrimination based on race, religion, gender or political affiliation but that we must always choose the best to be on top of the rest,” he stressed.

nazrey

September 5th, 2008, 01:45 PM

http://www.bharian.com.my/Gambar_Pilihan_BH/gambar_968?display=small

Menteri umum Universiti Apex: Menteri Pengajian Tinggi, Datuk Seri Mohamed
Khaled Nordin ketika sidang media mengenai pemilihan Universiti Apex di
Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi, di Putrajaya
Berita Harian

rizalhakim

September 8th, 2008, 09:32 AM

Apex status for USM boost for Penang

UNIVERSITI Sains Malaysia’s (USM) acceptance into the Accelerated Programme for Excellence (Apex) is a massive boost for the university and Penang.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said in a press statement that the new status put USM in a good position to transform the state into a knowledge hub.

“This will boost Penang’s appeal. The Penang Government looks forward to greater collaboration with the university,” he said.

Lim said USM would have to select only the best students if they want to be one of the top 100 universities in the world.

“The state government believes that there must be no discrimination based on race, religion, gender or political affiliation but that we must always choose the best in order to be on top,” he said.

Meanwhile, USM will be drawing up a transformation road-map to progress for the next five years.

The university will discuss funding and autonomy in matters like administration, lecturer selection, student selection and fees with the Higher Education Ministry,

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said with the apex status, USM would be starting its journey towards transforming itself into an elite university that could rival the best institutions in the world today.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said more autonomy would be given to the university.

USM was awarded the apex status on Wednesday for having the greatest potential among Malaysian universities to be world class.

He witnessed the Memorandum of Understanding signing between USM and Kuala Lumpur Education City (KLEC) Ventures Sdn Bhd and TH Properties Sdn Bhd at the university’s Dewan Tuanku Syed Putra recently.

The three parties are exploring the possibility of developing a USM campus at Bandar Enstek in Nilai, Negri Sembilan.

nazrey

September 9th, 2008, 11:42 PM

UMT students to feature Malaysian icons in art form
Tuesday September 9, 2008
BY R.S.N. MURALI
TheStar

KUALA TERENGGANU: Students of Universiti Malaysia Tereng-ganu (UMT) will display their patriotism to the nation by creating 51 types of kolam featuring Malaysian icons at the university’s Sultan Mizan hall on Saturday.

Programme director K. Logavannan said the objective was to foster unity among people of different races at the university and raise funds to help senior citizens.

“The university has students of different races but many are unaware of it,” he said.

He said the programme was initiated by UMT’s Baratham Culture Club and 400 students were expected to participate.

“We will start drawing at 8am and complete all 51 kolam in three hours,” he said.

Logavannan said the icons would include the national flag and the Crystal Mosque.

He said that State Tourism, Culture, Art and Heritage Committee chairman Datuk Zaabar Mohd Adib would launch the programme.

“We hope to carve our name in the Malaysia Book of Records,” he added.

nazrey

September 12th, 2008, 09:31 AM

UUM grads cry foul over CLP ruling
Friday September 12, 2008
TheStar

PETALING JAYA: Several Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) law students and graduates are disappointed that they were not informed earlier that they have yet to be exempted from the Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP) examination.

Law graduate Khairunnisa Khazali said she wasn’t told about it by UUM until her second year. She had assumed that she would not need to sit for the CLP.

“I’m very disappointed because I have studied so hard, yet I feel my degree is not as equally recognised as that offered by the other public universities,” she said.

Another UUM law student, who is graduating next month, said she and most of her peers would not be able to afford to take the CLP because it costs RM4,000 for a first-timer.

“Most of us are from the lower middle-income group and our parents have other children to care for. So I hope the Legal Profession Qualifying Board (LPQB) will consider this and grant us exemption,” she said.

LPQB will decide in a few months’ time if UUM’s law degree students should be exempted from taking the CLP exam.

Another graduating student, who declined to be named, said his lecturers had advised students to wait for LPQB’s decision.

He said that some of his friends who graduated last year are still unemployed or are giving tuition while waiting for news on the exemption, following assurances by UUM that its law degree would be recognised.

In a press statement yesterday, UUM deputy vice-chancellor (academic and international) Prof Dr Abdul Razak bin Chik said the university had taken all the necessary steps to ensure that its law degree was recognised by the relevant professional bodies.

“We are confident that it is only a matter of time that the LPQB official recognition is obtained, and the Public Service Department (PSD) can be advised accordingly.”

nazrey

September 13th, 2008, 07:27 AM

USM and IBM team up to offer master’s course
Saturday September 13, 2008
TheStar

http://thestar.com.my/archives/2008/9/13/north/usm.jpg

Joint venture:Ou(centre)shaking hands with Prof Dzulkifli.
With them is IMB marketing director Eric Wong.

UNIVERSITI Sains Malaysia (USM) in collaboration with IBM Malay- sia Sdn Bhd will start an execu- tive MBA programme on service science, management and engineering (SSME) for the next academic session.

Its vice-chancellor Prof Tan Sri Dzulkifli Abdul Razak said the university had been working with IBM for some time on this programme which is the first of its kind in the country.

“A memorandum of understan-ding (MOU) was signed with the company managing direc- tor Ou Shian Waei yesterday to counter the lack of talents in this field which is crucial to sus-tain and develop the nation’s eco-nomy.

“The university is also sponsoring a post-doctorate scheme to qualified individuals who will spend a year or so with us to help develop the new SSME programme,” he told reporters yesterday.

Dzulkifli said most of the top universities in the United States such as the University of Califor-nia in Berkeley and Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, also had such programmes.

Ou said IBM had been working closely with universities worldwide to create this programme which was aimed at equipping students with an integrated mix of business, technology and people skills.

“The need for such a programme is needed as the services sector is expected to register an annual growth rate of 7.5% between now and 2020 and its contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2020 will be about 60% of the GDP.

“SSME is an academic discipline and research area that will complement rather than replace the many other disciplines that contribute to knowledge about ser-vice. The company will share all its research materials with USM and also make available its laboratories.

“Other universities with similar programmes are Deakin University in Australia, Tsinghua University and Peking Univeristy in China, New Zealand’s Auckland University and others in Taiwan, Thailand and India,” he said.

nazrey

September 14th, 2008, 09:23 PM

Give schools option to teach in English
NST Online » Frontpage By : Nisha Sabanayagam and Ili Liyana Mokhtar

KUALA LUMPUR: Schools are expected to take a stand on whether to support the continued use of English as the medium of instruction for Science and Mathematics.

First to come out in support of the present policy is the Parent-Teacher Association of SK Bukit Damansara.

It obtained a mandate from its members at a meeting yesterday to appeal to the Education Ministry to continue with the use of English.

At present, English is used in the teaching of the two subjects from Year One to Year Six.

SK Bukit Damansara PTA vice-chairman Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said members of the committee would be meeting PTAs from other schools next Saturday to enlist their support. A report will be submitted to the ministry.
Noor Azimah said this would ensure that the ministry got feedback from the grassroots.

The on-going debate among parents, educators, students and government officials on the use of English as the medium of instruction for the two subjects was sparked by a report in the New Sunday Times.

The report, based on a survey by Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, said the policy introduced by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 2003 was flawed and should be scrapped.

SK Bukit Damansara PTA committee member Roz Mawar Zain said there were limitations in using English to teach Mathematics and Science. However, reverting to the national language would be too drastic. Roz Mawar added that more time was needed to gauge the results of the existing policy.

Noor Azimah said the Education Ministry should consider alternatives such as improving the current syllabus and the training of teachers instead of taking a step backwards.

"We have no intention to degrade the importance of the national language. What we want is for the younger generation to be well equipped to compete on a global level," she said.

Should the government decide to revert to using the national language in the teaching of Science and Mathematics, the PTA committee members informed parents at yesterday's meeting that they would suggest another option to the ministry.

"If the policy is changed, schools should be given the choice to teach both the subjects in English," said Noor Azimah.

In the long run, these schools might be considered as cluster schools of excellence for English, she said.

Director-General of Education Alimuddin Mohd Dom said earlier last week that the results of this year's 518,616 Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah candidates would be one of the factors that would decide whether or not the policy would be continued.

"Many other factors will be considered, including the views and suggestions from various quarters through round-table discussions," he said.

Two round-table discussions were held in July and August on the issue. Two more discussions would be held this month.

Alimuddin said the first two discussions, which included the participation of teachers, community leaders, PTA members and professional bodies, had brought forth three views.

One was that the policy should continue and its implementation be strengthened.

The second view was that it should only be implemented at a higher level, either at the secondary level or Year Two in primary school.

The third view was for the government to scrap the policy and revert to teaching the subjects in Bahasa Malaysia.

nazrey

September 14th, 2008, 09:36 PM

Selangor Ditches Move To Retake Secondary Religious Schools
September 13, 2008 19:58 PM

SHAH ALAM, Sept 13 (Bernama) -- The Selangor Government has cancelled a move to retake control of the operation and administration of religious secondary schools (SMA) from the education ministry.

Instead, Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) director Datuk Mohamad Khusrin Munawi said the state government wanted to focus on upgrading the infrastructure in religious primary schools (SRA), as well as training its teachers.

He said a letter was sent to the ministry pertaining to the matter.

"If the state government wants to take over the SMAs, about RM50 million is needed. However, with that sum of money, we can build many more SRAs, train its teachers and upgrade its curriculum," he added.

Mohamad Khusrin said this in his closing speech at the Selangor-level education conference organised by JAIS and Selangor Zakat Board (LZS) here today.

He said he had made a request to Islamic Affairs, Malay Custom, Infrastructure and Public Facility Committee chairman Datuk Dr Hasan Mohamed Ali for a RM40 million allocation for maintenance of SRAs from the state budget for 2009.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

September 14th, 2008, 09:37 PM

Ministry To Cooperate With Polytechnics To Produce More Agriculture Graduates
September 13, 2008 00:00 AM

SERDANG, Sept 12 (Bernama) -- The Agriculture and Agro-based Ministry will introduce several short-term measures, including collaborating with polytechnics which offer agriculture courses, to produce more graduates in the field.

Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed said the move was a temporary measure until the completion of two new agriculture colleges in 2010.

Speaking to reporters here, he said, the ministry had come up with plans under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP) to increase the intake capacity of students in the field.

However, the RM450 million allocation to build the two colleges was only approved recently under the 9MP's mid-term review, he said.

He said the college in Kedah and Perak, would be able to take in 2,000 agriculture and fisheries students each year compared to 600 at the moment.

He said there were up to 5,000 annual applications from students wanting to take agriculture courses but the four agricultural institutes in Penang, Johor, Perak and Serdang, could only take in 600.

-- BERNAMA

rizalhakim

September 16th, 2008, 07:58 AM

One in 4 UM graduates land job with multi-nationals

Kenji Kojima presenting a mock cheque for RM80,000 to Datuk Rafiah Salim at Universiti Malaya yesterday. With them are Japanese diplomat Takashi Hoshiyama (second from left) and Deputy Minister of Higher Education Malaysia Dr Hou Kok Chung.

KUALA LUMPUR: Almost 25 per cent of Universiti Malaya graduates are able to land a job in a multinational firm upon completing their studies.

UM vice-chancellor Datuk Rafiah Salim said this was due to the various collaborations that the university had undertaken with foreign universities.

"Our students' level of confidence has increased as a result of these collaborations and many of them land their first jobs with multinational firms," she said after the Japanese Chamber of Trade and Industry Malaysia (Jactim) Foundation Awards at the UM campus yesterday.

She said the foundation was one of the university's many friends which had helped its graduates become more marketable.

Jactim presented grants totalling RM80,000 to six students through the Japanese Studies Programme via the Department of East Asian Studies at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

The grant includes a publication grant, book donations and an allocation for the purchase of audio-visual aids.

Also present was Deputy Higher Education Minister Dr Hou Kok Chung and Jactim foundation administrative committee chairman Kenji Kojima.

nazrey

September 16th, 2008, 10:59 AM

Sime Darby Announces RM30-Mln Upgrade Plan For 141 Schools
September 16, 2008 17:02 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 16 (Bernama) -- Sime Darby Berhad has pledged RM30 million to upgrade 141 schools within and around the company's various plantations in the country.

The company's president and group chief executive Datuk Seri Ahmad Zubir Murshid said today the funds would be used to improve classrooms and other facilities in the schools, which include Tamil and Chinese schools.

He also said that the company was also currently supporting 21 schools in the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) and one in the East Coast Economic Region (ECER) under its Pintar School Adoption Programme.

"To be a sustainable organisation, we need to have a talented pool of people, and we are developing the next generation of leaders. We are also awarding scholarships to those who want to pursue higher education at some of the top universities in the world.

"Besides rewarding the country's best and brightest, the scholarships are also a brain-gain initiative aimed at ensuring that Malaysia's young talents would return home to serve the country," he said in a statement.

Ahmad Zubir said the Sime Darby Foundation would offer 225 scholarships this year, of which 60 were for Malaysian students, 55 for international students, 50 for employees' children and 25 for the children of low-income families.

The foundation would also provide 25 scholarships for employees to further their education, five scholarships for members of the police and uniformed services and five for those who excel in the arts or sports, he added.

-- BERNAMA

rizalhakim

September 17th, 2008, 04:53 AM

UTM opens English learning portal

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia student Issa Abdirahman (centre) showing other students how to use the MyLine website.

KUALA LUMPUR: At the click of the mouse, students in all 20 public universities will now be able to access online resources for learning in English.

The MyLine website, developed by Universiti Teknologi Malaysia two years ago, is part of the university's efforts to enhance English language skills among students.

"The aim of the system is to develop a culture of responsibility and self-learning besides nurturing a community of self-directed learners," said UTM vice-chancellor Tan Sri Mohd Zulkifli Mohd Ghazali.

He was grateful for the RM4.5 million allocation from the Higher Education Ministry that had helped make the sharing of resources between public universities a reality.

The interactive website covers a wide range of topics from academic reading, writing, speaking and listening to forums and grammar.

Speaking at the launch of the website, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin hoped there would be more collaborations between public universities in the future.

He stressed that online resources were not intended to replace conventional teaching, but were a source for students to widen their knowledge.

He said the ministry welcomed other parties who would like to share their resources or ideas for collaboration between public universities.

rizalhakim

September 17th, 2008, 04:56 AM

Making of college town Bangi
Kristina George (Pictures by Eizairi Shamsudin and PC Lim)

http://www.nst.com.my/Streets/Wednesday/Stories/2351013/insidepix1
BANGI: The planned town of Bandar Baru Bangi is well on its way to becoming a full-fledged academic town.

http://www.nst.com.my/Streets/Wednesday/Stories/2351013/insidepix2?display=xsmall
Bandar Baru Bangi is on its way to becoming a full-fledged academic town.

Developed by the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS), it has taken Bandar Baru Bangi 30 years to excel in the field of education.

Today, there are 18 educational institutes in the area including Kuala Lumpur Infrastructure University , University Tenaga Nasional and University Kebangsaan Malaysia .

The PKNS and the Bangi Residents Association, which represents some 80,000 residents, have drawn up several long- and short-term plans to boost Bandar Baru Bangi's image as an academic town.

A "book-street" will be built in Bangi Walk in two years. Last month, educational programmes were launched in conjunction with Merdeka Day and constructing.

The PKNS is expecting 20,000 more residents when the town is fully developed by 2011.

"Over the years, we have found that many people are drawn to this town as it is situated in a strategic location," said PKNS development controller Siti Zubaidah Abdul Jabar.

Situated about 8km to the south of Bangi, the town is linked to Kuala Lumpur by the North-South Highway.

It is a 30-minute drive from Kuala Lumpur and Seremban and five-minute from Putrajaya.

Siti said the fact that people were drawn to Bandar Baru Bangi was evident by the sale of many two-and-a-half storey semi-detached houses in six hours under the "Build & Sell" concept.

Under the concept, only houses that are 80 per cent complete are sold to the public.

Before the launch of the first phase, there were 500 buyers who had previously registered when sales were conducted on a first-come first-served basis.

Siti Zubaidah pointed out that many people were still interested in buying the houses as their prices had remained the same despite rising food, construction material and fuel prices.

But for phase two, an 20 to 30 per cent increase in prices is expected.

Future projects include town houses and service apartments, a business complex and a convention centre.

Now, the town has a community health clinic, police station, religious facilities and a five-star hotel.

Bandar Baru Bangi comes complete with a shopping complex and an 18-hole golf course.

rizalhakim

September 18th, 2008, 04:29 AM

Al-Aqeelah plans flight school in Malaysia
Published: 2008/09/18

Kuwait's Al-Aqeelah Group is scouting for a location to set up the aviation academy and has identified several sites, including in Senai, Kuantan and Batu Berendam

KUWAIT'S Al-Aqeelah Group will invest US$400 million to US$500 million (RM1.4 billion to RM1.7 billion) over a period of time to set up an international aviation school in Malaysia in response to growing demand for industry personnel.

Through its aviation arm, Aqeeq Aviation Holding, the group will initially put in US$100 million (RM345 million) to jump-start the World Aviation Academy, which will train those involved in almost every aspect of the industry - from pilots to technicians and crew.

Aqeeq Aviation president and chief executive officer Captain Abdullah Bastaki said that by 2020, the demand for both civil and military pilots would exceed 300,000 in number, and that did not even include technicians, cabin crew or air traffic controllers.

"The growth is hitting all sides. The academy is a necessity for the aviation industry today," he said in an interview in Kuala Lumpur.

More importantly, the academy would serve the needs of the Middle Eastern countries and this region, he said.

"All these regions are thirsty for a proper and well-established (aviation) education. It is different from just taking a licence. Now, the aviation language is English, which is standard and mandatory. Malaysians have a good command of the English language, which really brings it in line with the aviation industry requirements today," Bastaki said.

He said they were also looking to produce about 1,000 trained students yearly, with the help of state-of-the-art technology such as the latest simulators and equipment.

The group is scouting for a location to set up the academy and has identified several sites, including in Senai, Kuantan and Batu Berendam, Malacca.

Bastaki said the aviation group intends to upgrade the academy to a university eventually. When that happens, it may outsource an existing aviation university to be the operator.

"When we are ready, we will discuss with the Ministry of Higher Education to get the approval. But I don't see that (getting university status) as more than two to three years after we start. By then, we should be ready to provide university education in the academy, and we are looking (to tie up with) those from North America and Europe."

According to Bastaki, the academy will be the group's biggest project by far and is expected to be a significant contributor over time.

"Now, the group owns four airlines and we are also running an airport in Iraq. But in comparison, the academy supercedes all the others. It is the jewel in the crown. The academy can contribute more than 80 per cent to the group in the next five years," he said.

Aqeeq Aviation will also set up a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) centre and a completion centre in the vicinity of the academy.

The centre will serve as training ground for technicians besides being open for business.

The MRO market today is estimated at US$58 billion (RM200 billion), and to grow US$60 billion to US$70 billion (RM207 billion to RM242 billion) in the next five to 10 years.

Bastaki said Aqeeq Aviation was also looking at partnering or acquiring local aviation academies and small MRO businesses to strengthen the academy's operation and make it uniquely Malaysian.

"Even simulator software firms can come in with us and build up the academy so that it will be built by existing Malaysian industry personnel and services.

"We are looking at partners who are not just purely investing, but can also contribute to the business," he added.

He said the group has identified its partners from Kuwait who can bring added value to the project. - Bernama

nazrey

September 20th, 2008, 01:47 AM

UniMAP, IDS Explore Further Collaboration
September 18, 2008 20:09 PM

KANGAR, Sept 18 (Bernama) -- The Raja Muda of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Jamalullail ended his three-day visit to Sabah today with a meeting with the Institute for Development Studies (IDS) Sabah in Kota Kinabalu.

Tuanku Syed Faizuddin, who is also Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) chancellor, and IDS Sabah executive director Datuk Dr Mohd Yaakub Johari explored further collaboration between the university and the state government's think tank.

UniMAP and IDS Sabah had forged cooperation since 2006, said Tuanku Syed Faizuddin in a statement Thursday.

They also touched on cooperation in the fields of tourism, logistic, agriculture and manufacturing in the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) and Sabah Development Corridor (SDC).

Tuanku Syed Faizuddin, who is also Territorial Army Regiment 504 commander, visited members of the Territorial Army involved in the 'Ops Pasir' along the coast of Sabah.

He was accompanied by Perlis state secretary Mohamad Zabidi Zainal, state Tourism Committee chairman Ahmad Bakri Datuk Ali and state Youth and Sports Committee chairman Jamil Saad.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

September 20th, 2008, 08:18 AM

USM Researchers Find Prehistoric Human Skeletons In Gua Hitam Hitam, Sarawak
September 18, 2008 14:23 PM

PENANG, Sept 18 (Bernama) -- A research team from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has discovered eight prehistoric human skeletons, believed to be more than 2,000 years old, in Gua Kain Hitam, Sarawak, which discovery proves the existence of human beings in the area during the Neolithic age.

Chief Researcher and lecturer at the USM's Centre for Archaeological Research Malaysia (PPAM) Prof Madya Stephen Chia believed there were relations between the findings at Gua Kain Hitam with the skeletons, believed to be more than 40,000 years old, which were found at Gua Niah, also in Sarawak, 53 years ago.

"The skeletons, with most of the parts, from head to toe complete, are found since 2007. They are found in a straight position and in a highly decomposed state with most of the bones broken," he told a press conference here today.

He said the team also found artifacts, like pottery, beads and food remains in the area after digging the site for about a metre deep.

Chia said six of the skeletons, that of five men and a woman, had been brought back to PPAM for scientific analysis.

"The skeletons have been conserved at the site of discovery to strengthen the bones before they are removed in June," he added.

He said the research by PPAM, with the collaboration of the Sarawak Museum Department, was conducted since 2007 and sponsored by the National Heritage Department of the Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry and USM research grants.

He said scientific research by PPAM was conducted with the assistance of an expert in palaeoanthropology from the Sappora Medical University in Japan, Dr Hirofumi Matsumara.

Sarawak Museum Department Director Sahib Said said the findings of the skeletal remains from the Neolithic age could provide more information on the prehistory of Sarawak as well as attract more people to visit the Niah National Park.

Meanwhile, PPAM director Prof Madya Mokhtar Saidin said the centre had also assisted Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) to remove three prehistoric human skeletons, believed to be between 1,000 and 3,000 year old, found in a mangrove swamp at Pulau Kalumpang, Perak in July.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

September 21st, 2008, 11:13 PM

UTM sets up anti-graft secretariat
Sunday September 21, 2008 MYT 4:35:14 PM
By GLADYS TAY
TheStar

JOHOR BARU: Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) has become the first higher education institution in Johor to establish the Anti-Corruption Secretariat.

The programme that was jointly organised by the Anti-Corruption Acengy (ACA) and the Ministry of Higher Education was to instill anti-corruption values within the graduates who are the future leaders of the country.

Johor ACA director Simi Abdul Ghani said the programme also aimed to mould the graduates while they are still young.

“We hope that the secretariat will increase their sense of integrity when they enter the workforce,” he said, adding that UTM was one of the 20 higher education institutions selected for the programme.

He said the programme would also be launched at the Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) in Batu Pahat after Hari Raya.

He also hoped that the secretariat could serve as a place for the graduates to obtain information about corruption and the abuse of power.

Simi was speaking to reporters Sunday after launching the SPR at UTM.

“All kinds of programmes will be conducted by the secretariat to spread the message on anti-corruption,” he said, citing the intra-varsity “Anti Corruption Debate Championship” that was being held at the university as one of the possible activities.

He added that the establishment of the secretariat was also to help spread the anti-corruption message to the campus community.

UTM deputy vice-chancellor (student affairs and alumni) Datuk Prof Dr Alias Mohd Noor who is the other adviser of the secretariat aside from Simi welcomed the establishment of the organisation saying that the university was in full support of the programme.

As Hari Raya is just around the corner, Simi said that the practice of giving and receiving gifts should be viewed seriously as it could be in the form of graft especially if it involved official businesses.

He said those who are unsure about such gifts could contact its Johor hotline at 1800-88-6000.

nazrey

September 22nd, 2008, 06:02 PM

Aptitude Test In 600 Primary Schools This Year
September 22, 2008 22:30 PM

PUTRAJAYA, Sept 22 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Examination Board will implement aptitude test in 600 pioneer primary schools this year to identify the pupils' preference prior to entering the secondary school.

Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said that of the 600 schools, half of them would involve Year Five pupils while the rest would involve Year Six pupils.

"This is to see the children's aptitude or inherent ability... whether they have a tendency towards certain fields. It will help them in deciding their future whether to go to sports schools, for instance.

"Since we are also reforming the vocational and technical streams, I would like the children to be at least be aware of the options available to them," he told reporters after chairing an education planning committee meeting Monday.

He said the test would cover areas such as interpretation, physical activities and psychometrics.

Meanwhile, Hishammuddin who is Umno Youth chief said he would not be supporting any particular candidate for the Umno Youth chief's post.

"I believe that to endorse one or two positions are a discredit to members of the youth delegates because they have the rights to decide.

"Whether I endorse or don't endorse (the candidate), I don't think it would make any difference because the vote is secret," said Hishammuddin who had announced that he would not be defending the post in the party's elections in December.

He described those who offered to contest the movement's top post as "the brave ones" as they must have done so with the awareness that the post came with a huge responsibility.

-- BERNAMA

rizalhakim

September 23rd, 2008, 05:54 AM

Muzium Marin UMS

Oleh ROHANA MAN
rohana.man@kosmo.com.my

Kewujudan rangka ikan paus jenis Cuvier’s Beaked yang dipamerkan di ruang sebelah turut menarik perhatian ramai khususnya kanak-kanak.

http://www.kosmo.com.my/kosmo/pix/2008/0923/Kosmo/Varia/va_01.1.jpg
ANTARA spesies ikan yang terdapat di dalam akuarium ini.

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UNIVERSITI Malaysia Sabah (UMS) sememangnya unik dan berbeza daripada institusi pengajian tinggi awam (IPTA) yang lain di negara ini. Keunikan universiti ini bukan sahaja terletak pada lokasinya yang begitu mempesona, tetapi juga apa yang ditawarkan kepada pelajar dan orang awam.

Terletak di atas bukit yang bersempadan dengan pinggir laut, UMS terus membuka pintunya kepada orang awam untuk melawat beberapa muzium yang terdapat di dalam kampusnya di Kota Kinabalu.

Antara muzium yang menjadi tumpuan ramai ialah Akuarium dan Muzium Marin yang terletak di bawah pengurusan Institut Penyelidikan Marin Borneo UMS. Bertemakan Meneroka Khazanah Alam Dasar Laut Sabah, muzium ini dibuka setiap hari kecuali hari Rabu dan cuti umum.

Menariknya, ia adalah muzium marin yang pertama beroperasi di dalam kampus IPTA di Malaysia.

Menurut pensyarah institut tersebut, Kennedy Aaron Aguol, muzium marin ini mempamerkan kira-kira 150 spesies hidupan laut termasuk 30 spesies batu karang daripada sembilan keluarga, ikan kerapu harimau, ikan putih, ikan kelawar, ikan gemi yang 'tugasnya' memakan sisa buangan hidupan lain, tapak sulaiman, kuda laut dan lain-lain.

Katanya, spesies ikan yang berjaya mencuri tumpuan pelawat ialah ikan Napolean Wrasse yang panjangnya setengah meter dan kerapu gergasi yang berukuran satu meter panjang. Ikan-ikan ini merupakan antara ikan yang mahal harganya dan dijual di pasaran Hong Kong pada harga RM200 sekilogram.

"Kebanyakan ikan jenis ini disaji di restoran-restoran mewah kerana harganya yang mahal,'' katanya kepada Kosmo! sambil memberitahu ikan kerapu gergasi menikmati hidangan ikan sardin hidup setiap hari.

Baru-baru ini, saya berpeluang melawat muzium marin ini yang turut disertai oleh 35 warga kerja Majlis Perbandaran Subang Jaya (MPSJ) yang ketika itu sedang menjayakan Program Mendaki Gunung Kinabalu MPSJ-Kosmo! 2008.

Lawatan ini melibatkan Muzium UMS yang mempamerkan segala peralatan dan keperluan universiti serta Akuarium dan Muzium Marin. Ia diatur oleh Penolong Pendaftar Kanan (Pejabat Naib Canselor), Mohd. Farish Hussain.

Lawatan ke muzium marin ini ternyata memberi pengalaman baru kepada kami yang rata-ratanya tidak pernah melihat sesetengah spesies hidupan laut secara langsung. Kehadiran ikan kerapu gergasi sepanjang satu meter membuatkan kami leka melihatnya berenang bebas di dalam sebuah akuarium yang besar.

Menurut Kennedy, akuarium ini menakung 30 tan air laut. Tebal cermin akuarium itu adalah 6.5 sentimeter manakala tingginya cermin mencecah 5 meter.

Bahagian dalam akuarium ini direka bentuk sama seperti dasar laut yang berpasir, berbatu-batan dan ditumbuhi rumpai.

"Hanya batu yang di hadapan akuarium ini sahaja yang asli. Ia dipindahkan dari laut ke sini. Batu yang di bahagian belakang akuarium dibentuk daripada ferosimen,'' kata Kennedy.

http://www.kosmo.com.my/kosmo/pix/2008/0923/Kosmo/Varia/va_01.2.jpg
KENNEDY AARON (kanan) memberi penerangan kepada seorang pelawat di Akuarium dan Muzium Marin UMS di Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

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Menurutnya, muzium marin yang dibuka kepada umum pada tahun 2005 ini telah menerima kunjungan kira-kira 10,000 pelawat sehingga tahun lalu.

Katanya, cuti semester universiti merupakan waktu puncak bagi program lawatan yang bukan sahaja terdiri daripada rombongan pelajar sekolah malah pelajar dari kolej dan universiti lain turut mengunjunginya, selain orang awam termasuk ibu bapa yang membawa anak-anak meneroka khazanah laut di muzium ini.

"Kewujudan rangka ikan paus jenis Cuvier's Beaked yang dipamerkan di ruang sebelah turut menarik perhatian ramai khususnya kanak-kanak.

"Ukuran panjang bagi rangka ini adalah 4.43 meter dan ikan paus ini ditemui mati di sebuah kampung di Pantai Mimpian Jadi, Tuaran, Sabah pada 9 April 1997,'' ujarnya.

Mengulas mengenai penjagaan kualiti dan kesegaran air laut yang ditakung di dalam akuarium itu, Kennedy berkata, proses yang dilakukan bagi tujuan itu melalui tiga peringkat penapisan iaitu penapis pasir bertekanan tinggi, penapis biologikal bertekanan tinggi yang akan menyerap semua kekotoran dan penapis sinaran UV yang bertindak menyahkan semua bakteria.

"Kami juga akan menambah stok bekalan air laut segar sebanyak 20 peratus setiap sebulan sekali,'' ujarnya.

Mengenai kos pembinaan muzium marin itu pula, Kennedy memberitahu ia termasuk dalam bajet RM40 juta yang meliputi pembinaan makmal penyelidikan, hatceri (tempat pembiakan ikan), jeti dan bengkel bot.

"Oleh kerana ia mempunyai kos maka kami mengenakan bayaran masuk iaitu RM5.00 untuk orang awam; RM2 (kanak-kanak); RM3.00 (pelajar individu); RM25 (pelajar sekolah berkumpulan 10 orang); RM4 (pelajar individu IPTA/IPTS), RM35 (pelajar IPTA/IPTS berkumpulan) dan RM3.00 (warga emas).

rizalhakim

September 23rd, 2008, 08:28 AM

http://www.edparchitects.com.my/images/pf-inst3a.jpg

http://www.edparchitects.com.my/images/pf-inst3.jpg
EXTENSION TO COLLEGE IN SUBANG JAYA, SELANGOR

nazrey

September 25th, 2008, 03:45 PM

New primary school curriculum
Thursday September 25, 2008 MYT 8:50:53 PM
TheStar

PUTRAJAYA: A new curriculum will be introduced at the primary school level in 2010 to make it more holistic and less examination-oriented.

Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said this would replace the existing primary school integrated curriculum (KBSR), which was first introduced in 1983 and subsequently reviewed in 2000.

“The new curriculum will be based on six key areas to produce holistic individuals,” he told reporters after releasing the third report card based on the National Education Blueprint 2006-2010.

These six areas, he added, were communication, spiritual attitude and values, humanitarianism, science and technology literacy, physical and aesthetics, and personal development.

Hishammuddin said the implications of the new curriculum would include changes in the time table, syllabus and curriculum, while teachers will be trained to become more multi-specialised.

The emphasis in Years One and Two, he added, would be on ensuring pupils mastered reading, writing, arithmetic and reasoning skills, scientific and ICT knowledge, and nurturing creativity.

In Years Four, Five and Six, he said the emphasis would be on acquiring more complex skills and knowledge.

Hishammuddin said the ministry was also transforming the national assessment system, moving from a centralised examination to a school-based assessment.

Suggestions, he added, which were being studied include creating a database of students’ development, reducing the number of examination papers and subjects, and assessing based on semesters.

He said the main of the transformation was to make learning fun and to move away from an examination-oriented environment.

The ministry, he added, was also transforming technical and vocational education to make it more relevant and attractive to students.

nazrey

September 25th, 2008, 04:06 PM

Maxis expands scholarship to undergraduates
by Fong Min Hun, 25 Sep 2008 1:42 PM
THEEDGEDAILY

http://www.theedgedaily.com/cms/storage/images/com.tms.cms.image.Image_9805d8dd-cb73c03a-1f195fc0-8a8c0f86/1/Sandip-Das_inside.jpg

Das (centre), Maxis head of HR division Azmi Ujang (left) and Maxis CFO
Russana Rashidi launching the Maxis Scholarship for Excellence Award.

KUALA LUMPUR: The 2.5 million postpaid customers of mobile network operator Maxis Sdn Bhd will now have further incentive to keep faith with the company after it expanded its scholarship programme to include undergraduate students.

Maxis chief executive officer Sandip Das said while the move was in part a repayment to customers for their loyalty, the merit-based scholarship, more importantly, highlighted Maxis’ commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR).

“We’re trying very hard to not do CSR because it is trendy and we have worked on our CSR with great care. Customers like to be with companies that contribute to society; they like companies that have a good social track record,” he said.

The scholarship programme launched yesterday expanded on an existing one for postgraduate students. It offers 40 scholarships to undergraduates who have been continuous Maxis postpaid customers for at least 12 months.

The value of the scholarships ranges from RM10,000 per year for those attending local universities to RM150,000 per year for those in foreign universities. There is also a bonding requirement of three years for those studying overseas while students pursuing courses in the country will not be bonded.

Maxis is currently the leading market share holder for the country’s postpaid and prepaid cellular services.

rizalhakim

September 26th, 2008, 05:51 AM

New target - 60,000 PhD holders by 2020

PUTRAJAYA: The Government has set a new target of producing 60,000 Malaysian PhD holders by 2020 under the “MyBrain15” initiative.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the new figure was more reasonable compared to the previous goal of 100,000 under the National Higher Education Strategic Plan launched last year.

“In order for the country to be competitive, we need a critical mass of researchers. The current number of 8,000 PhD holders is insufficient to drive innovation and promote economic growth,” he told reporters here yesterday after the launch of MyBrain15.

Khaled said Malaysia needed a pool of highly-skilled and productive people, particularly PhD holders.

To ensure adequate supply, the Government would also be setting up a special fund to sponsor 400 bright students to further their studies from undergraduate to postgraduate level.

“These students will act as a feeder to ensure the success of the MyBrain15 initiative,” he said.

Currently, the Government is sponsoring 3,914 students at PhD level. Of this number, 39.4% are pursuing their studies locally, 30.1% in Britain and the rest in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the United States.

Khaled said that for MyBrain15 to succeed, government agencies, including public universities, would need to reduce bureaucracy to attract top Malaysian and foreign brains.

“Public universities must put more emphasis on research and development (R&D),” said Khaled, adding that all universities would have to set clear targets on commercialisation of R&D as well as the number of patents achieved.

He also said that the ministry was looking at other methods of acquiring PhDs, including industry-based applied research.

Khaled also called on higher education institutions to focus on indigenous-based research and development in areas such as biotechnology and tropical medicine.

On the purported misbehaviour of some foreign students, in particular Africans, Khaled said that action would be taken against anyone who broke the law.

“We welcome foreign students but they must abide by our laws. Whatever cases that have been reported are isolated as the majority of foreigners are law abiding,” he said.

rizalhakim

September 26th, 2008, 06:07 AM

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http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3051/2888509767_ba4306a823.jpg?v=0

nazrey

September 26th, 2008, 06:33 AM

New target - 60,000 PhD holders by 2020
Friday September 26, 2008
TheStar

PUTRAJAYA: The Government has set a new target of producing 60,000 Malaysian PhD holders by 2020 under the “MyBrain15” initiative.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the new figure was more reasonable compared to the previous goal of 100,000 under the National Higher Education Strategic Plan launched last year.

“In order for the country to be competitive, we need a critical mass of researchers. The current number of 8,000 PhD holders is insufficient to drive innovation and promote economic growth,” he told reporters here yesterday after the launch of MyBrain15.

Khaled said Malaysia needed a pool of highly-skilled and productive people, particularly PhD holders.

To ensure adequate supply, the Government would also be setting up a special fund to sponsor 400 bright students to further their studies from undergraduate to postgraduate level.

“These students will act as a feeder to ensure the success of the MyBrain15 initiative,” he said.

Currently, the Government is sponsoring 3,914 students at PhD level. Of this number, 39.4% are pursuing their studies locally, 30.1% in Britain and the rest in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the United States.

Khaled said that for MyBrain15 to succeed, government agencies, including public universities, would need to reduce bureaucracy to attract top Malaysian and foreign brains.

“Public universities must put more emphasis on research and development (R&D),” said Khaled, adding that all universities would have to set clear targets on commercialisation of R&D as well as the number of patents achieved.

He also said that the ministry was looking at other methods of acquiring PhDs, including industry-based applied research.

Khaled also called on higher education institutions to focus on indigenous-based research and development in areas such as biotechnology and tropical medicine.

On the purported misbehaviour of some foreign students, in particular Africans, Khaled said that action would be taken against anyone who broke the law.

“We welcome foreign students but they must abide by our laws. Whatever cases that have been reported are isolated as the majority of foreigners are law abiding,” he said.

nazrey

September 26th, 2008, 06:35 AM

More emphasis on schoolwork from 2010
Friday September 26, 2008
By KAREN CHAPMAN
TheStar

http://thestar.com.my/archives/2008/9/26/nation/n_03hishammuddin.jpg

Fielding questions: Hishammuddin speaking during a news conference in
Putrajaya Thursday. With him are (from left) Alimuddin, ministry secretary-
general Tan Sri Dr Zulkurnain Awang and Deputy Education Ministers Datuk
Razali Ismail and Dr Wee Ka Siong.

PUTRAJAYA: A new curriculum will be introduced at the primary school level in 2010 to make it more holistic and less examination-oriented for pupils.

This will lead to less emphasis on the UPSR examination as pupils would be assessed more on their schoolwork.

Eventually this could mean that a school-based assessment makes up a higher weightage of the UPSR at around 70% to 80% while the actual examination score would carry a lower weightage.

Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the new curriculum would replace the existing primary school integrated curriculum (KBSR), which was first introduced in 1983 and subsequently reviewed in 2000.

“The new curriculum will be based on six key areas to produce holistic individuals,” he told reporters after releasing the third report card based on the National Education Blueprint 2006-2010.

The six areas were: communication; spiritual attitude and values; humanitarianism; science and technology literacy; physical and aesthetics; and personal development.

Elaborating further, Education director-general Datuk Alimuddin Mohd Dom told The Star that Year One pupils in 50 schools nationwide have been using the new curriculum under a pilot project.

He said the pupils were being assessed using several approaches, including psychometric tests, school-based assessments and achievements in extra-curricular activities and sports.

He said that once the teething problems are ironed out the pilot project would be extended to Year One pupils in 500 schools nationwide next year.

“This will be further extended to all Year One pupils in primary schools in 2010 or 2011 if we need more time to iron out any problems,” he said.

Hishammuddin said the implications of the new curriculum would include changes in the timetable, syllabus and curriculum, while teachers would be trained to broaden their skills.

The emphasis in Years One and Two, he added, would be on ensuring pupils master reading, writing, arithmetic and reasoning skills, acquire scientific and ICT knowledge, and develop their creativity.

In Years Three, Four, Five and Six, pupils would learn more complex skills and knowledge.

Alimuddin explained that this meant that pupils would not just be tested on what they have learnt in a centralised examination.

sibuwalker

September 26th, 2008, 07:58 AM

Hey guy, got know any oversea architecture which are affortable...

nazrey

September 28th, 2008, 07:14 PM

UTM Lecturer Wins Prestigious International Award
UTM Today

JOHOR BAHRU, 12th October: The hard work of Muhammad Zulkarnain Abd. Rahman (27), struggling day and night to finish his thesis finally paid off when when he was rewarded with the Klaas-Jan Beek award by the international Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), Enshede, Holland.

He is the first Malaysian and not to mention very few Asians to win the prestigious award granted each year to the author of the best MSc thesis last month from the institute A panel comprising both internal and external professors picked his thesis from among 40 submitted by ITC students from around the world. He had just returned to Malaysia on the 4th October.

He was presented RM4,437 and a seven-day holiday in Amsterdam worth RM10,000 for his award-winning thesis entitled Digital Surface Model (DSM) Construction and Flood Hazard for Development Plans in Naga City, Philippines.

Muhammad Zulkarnain said his coursework took him to Naga City during the time when two typhoons – Unding and Yoyong – struck in late 2004.

He now works as a lecturer at the Faculty of Engineering and Geo-information Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), he also added that with winning this award, he could contribute something to UTM for reaching its goal as a world class university by 2010.

Muhammad Zulkarnain, who obtained his MSc in Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation with specialisation in Natural Hazard Studies, attributed his success to the informal study environment in the Netherlands.

“Compressing two years study into one-and-a-half years was not stressful as everyone was so friendly and shared their knowledge freely. Students were also encouraged to be vocal and to present their views,” he told a press conference on Wednesday.

One of the most distinctive memories he has of the Netherlands is of the cycling culture.

“You can be cycling and find your dean just in front of you and your supervisor behind. Even if you cycle into town at night, you always feel safe,” he said.

In December, Muhammad Zulkarnain, who is from Muar, will be starting his PhD research at the Netherlands’ Delft University of Technology majoring in remote sensing and geo information course.

nazrey

September 29th, 2008, 09:07 PM

Malaysian brands among the 'most trusted'
By SABRY TAHIR
TheStar

KUALA LUMPUR: Local brands ruled the Reader's Digest Trusted Brands Awards 2007, bagging top marks in 22 of 43 categories, including car, petrol station and food and beverage categories.

Among the most trusted local brands are Malaysia Airlines, Proton, Petronas, Maybank, Public Bank, TM, Habib Jewel, Maxis, Sime UEP Properties, Poslaju, Poh Kong and Amanah Saham Nasional Bhd. Maxis Communications Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Jamaludin Ibrahim said the group was committed to ensuring the finest in both service and customer experience and the award validated its dedication.

"It is the employees who differentiate Maxis from the rest and I would like to thank each and every one of them for winning consumers hearts over and over again," he said in a statement.

Maxis won the Platinum award for mobile service provider.

Sime UEP Properties Bhd won the Gold Award for the most trusted property developer after emerging the best in six qualitative criteria of the survey - trustworthiness, credible image, quality, value, understanding of customer needs and innovation.

Sime Darby Bhd divisional director (property) Jauhari Hamidi said the award was a true reflection of the market acceptance of Sime UEP-built properties that were developed and designed to exceed the expectations of house buyers and investors.

This year, the organiser had added new categories - university, hospital, sanitary ware and eyecare.

Universiti Malaya emerged as Malaysians’ choice of university while Gleneagles Intan Medical Centre, Johnson Suisse and Eye Mo as the most trusted university, sanitary ware and eyecare brands respectively.

Among other award-winning brands that took the limelight on the presentation night on Monday were Public Mutual, AIA and Great Eastern in the financial sector segments, Honda, Proton, and Toyota in the car categories as well as Petronas and Shell in the petrol station category.

Meanwhile, direct selling company Amway (M) Sdn Bhd's food supplement Nutrilite and water purifier Amway Water Treatment System (AWTS) bagged the awards for the third consecutive years. Nutrilite and AWTS won the Gold Awards in the vitamin /health supplement and water purifier categories respectively for both Malaysia and Asia. Reader’s Digest Asia Trusted Brands Survey identifies which brands appeal most to affluent Asian consumers. The survey reflects consumers’ choice of their most trusted and favourite brands among the thousands available in the market.

nazrey

September 29th, 2008, 09:09 PM

UNIVERSITY OF MALAYA THE BEST UNIVERSITY IN MALAYSIA

http://ips.um.edu.my/images/Trusted%202008.JPG

University of Malaya once again created history by receiving the Gold Award for Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand 2008. Under the services category the University of Malaya was voted by consumers as the best and the most trusted brand for universities in Malaysia. In 2007, University of Malaya became the first university in Malaysia to win the Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand in the university category, the first time the category was introduced. This year’s win has made University of Malaya the only university in Malaysia to receive the Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand accolade twice.

This achievement is a confirmation that Malaysia’s first and oldest university is well on its way to joining the ranks of top universities in the world-class university leagues. The survey done by Reader’s Digest through the Nielsen Company is a credible and reputable one in which readers vote objectively for their most trusted brand. This win affirms the local and international standing of the University of Malaya and underscores its strengths in research and teaching. Its also reaffirms the international accreditation received by the university for its various degrees.

There is no doubt that the world is borderless and universities have no other option except to prepare themselves towards international benchmarking. Universities are no longer in a situation where they can remain isolated in their own world. This is because any benchmarking is now at both the national and international levels.

Datuk Rafiah Salim, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Malaya, says, “Our academic programmes are of international standard and many are recognized by international bodies”. In addition to that, she also emphasises that, “having international students on our campus means Malaysian students have the opportunity for personal, academic and cultural exchanges. They get an international learning experience without having to physically leave the country”.

Being voted the most trusted university in the country also means continuing to keep an ear open to employers. As a result, Datuk Rafiah Salim noted that, “University of Malaya will review its courses regularly to ensure they remain relevant to job market needs”.

The University of Malaya is delighted to be recognized by the Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand as not only the best university in Malaysia but also as an internationally-respected and most trusted institution of higher education.

rizalhakim

September 30th, 2008, 06:34 AM

New products from UTM

UNIVERSITI Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) has again demonstrated its forte in the field of biotechnology research and development when it recently produced three new products.

The products were bio-organic insecticides, fertilisers and animal food.

Three years ago, the university founded a Chemical Engineering Pilot Plant (CEPP) to conduct research that would benefit simple and healthy lifestyle.

CEPP director Prof Ramlan Abd Aziz said after 10 years of research, the facility has come up with three biotechnology products which are environmental friendly and suitable for plantation or animal farming.

"At present, only the fertilisers have been commercialised, while the rest are still in the process of negotiations with other companies," he said.

nazrey

September 30th, 2008, 05:24 PM

Mitrajaya gets RM37m contract
30 Sep 2008 10:40 AM
THEEDGEDAILY

KUALA LUMPUR: Mitrajaya Holdings Bhd has secured a three-year RM37.03 million contract for the demolition work on an existing canteen building and the construction of a campus building for Universiti Malaya (UM).

Mitrajaya said yesterday its wholly owned subsidiary Pembinaan Mitrajaya Sdn Bhd had accepted the contract for the demoliton work and construction of a 12-storey building for UM’s dental faculty.

nazrey

September 30th, 2008, 07:58 PM

Paramount to build fourth KDU campus
By Jeeva Arulampalam Published: 2008/10/01
BusinessTimes

The property developer's fourth campus will be developed in the next two years, focusing on niche tertiary education

PARAMOUNT Corp Bhd will build another KDU College campus in the Klang Valley as the existing one in Petaling Jaya has hit full capacity, says its top official.

"We are setting up a new college, hopefully soon, as we need more space," Paramount group managing director and chief executive officer Datuk Teo Chiang Quan told reporters after its extraordinary general meeting yesterday in Subang, Selangor.

The existing campus in Damansara Jaya can house around 3,500 students.

Its fourth campus will be developed in the next two years although Paramount has not bought the land as yet.

The campus, focusing on niche tertiary education, will help Paramount grow its overall education business.

The cost is not known as it will depend largely on the facilities of the campus. However, initial cost of the KDU College Penang, built in 1997, was RM20 million.

Yesterday, Paramount received shareholders' approval to buy KDU director Rohana Mahmood's 15 per cent stake in KDU College Sdn Bhd for RM25 million, making the college operator its wholly-owned unit.

Teo said the group will sell a stake in the unit down the line, but will not list the education business as it is a long-term business.

On the recent announcement of its RM53 million private Sri KDU Smart School development in East Ledang, Johor, Teo said Paramount was still designing the school.

"We are reviewing if it is going to be a smart school or something else. We always respond to the marketplace and do not feel we must stick to the original idea," he said.

The school will be located on a 4ha freehold site Paramount bought from UEM World Bhd for RM13.1 million.

Although Paramount's education business contributes about 30 per cent of the group's revenue, its property arm will remain the key revenue driver.

Teo said that to mitigate the risks experienced during a slower property cycle, Paramount has reduced the scale of its launches.

It only launched two projects this year: in Kemuning Utama and Sungai Petani.

"Also, instead of launching 100-odd units for phase one in Kemuning Utama last August, we launched about 75 units and sold close to 50 per cent," Teo said.

He added that the company had increased housing price by RM45,000 per unit to deal with higher construction costs.

Paramount currently sits on 283.3ha of undeveloped land in the Klang Valley and Sungai Petani, Kedah.

Teo said that while the company wants to buy more land in the Klang Valley, development of its current 81ha would take another three to four years.

When asked if the group was open to foreign investors, he did not rule out the possibility.

nazrey

October 8th, 2008, 08:19 AM

OUM Spreads Its Wings Via New Programmes And International Cooperation
October 07, 2008 16:56 PM
By Nur Firdaus Abdul Rahim & Jenny Lanong

http://web7.bernama.com/bernama/newspic/fe/OUMmainBldgCrop.jpg

UNIVERSITY FOR ALL... OUM main campus at Jalan Tun Ismail, Kuala Lumpur.
OUM also has more than 50 learning centres nationwide that are fully
equipped with tutorial rooms, computer laboratories and Internet facilities.
Students can choose a learning and examination centre most convenient to
them. Pic courtesy of OUM

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 7 (Bernama) -- At Open University Malaysia (OUM), it is possible for anyone to acquire a tertiary education and gain lifelong learning experience.

Congruent to the national education policy to promote the culture of knowledge and excellence in human capital, the university adopts the approach that practical experience at the work place is conducive to formulating a systematic and productive approach towards the learning process.

In response to current market demands and emerging trends in the industry, OUM has introduced 11 new academic programmes this year. These are:

- Bachelor of Manufacturing Management

- Bachelor of Islamic Studies (Islamic Management)

- Bachelor of Psychology

- Bachelor in Communications

- Bachelor of English Studies

- Bachelor of Multimedia Technology

- Bachelor of Safety, Health and Environmental Management

- Master of Human Resource Management

- Master of Instructional Design and Technology

- Master of Software Engineering

- Master of Project Management

With these additions, OUM now conducts 62 academic programmes from diploma to postgraduate levels, at its Faculties of Business and Management, Science and Technology, Applied Social Sciences, Education and Languages, Information Technology and Multimedia Communication, it said in a statement.

ENHANCING PROFESSIONALISM AND SKILLS THROUGH KNOWLEDGE

As an institution that subscribes to the concept that education is a lifelong process, OUM serves as the avenue for working adults to enhance their professional knowledge and skills through a continuous education programme.

According to the OUM Centre of Graduate Studies Director, Assoc Professor Dr Rahmah Hashim, some 95 percent of its student population of 35,000 are working adults.

Flexible study programme allows learners to adopt study-hours tailored to suit individual requirements and study at their own pace.

e-LEARNING

OUM's home-grown Learning Management System (myLMS) enables students to interact with facilitators and tutors in the comfort of their home or at the workplace.

The myLMS comprehensive and flexible e-Learning software platform delivers course materials and tutorials and allows students to interact with their facilitator or tutor as well as with one another, through forums, chatrooms and email facilities via a customisable institution-wide portal.

Although the environment in a cyber classroom is less formal, these online interactions are monitored by a facilitator or tutor, who acts as the intermediary. For efficient and effective delivery, the facilitator or tutor will respond to any question or issue raised by a student via myLMS within a 24-hour period.

In addition, learning aid such as a digital library allow students to access an extensive collection of on-line databases comprising electronic books (e-books), which enable learners to read and make annotations online, while electronic journals (e-journals) can be used to conduct academic research in the chosen field of study.

"A cyber classroom eliminates distance and time as constrain factors in pursuing a degree," said Prof Dr Rahmah.

COLLABORATION WITH FOREIGN UNIVERSITIES

Advancements in information communication technology (ICT) have paved the way for OUM to forge close cooperation and initiate collaborative academic programmes with various foreign universities abroad.

The 900 students from the middle-east currently pursuing their Bachelors Degree in Information Technology and Business Administration at OUM are the result of affiliations with the Arab Open University in Bahrain and the University of Science and Technology in Yemen, initiated in 2005.

In Europe, the university has also established close cooperation with two French universities namely the University of La Rochelle -- for the Master of Information Technology programme, and the University of Paul Cezanne -- for its Master of Information Science (Comparison Intelligence) programme.

Moving towards its aspiration to eventually become an internationally renowned 'mega university' by 2015, OUM has also forged similar relationships with institutions of higher learning in Vietnam, the Maldives, Africa and Asia.

The university expects to register some 10,000 foreign enrolments by 2015.

QUALITY OF GRADUATES

In keeping with plans to carve a niche as a centre of excellence, OUM places the utmost importance in ensuring that its graduates are equipped with the relevant knowledge and latest skills as required by the market.

Undoubtedly, there will be sceptics who hold the view that a cyber classroom is no match for the conventional lecture theatre, and consequentially, graduates from a cyber university cannot hold a candle to their conventional counterparts.

However, Prof Dr Rahmah assures Doubting Thomasses that like any conventional university, OUM still has to comply with various standards and procedures laid down by the Higher Education Ministry to ensure the quality of its programmes.

Every academic programme conducted at OUM will eventually be accredited by the Malaysian Qualification Agency (MQA). Thus far, 17 programmes have successfully obtained MQAs accreditation, Prof Dr Rahmah said.

Under the university's open-entry policy, applications for the bachelors degree and postgraduate degree programmes will be assessed by a written test followed by an interview session conducted by a joint panel comprising representatives from the WQA and OUM's experienced facilitators.

"Although those with the minimum academic qualifications like the Lower Certificate of Education (SRP) or the Higher School Certificate (HSC) can apply for a course of study at OUM, the comprehensive assessment process ensures that only those who are sufficiently qualified to their course of study are selected," Prof Dr Rahmah explained.

UNIVERSITY FOR ALL

So, what has OUM got that other institutions of higher learning lack?

"OUM is a University for All," was Prof Dr Rahmah's succinct reply.

An open and flexible policy allows for even the physically disadvantaged (OKU) and senior citizens to pursue their academic aspirations at OUM.

Under the university's Special Fee Scheme, those who possess the Physically Disadvantaged Identification Card and are registered with the Social Welfare Department are entitled to a 75 percent concession on course fees.

Senior citizens who are 55 year old at the time of registration also get to enjoy the same benefit.

With 62 educational programmes on the card, coupled with its pioneering role in democratising education in the country, Prof Dr Rahmah hopes that through its products, OUM can play the role of an ambassador of sorts in introducing Malaysia to the arena of international academia.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

October 8th, 2008, 09:03 AM

Education: More Countries Keen On Tapping Into Malaysia's Experience
October 06, 2008 15:07 PM
From Leslean Arshad

PARIS, Oct 6 (Bernama) -- Foreign countries, especially developing ones, are increasingly keen on tapping into Malaysia's experience in developing their education system.

This follows Malaysia's active participation as a member of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation's (Unesco) executive board, said Education Ministry's Secretary-General Tan Sri Dr Zulkurnain Awang.

He said that since Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein's election into Unesco's executive board in October last year, Malaysia had been receiving visits from countries such as Oman, Yemen and South Korea which were keen on studying the country's education system.

He said Saudi Arabia had also given contract to Malaysia to implement the smart school concept in that country.

Zulkurnain said Hishammmudin had also been invited by the Mexican government to table a working paper on Malaysia's success story in education, in particular, its teachers' training programme and the provision of quality education.

"Such a session is useful in promoting Malaysia as a centre of excellence and provide good opportunities for networking as well as for disseminating direct information on Malaysia to other countries," he told Bernama.

Hishamuddin was elected into Unesco's executive board after obtaining 147 votes in the Asia-Pacific group during the organisation's 34th general assembly in October.

Zulkurnain said Malaysia's participation in Unesco, through the education minister, would enable the country to promote its achievement in the field of education and at the same time, enable Malaysia to tap into the experience of others.

He said Unesco's objective of promoting education for all (EFA) was in line with Malaysia's own initiative to expand accessibility to education.

"We have been receiving recognition from many countries in Asia, Middle East, Africa and Latin America because of Malaysia's EFA undertaking," he said.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

October 8th, 2008, 09:04 AM

Malaysia Successful In Building A Good Education Model, Says Unesco DG
October 08, 2008 12:07 PM
From Leslean Arshad

PARIS, Oct 8 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has made significant progress in the education field over the years and earned international respect for successfully establishing a commendable education model, Unesco Director-General Koichiro Matsuura said.

"We are happy that there has been very good progress in the area of education in Malaysia and the strong leadership of the minister (Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein)" he told Bernama here on Tuesday.

He also expressed his appreciation for Malaysia's unwavering support towards Unesco's Education For All (EFA) agenda.

Despite their tight schedule at the ongoing United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation's (Unesco) executive board meeting, Matsuura and Hishammuddin met for half-and-hour on the sidelines of the meeting.

Hishammuddin is an elected executive board member of Unesco after securing 147 votes in the Asia-Pacific group at the organisation's 34th general conference in October last year.

Meanwhile, Hishammuddin said that Matsuura had expressed his desire to see the continuation of the EFA agenda when he no longer holds office.

Hishammuddin, who is also president of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation, added that he gave his assurance that Malaysia and the Asean countries would not desert the agenda.

Matsuura's term as director-general is expected to end in October next year.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

October 8th, 2008, 09:06 AM

Malaysia berjaya bangunkan model pelajaran yang baik
Rabu, 08 Oktober 2008

PARIS: Malaysia menunjukkan kemajuan ketara dalam bidang pendidikan dan memperoleh penghormatan antarabangsa kerana berjaya mewujudkan model pendidikan yang mendapat pujian, kata ketua pengarah Pertubuhan Pendidikan, Saitifik dan Kebudayaan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu (Unesco), Koichiro Matsuura.

Beliau berkata Malaysia memperkenalkan model pendidikan yang amat baik terutama di kalangan negara membangun.

“Kami gembira kerana terdapat kemajuan yang sangat baik dalam bidang pendidikan di Malaysia dan kepimpinan menterinya (Hishammuddin),” katanya di sini.

Walaupun mempunyai jadual ketat menghadiri mesyuarat lembaga eksekutif Uneso yang sedang berlangsung, Matsuura dan Hishammuddin sempat mengadakan pertemuan selama setengah jam di luar jadual mesyuarat.

Hishammuddin dipilih menjadi anggota lembaga eksekutif Unesco dengan undian tertinggi, sebanyak 147 dalam kumpulan negara Asia Pasifik pada persidangan tahunan ke-34 Oktober tahun lalu.

Matsuura turut melahirkan penghargaannya atas sokongan padu Malaysia terhadap agenda Pendidikan Untuk Semua (EFA) Unesco.

“Ya, kami mendapat sokongan kuat (dari Malaysia). Saya amat menghargainya,” katanya.

Hishammuddin pula berkata Matsuura telah melahirkan hasratnya untuk melihat kesinambungan agenda EFA setelah beliau tidak lagi memegang jawatan itu.

Tempoh perkhidmatan Matsuura sebagai ketua pengarah dijangka tamat Oktober tahun depan.

Hishammuddin, yang juga Presiden Pertubuhan Pendidikan bagi Menteri-menteri Pendidikan Asia (Seameo), berkata beliau memberikan jaminan Malaysia dan negara-negara Asean bahawa agenda EFA tidak akan dipinggir. - Bernama

rizalhakim

October 10th, 2008, 04:28 AM

Varsities improve on rankings
By CHOI TUCK WO

LONDON: Four out of five Malaysian universities have improved on their overall rankings despite not making it to the top 200 global league table this year.

While Universiti Malaya (UM) remained the highest-ranked local institution when it rose from 246 last year to 230, Universiti Kebang*saan Malaysia (UKM) surged ahead from 309 to 250.

Both Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia also performed better this year, with rankings of 320 (from 364) and 356 (from 415) respectively.

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), however, dropped to 313 from 307 last year in the Times Higher Edu*cation-QS World University Rankings 2008 (www.topuniversities.com) which was released here.

Britain and the United States continued to dominate the top 200 list, with Harvard University remaining in the number-one spot and Yale moving ahead of Cambridge for the second position.

According to QS Quacquarelli Sy*monds Ltd founder and managing director Nunzio Quacquarelli, Malay*sia should be proud of the improved per*formances of the four institutions.

He said their overall positions reflected their determination to “internationalise” their programmes and faculties which could help take them to another dimension.

Quacquarelli said the Malaysian universities would need to put in greater effort and sustained investments to gain more recognition in their research work and citations, noting that the universities that were regularly ranked in the top 200 were very strong in research.

QS research head Ben Sowter said the Malaysian institutions’ biggest shortfalls were their lack of publications in research journals and citation profiles in international academia.

“They should focus on being more productive in their research and publishing them in appropriate journals with the maximum impact,” he said.

Sowter noted peer review scores for the Malaysian institutions in five subject groupings had dropped despite their overall improvements.

He said USM scored the highest rankings of 123 in life sciences and biomedicine while UM emerged tops with 137 for social sciences.

In addition, UM also came out strongly in the other three disciplines: engineering & IT (179), arts and humanities (190) and natural sciences (197).

He said the scores showed that the reputation of Malaysian institutions among academics was stronger than the profiles of their research publications.

rizalhakim

October 10th, 2008, 06:20 AM

THE-QS World University Rankings 2008: Malaysian universities rise in 'Times' rankings
By : Jennifer Gomezand Irdiani Mohd Salleh

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian universities improved their standings, but none joined the top 200 list of the Times Higher Education-QS Quacquarelli Symonds World University rankings for 2008.

It is understood, that Universiti Malaya, Universiti Putra Malaysia and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia improved their standing, while apex-status Universiti Sains Malaysia dropped in the world ranking.

UM acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Muhamad Rasad Muhamad, when contacted yesterday, said the country's oldest university moved up from 246 last year to 230.

UPM Vice-Chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Nik Mustapha Raja Abdullah said the university was ranked 320, up from 364.

UKM Vice-Chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Sharifah Hapsah Syed Hasan Shahabudin said the university was ranked 250 from 309 last year.

USM deputy Vice Chancellor (academic and international affairs) Professor Ahmad Shukri Mustapa Kamal said the university had dropped from 307th spot but he was not able to confirm the current standing.

On Monday, the THE-QS website will release the rankings of those below the top 200.

The rankings are compiled based on six distinct indicators -- academic peer and employers' reviews, faculty-student ratio, citations per faculty, proportion of international faculty and international students.

nazrey

October 10th, 2008, 06:54 AM

Congratulations!!! Good job Malaysia!

nazrey

October 10th, 2008, 06:56 AM

rizalhakim

October 10th, 2008, 07:57 AM

UTeM reka alat kawal helikopter

KUALA LUMPUR: Fakulti Kejuruteraan Elektrik Universiti Teknikal Melaka (UTeM) berjaya mereka bentuk alat untuk mengawal helikopter dan kamera tanpa wayar menggunakan komputer serta unit kawalan jauh.

Timbalan Naib Canselor (Penyelidikan dan Inovasi) UTeM, Prof Madya Datuk Dr Abu Bakar Mohd Diah, berkata projek dinamakan ‘Reka Bentuk dan Pelaksanaan Sistem Kawalan Berkomputer untuk Pengawalan Helikopter’ dibangunkan penyelidik dari fakulti itu yang terdiri Nor Sarizan M Youb, Alias Khamis, Hairol Nizam Mohd Shah, M Herman Jamaluddin dan Hyreil Anuar Kasdirin.

“Unit kawalan helikopter ini dibangunkan melalui perantara muka pengguna (GUI) dengan perisian asas visual di mana GUI akan dihubungkan dengan kamera tanpa wayar untuk tujuan pengambilalihan imej terus dan analisis,” katanya dalam kenyataan di sini, semalam.

Beliau berkata, GUI terdiri paparan video dan butang pengawal helikopter yang diletakkan di sebelah kanan GUI.

Katanya, kamera tanpa wayar akan dipasang di bahagian bawah helikopter dan GUI akan memaparkan kawasan yang dilalui helikopter berkenaan.

Abu Bakar berkata, butang pengawal di sebelah paparan video akan mengawal helikopter mengikut arahan pengguna sama ada pergerakan helikopter ke atas, bawah, kiri atau kanan.

Beliau berkata, kelebihan rekaan itu ialah kemampuannya berinteraksi antara mesin dan manusia melalui dari sesuatu jarak dengan tujuan pemantauan sesuatu tugas.

“Aplikasi yang boleh dikaitkan adalah seperti pemantauan keselamatan oleh pihak berkuasa, pemantauan kawasan yang jauh dengan menggunakan kamera dan dalam bidang pertanian,” katanya.

Katanya, rekaan itu memenangi pingat perak dalam Ekspo UTeM Exhibition Mac lalu dan pingat perak pada pertandingan Reka Cipta, Inovasi dan Teknologi Antarabangsa ke-19 (ITEX 2008) di Pusat Konvensyen Kuala Lumpur (KLCC) Mei lalu.

Projek itu juga disenaraikan mewakili universiti berkenaan dalam British Invention Show (BIS 2008) yang akan berlangsung di Hertfordshire, United Kingdom pada 15 hingga 18 Oktober ini. - Bernama

rizalhakim

October 10th, 2008, 07:59 AM

UTM unggul di Afrika Selatan

JOHOR BAHRU: Keunikan motosikal ciptaan terbaru menggunakan hidrogen membantu Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) meraih tiga hadiah utama dalam pertandingan Cabaran Solar Afrika Selatan di negara itu, dari 26 September lalu hingga kelmarin.

Naib Canselor UTM, Datuk Prof Dr Zaini Ujang, berkata UTM memenangi tempat pertama bagi kategori armada hijau, mendaki gunung dan anugerah khas menerusi motosikal H2 Motive.

Katanya, motosikal berharga RM1 juta itu menggunakan hidrogen sebagai bahan bakar dan kesannya enjin fuel sel mempamerkan prestasi mengagumkan sepanjang pertandingan.

“Jentera yang dihasilkan pasukan penyelidik dari Pusat Perniagaan Teknologi Termaju (BATC) UTM berjaya memperoleh tempat pertama bagi kategori mendaki gunung, malah tidak menghadapi sebarang masalah ketika melalui kawasan pergunungan yang lebih tinggi dari Genting Highland,” katanya dalam kenyataan di sini, semalam.

Zaini berkata, pertandingan dua minggu itu membabitkan jarak sejauh 4,175 kilometer bermula di Pretoria melalui Cape Town dan Durban sebelum berpatah balik ke tempat permulaan.

“Motosikal dihasilkan menerusi geran penyelidikan IPRA mampu bergerak sehingga 110 kilometer sejam dan boleh mencapai jarak 500 kilometer bagi setiap gelen hidrogen,” katanya.

rizalhakim

October 10th, 2008, 08:40 AM

http://kumpulanakitek.com.my/Icarnegie/Icarnegie.jpg

rizalhakim

October 10th, 2008, 08:42 AM

http://kumpulanakitek.com.my/merang/kutemProfile(w).jpg

nazrey

October 10th, 2008, 09:49 AM

MALAYSIA: Foreign student numbers soar
University World News 2007-2008

The number of foreign students in peninsular Malaysia has risen more than 30%, which augurs well for the country’s aim of becoming a regional hub of educational excellence, reports The Star. A total of 65,000 foreign students enrolled in international schools and both private and public institutions of higher education last year, compared with 48,000 in 2006.

Quoting figures released by the Immigration Department, Higher Education Ministry Marketing and International Education Division director Dr Mohamed Nasser Mohamed Noor said the increase could be attributed to the ministry's new identity abroad – “Malaysia Education”.

“We are now confident of surpassing the 100,000 target by 2010,” he said last week, adding that Indonesia and China were the biggest markets, followed by the Middle East and African countries.

nazrey

October 10th, 2008, 12:45 PM

THE-QS World University Rankings 2008: UK varsities lose ground to Americans
Agencies
NST Online » Frontpage
2008/10/10

LONDON: British universities have slipped down the world rankings as they compete ever harder with eminent institutions overseas.

Cambridge and Oxford have lost ground to Harvard and Yale, while fewer British universities are in the top 200 list, published yesterday, than last year.

At a time when it is essential for British institutions to attract lucrative international students who pay higher fees, they are being outdone increasingly by American universities that receive huge endowments.

Harvard tops the Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings for the fifth consecutive year. Its endowment fund is greater than the total annual public funding for all universities in England.

Yale holds the second spot after being joint second with Cambridge and Oxford last year. The two British institutions came third and fourth respectively this year.
Four British universities are in the top 10, the same as last year. Imperial College London fell from fifth to sixth place while University College London rose from ninth to seventh.

In all, 17 universities in Britain made it into the top 100 list, down from 19 last year. More than a third of the top 100 are based in the United States.

Vice-chancellors and commentators voiced concern that, without an increase in investment, Britain's standing as a first-class destination for higher education could be under threat.

Wendy Piatt, director-general of the Russell Group of leading universities, said its members were performing well against international rivals, adding: "The table reflects the growing strength of our major competitors -- particularly US institutions -- which benefit from much higher levels of investment than British universities.

"Without increased investment, there is a real danger that the United Kingdom's success will not be sustained.

"As a result of huge investment in higher education and science in recent years, China already looks set to overtake the UK very soon in terms of total research publications, and its universities have been steadily climbing up international league tables."

The Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings had 29 British universities in the top 200, one fewer than last year. Of these, 22 had slipped down the rankings. The rise of Asian institutions is reflected in the inclusion of nine of them within the top 50, including three based in Hong Kong. Two new entrants this year are Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Seoul National University.

A spokesman for Quac-quarelli Symonds, which conducted the research, said its findings also reflected the higher profile of technology-based universities.

Ann Mroz, the editor of Times Higher Education, said: "The fact that Cambridge and Oxford have slipped down the top 10 and that US universities have cemented their dominance among the world's elite, at the UK's expense, raises key questions about the future funding of the sector.

"As a percentage of gross domestic product, the US spends more than twice as much on its universities as the UK does."

The rankings are based on surveys of academics and graduate employers about which they consider the best universities in their fields, the ratio of students to academics, the proportion of overseas students and staff at each university and the number of times research by each university's academics is quoted in other journals. -- Agencies

nazrey

October 10th, 2008, 12:45 PM

ASIA
Times Higher Education - QS World University Rankings 2007
Top 400 Universities

Asia Rank (World Rank) School Name Country
1 (17) University of TOKYO Japan
2 (18) University of HONG KONG Hong Kong
3 (25) KYOTO University Japan
4 (33) National University of SINGAPORE Singapore
5 (36) PEKING University China
6 (38) The CHINESE University of Hong KongHong Kong
7 (40) TSINGHUA University China
8 (46) OSAKA University Japan
9 (51) SEOUL National University Korea, South
10(53) HONGKONGUniversityofScience&Techno.Hong Kong
11(69) NANYANG Technological University Singapore
12(85) FUDAN University China
13(90) TOKYO Institute of Technology Japan
14(102) TOHOKU University Japan
14(102) National TAIWAN University Taiwan
15(112) NAGOYA University Japan
17(125) NANJING University China
18(132) Korea Advanced Institute of Scie Korea, South
19(136) KYUSHU University Japan
20(149) CITY University of Hong Kong Hong Kong
21(151) HOKKAIDO University Japan
22(155) UniversityofScienceandTechnologyof China
23(161) KEIO University Japan
24(163) SHANGHAI JIAO TONG University China
25(180) WASEDA University Japan
26(197) KOBE University Japan
27(209) ZHEJIANG University China
27(209) University of TSUKUBA Japan
29(212) HIROSHIMA University Japan
30(223) CHULALONGKORN University Thailand
31(243) KOREA University Korea, South
32(246) Universiti MALAYA (UM) Malaysia
33(254) University of DELHI India
34(256) The HONG KONG Polytechnic UniversityHong Kong
35(269) Indian Institute of Technology BombayIndia
36(273) NAGASAKI University Japan
37(284) MAHIDOL University Thailand
37(284) CHIBA University Japan
39(307) Indian Institute of Technology DelhiIndia
39(307) Universiti Sains MALAYSIA (USM) Malaysia
40(309) Universiti Kebangsaan MALAYSIA(UKM)Malaysia
41(324) TIANJIN University China
42(331) GUNMA University Japan
43(334) National TSING HUA University Taiwan
44(335) TOKYO Metropolitan University Japan
45(336) National CHENG KUNG University Taiwan
46(345) GIFU University Japan
47(354) YOKOHAMA NATIONAL University Japan
48(360) Universitas GADJAH MADA Indonesia
49(364) Universiti Putra MALAYSIA (UPM) Malaysia
49(364) TOKYO University of Science (TUS) Japan
49(364) OSAKA CITY University Japan
50(369) BANDUNG Institute of Technology Indonesia
51(377) OKAYAMA University Japan
52(380) SUNG KYUN KWAN University Korea, South
53(386) KUMAMOTO University Japan
54(395) University of INDONESIA Indonesia
53(398) SOGANG University Korea, South
53(398) University of the PHILIPPINES Philippines
53(398) National CENTRAL University Taiwan

From : QS Top Grad School (http://www.topuniversities.com/worlduniversityrankings/results/2007/overall_rankings/top_400_universities/)
Source: THES (http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/) – QS World University Rankings

THE-QS World University Rankings 2008: Vice-chancellors not too concerned
NST Online » Frontpage 2008/10/10
By : Jennifer Gomez and Irdiani Mohd Salleh

http://www.nst.com.my/Friday/Frontpage/2371193/insidepix1

(From left) Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Vice-Chancellor Professor Datuk
Dr Sharifah Hapsah Syed Hasan Shahabudin says the ranking is just a
ranking; while UPM Vice-Chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Nik Mustapha Raja
Abdullah points out that the criteria used by the THE-QS changes from time
to time.

UNIVERSITI Kebangsaan Malaysia Vice-Chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Sharifah Hapsah Syed Hasan Shahabudin has been asked the same question this time of the year for the past five years.

It is the time of the year when universities get to know where they are ranked among the other universities in the Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings 2008.

"How do I feel? There's no feeling here," she told the New Straits Times.

To her, the world ranking is just that; a ranking.

As Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin aptly puts it: "It's not the be all and end all of universities' evaluation."

"Many other universities the world over are very critical about the evaluation process.

"So while we won't stop any of our universities from being evaluated, we must remember that their criteria is not exhaustive," he added.

This year, the country's three universities -- Universiti Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and Universiti Putra Malaysia -- are ranked higher than 2007 while the apex-status university, Universiti Sains Malaysia, saw a drop in its ranking.

The universities' vice-chancellors said "the ranking is not everything".

The VC club insisted that they had their own strategic and transformation plans, adding that they were consistently making progress.

Sharifah Hapsah said the university kept on improving, with its progress constantly monitored.

"We have been making steady progress, in terms of our research work, publications, citations ..." she said.

UPM Vice-Chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Nik Mustapha Raja Abdullah pointed out that the criteria used by the THE-QS changed from time to time.

As such, universities like UPM would not be able to score in some areas such as in terms of foreign student intake.

International students and international faculty represent five per cent each in the evaluation.

Nevertheless, he added that the ranking by discipline by THE-QS was very useful as it helped the university identify where it needed to improve.

"Our strongest area is life sciences, where we appeared in the 213th spot in the ranking by discipline for life sciences and biomedicine," he said, adding that the ranking was also an effective way for universities to promote themselves.

According to Nik Mustapha, UPM had set their target to get on the top 200 list by 2015.

UM acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Muhamad Rasat Muhamad said while the university has its own transformation plan in place, "we may think we have done good, when that may not be the true picture. It is good sometimes to have our performance measured by others."

UM hopes to make it to the top 200 list by 2010.

USM deputy Vice-Chancellor (academic and international affairs) Professor Ahmad Shukri Mustapa Kamal insisted that he did not know the university's ranking but was told that it had "dropped a few places".

"It is always difficult to comment when one drops in rankings because if you start to question the rankings or justify the drop, the excuses will certainly not be acceptable.

"There has been some perception, however, among many universities not in the top 50 that the rankings have been rather volatile.

"I have always been from the school of thought that this ranking is useful but it is certainly not absolute," he said.

Ahmad Shukri added however that they would need to "scrutinise the data further to see what the reason for the drop is."

Despite claims that the criteria and evaluation process are flawed, the THE-QS ranking would still continue to influence those who are considering furthering their studies either at local or foreign universities.

rizalhakim

October 11th, 2008, 09:11 AM

USM plans to enhance quality

GEORGE TOWN: Universiti Sains Malaysia will work towards improving the quality of its international publications and teaching staff following a drop in its standing in this year's Times Higher Education-QS Quacquarelli Seymonds World University rankings.

USM deputy Vice-Chancellor (academic and international affairs) Professor Ahmad Shukri Mustapa Kamal said plans were in the pipeline for the university to emerge stronger next year.

He was commenting on the drop in USM's position from 307 to 313 in the THE-QS rankings.

"We will study the data to be released by THE-QS on Monday to identify the areas to work on," he told the New Straits Times here yesterday.

Ahmad Shukri said USM would beef up its international publications and upgrade the quality of citations.

"We need to improve on the quality of the publications to surpass the expectations stipulated under by the THE-QS criteria."

He said USM would also focus on engaging academicians with better teaching qualities. This includes increasing the number of teaching staff from 1,900 to 2,200 next year.

nazrey

October 11th, 2008, 09:54 PM

UPM Scientist Wins Gold Medal At ISESCO
October 11, 2008 22:10 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 11 (Bernama) -- Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Head, Prof Ir. Dr Mohd Sapuan Salit, won a gold medal in the technology category at the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO Science Prize) 2008 in Baku, Azerbaijan, recently.

His success was based on his research in design and manufacture of Polymer Composite Products, which are low-cost, high-quality and time saving, according to a statement from UPM here Saturday.

He had received a cash prize of US$5,000, presented by Isesco director-general Dr. Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri and Azerbaijan Deputy Prime Minister Elchin Efendiyez.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin was also present at the medal presentation ceremony.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

October 15th, 2008, 12:20 AM

KUB secures RM300m school contract
Published: 2008/10/15
BusinessTimes

KUB Malaysia Bhd has secured a RM300 million contract from the Education Ministry to build schools in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Negeri Sembilan.

In a statement in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, KUB said under the contract, the company and its 60 per cent-owned subsidiary, Ibuzawa Corp Sdn Bhd, would build four new schools and 32 additional blocks.

“The project to build additional blocks is expected to be completed by May 2009 while the four new schools will be ready by January 2010.

KUB executive director/chief executive, Datuk Mohd Nazar Samad, said the company would use the industrialised building system (IBS) to build the schools.

“IBS is a construction system that is built using pre-fabricated components in line with government’s promotion to use IBS in construction.

“It’s cheaper. This will result in better construction time and better site management and most importantly, will reduce our dependency on foreign labour,” he said.

Mohd Nazar said the award was expected to contribute positively to the earnings of KUB for the financial year ending 2009. — Bernama

nazrey

October 15th, 2008, 03:40 PM

More British Varsities Eyeing Malaysia As Location For Overseas Campuses
October 15, 2008 18:27 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 (Bernama) -- More British universities are expected to set up their campuses in Malaysia, British High Commissioner to Malaysia Boyd McCleary said today.

He said the University of Notthingham (http://www.nottingham.edu.my/Pages/default.aspx) was already running a successful campus in Semenyih, Selangor while Newcastle University would follow suit by setting up a medical school in Johor.

He added that several other British universities and schools had expressed interest in setting up their branches in Malaysia.

"We need to develop collaborative arrangements with countries that place a high priority on education and human capital development like Malaysia, which is targeting 100,000 foreign students by 2010," he told reporters at the BES Asia 2008 Conference and Exhibition here.

McCleary said Britain and Malaysia were both concerned about employment of graduates and had given priority on tertiary education by providing them with new skills required by the industry.

The two-day event provides an opportunity for more than 300 participants from China, India, Philippines, New Zealand, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia to explore collaborations in education and human capital development with British universties and other Asian higher learning institutions.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

October 15th, 2008, 04:40 PM

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2257/2452171492_e455117c6e.jpg

rizalhakim

October 17th, 2008, 06:37 AM

USM cipta kamera perubatan pertama negara

Oleh AZELI ALI
mohdazeli.ali@kosmo.com.my

http://www.kosmo.com.my/kosmo/pix/2008/1017/Kosmo/Negara/ne_11.1.jpg
DR. ZAINUL (kiri) bersama Dr. Zulkepli menunjukkan kamera perubatan ciptaan mereka di USM semalam.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GEORGE TOWN - Jika sebelum ini proses mengukur muka pesakit dijalankan secara manual menggunakan pita ukur dan pembaris, kini ia boleh dilakukan menggunakan kamera untuk mendapatkan hasil yang lebih tepat.

Kamera MyCranio dan MyCast itu dicipta oleh pensyarah Fakulti Sains Pergigian Kampus Kesihatan Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Dr. Zainul Ahmad Rajion dan Pensyarah Fakulti Kejuruteraan dan Sains Geoinformatik Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Dr. Zulkifli Majid.

Ciptaan pertama seumpamanya di Malaysia itu yang melibatkan kepelbagaian bidang kepakaran iaitu kejuruteraan, kedoktoran dan sains komputer itu membolehkan doktor mengambil gambar pesakit sebelum data seperti ukuran muka, tulang atau gigi pesakit dianalisis dan diproses.

Menurut Dr. Zainul, MyCranio dikhaskan untuk mengukur muka pesakit dan kini digunakan untuk memproses tisu muka lembut dan membuat imbasan muka di jabatan radiologi serta pakar bedah plastik untuk merawat kecacatan muka serta tengkorak.

"MyCast pula berfungsi untuk mengukur bahagian bukan muka seperti tulang dan digunakan di klinik pergigian untuk mengukur saiz gigi yang akan dibentuk semula.

"Kamera ini kini digunakan di Hospital Universiti Kubang Kerian, Kelantan sejak empat bulan lalu bagi membuat pengukuran muka pesakit," katanya pada sidang media di USM semalam.

Tambah beliau, kamera itu memiliki kelebihan berbanding kaedah manual atau menggunakan laser kerana masa yang diambil untuk mengambil gambar adalah lebih singkat iaitu antara dua atau tiga saat berbanding laser (19 saat) dan manual (20 minit)

Selain itu ukuran yang dihasilkan juga lebih tepat iaitu perbezaan hanya 0.03 milimeter (mm) menggunakan kamera itu berbanding manual (3 hingga 5 mm) dan laser (2 hingga 4 mm).

rizalhakim

October 18th, 2008, 05:47 AM

ILKK dinaik taraf Universiti Kesihatan
Oleh Irwan Shafrizan Ismail
irwansha@bharian.com.my

http://www.bharian.com.my/Saturday/Nasional/20081018011258/mainpix
SITI UMI NADARAS IBRAHIM (kiri) dan G Saraspathih dipilih Jururawat Terbaik ILKK peringkat negeri Pahang pada majlis konvokesyen di Kuantan, semalam.

Institusi lebih 50 tahun penuhi keperluan jururawat, dilengkapi kemudahan latihan terbaik

KUANTAN: Kementerian Kesihatan berhasrat menaiktaraf 35 Institut Latihan Kementerian Kesihatan (ILKK) di seluruh negara kepada Universiti Kesihatan bagi memenuhi keperluan jururawat serta kakitangan sokongan dalam bidang kesihatan.

Timbalan Menterinya, Datuk Dr Abdul Latif Ahmad, berkata langkah terbabit wajar dilaksanakan menjelang Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh bersandarkan kemampuan IILK melahirkan ribuan graduan dalam pelbagai bidang termasuk jururawat, penolong perubatan serta pembantu makmal.

Katanya, wajar bagi kerajaan meneliti cadangan itu kerana ILKK banyak menyumbang kepada pembangunan sejak sebelum merdeka.

"Jika universiti ini berjaya diwujudkan, ia dianggap penghargaan dan pengiktirafan kepada ILKK selepas lebih 50 tahun berjasa kepada negara melahirkan jururawat dan kakitangan sokongan bertauliah," katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian selepas Majlis Konvokesyen ILKK Peringkat Negeri Pahang di Wisma Belia, di sini, semalam.

Pada majlis itu, 269 graduan dari Kolej Kejururawatan Kuantan dan Kolej Kejururawatan Masyarakat Jerantut menerima sijil dan diploma kejururawatan.

Dr Abdul Latif berkata, dengan 15,000 pelajar pada satu masa dengan purata 3,000 graduan setahun, ditambah kemudahan latihan dan infrastruktur yang baik ILKK sudah bersedia diperbadankan kepada universiti.

Beliau berkata, dalam usaha merealisasikan cadangan itu, kementerian kini giat melatih jururawat termasuk kakitangan sokongan bidang berkaitan seperti penolong pegawai perubatan.

Katanya, kementerian kini turut menghantar doktor melanjutkan pengajian ke peringkat ijazah doktor falsafah sebagai persediaan menjadi tenaga pengajar di universiti terbabit.

"Bagaimanapun ada beberapa kriteria perlu dipenuhi sebelum ia diwujudkan. Mengambil kira infrastruktur, saya rasa kita layak membentuk universiti, namun jurusan yang ditawarkan perlu ditambah serta diperkukuhkan," katanya.

Dr Abdul Latif berkata, institut terbabit perlu menawarkan pelbagai jurusan berkaitan kesihatan termasuk peringkat diploma dan ijazah.

nazrey

October 18th, 2008, 05:55 AM

PELAJAR USM MENANG TIKET KE ANTARTIKA
25-9-2008 USM

http://www.usm.my/new/pages/upload/koleksi/ANTARTIKA.jpg

PULAU PINANG, 25 Sept – Tuah ayam nampak di kaki, tuah manusia siapa yang tahu!

Demikian pepatah tepat bagi menggambarkan tuah yang diterima seorang pelajar Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) apabila terpilih untuk berkunjung ke Benua Antartika setelah memenangi satu pertandingan anjuran National Geographic Channel (NGC) baru-baru ini.

Pelajar berkenaan, Muhammad Aizuddin Abdul Rahman, 20, berkata, beliau tidak menyangka akan muncul pemenang utama bagi pertandingan memilih slot dokumentari paling menarik di NCG yang disertainya melalui laman web pada Mei lalu.

Katanya, beliau tidak menaruh harapan untuk memenangi pertandingan tersebut, apatah lagi menanam impian melihat Benua Antartika dari dekat kerana saingan yang perlu diharunginya bukan calang-calang.

Pertandingan yang julung kali dibuka kepada penonton setia NGC itu disertai oleh lebih 12,500 perserta dari rantau Asia termasuk Singapura, Hong Kong, Thailand, Filipina dan sebagainya.

``Saya dapat simpulkan ini bukan sahaja boleh dianggap durian runtuh, sebaliknya peluang keemasan yang jarang-jarang diperoleh oleh pemuda yang berasal dari kampung macam saya,’’ jelasnya pada sidang akhbar di USM, hari ini.

Mengulas pembabitannya dalam pertandingan tersebut, Muhammad Aizuddin yang kini penuntut tahun dua jurusan Sains Gunaan (Fizik Gunaan) berkata, beliau sangat meminati rancangan National Geographic yang ditayangkan di saluran Astro Malaysia.

``Kebetulan pada pertengahan Mei yang lalu, saya terlihat iklan berkenaan pertandingan itu yang tertera pada skrin televisyen dan bergegas mencari maklumat berhubung perkara itu di internet.

"Pertandingan itu memerlukan setiap peserta memilih tiga episod yang terbaik daripada 30 episod yang telah disiarkan di saluran NGC dan melengkapkan beberapa kriteria yang lain,’’ jelasnya.

Beliau turut berkata, tiga slot yang dipilihnya iaitu The Four Billion City of China, The First Emperior of China dan Becoming of King nyata membawa tuah yang memang tidak pernah terlintas di fikirannya.

``Saya memang banyak menonton NGC namun tiga episod tersebut memang menjadi antara episod yang paling menarik pernah saya tonton,’’ katanya yang merupakan anak jati kelahiran Batu Maung, Pulau Pinang.

Ujar beliau, dengan kemenangan itu beliau berjaya mendapat dua tiket penerbangan pergi dan balik ke Kutub Selatan untuk dua orang dan memilih membawa bersama pensyarah fiziknya, Dr Yoon Tien Leong.

``Pada mulanya saya mahu membawa ayah untuk turut serta melihat pemandangan dari atas kapal terbang di Benua Antartika tersebut namun kesihatannya tidak mengizinkan untuk dia bersama–sama saya merasai kegembiraan itu,’’ jelasnya.

Tambah anak sulung daripada dua beradik itu, sukar untuk menjelaskan perasaannya ketika NGC menghubunginya bagi memaklumkan perkara itu, Julai lalu.

"Saya terlalu teruja dan tidak sabar untuk menunggu bulan Disember. Di kepala saya hanya terbayang benua yang hanya diseliputi ais dan memutih itu ," kata anak kelahiran Batu Maung itu.

Muhammad Aizuddin berkata beliau dimaklumkan bahawa trip itu akan berlepas ke Kutub Selatan pada 31 Disember ini melalui penerbangan dari Sydney, Australia.

Bagaimanapun penerbangan itu tidak akan mendarat di kawasan itu sebaliknya hanya akan terbang rendah dan berpusing di sekitar kawasan berkenaan.

Katanya walaupun tidak dapat menjejakkan kaki di kutub itu, peluang berkenaan adalah yang terbaik dalam hidupnya kerana sebagai seorang 'budak kampung', perkara sedemikian tidak pernah terlintas difikirannya.

"Itu pun sudah cukup buat saya kerana selama ini saya langsung tidak pernah terlintas untuk ke luar negara atau ke sana.

"Jika nak diikutkan pun saya sudah terlepas peluang untuk ke sana kerana gagal membuka emel kerana sibuk dengan kuliah namun berpegang kepada soal rezeki, nyata ia masih memihak kepada saya,’’ katanya yang gembira dengan kemenangannya itu.

nazrey

October 18th, 2008, 06:00 AM

USM Student Wins Ticket to Antarctica
25-9-2008

PENANG, 25 September - A University Science Malaysia student won a trip to Antarctica in a contest organized by the National Geographic Channel recently.

Muhammad Aizuddin Abdul Rahman, 20, said that he did not expect to emerge as the grand prize winner of the contest which was held last May. The contest required the participants to select three best documentaries on National Geographic Channel (NGC).

He said that he did not have any hope of winning because of the stiff competition.

The contest which was held for the first time received more than 12 500 entries from all over Asia including Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand and the Philippines.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for a village boy like me,” he said during a press conference in USM, here today.

Muhammad Aizuddin, a second year Applied Physics student said that he is a huge fan of National Geographic programmes telecast on Astro Malaysia.

“Last May, I saw the commercial of the contest by chance and searched for more information on the internet. Participants were required to choose the best three episodes from the thirty episodes that were telecasted on NGC and there were also some criteria that the contestants need to fulfil,” he explained.

He also said that he never expected that the three documentaries that he chose would bring him such luck.

“I like to watch National Geographic Channel but these three were among the best episodes that I have watched,” said this Batu Maung resident.

His victory landed him with two return tickets to the South Pole and he chose to take his physic lecturer, Dr. Yoon Tien Leong.

“At first, I wanted to take my father but he has not been well,” he said

The elder of two added that he could not describe his feelings when NGC contacted him last July.
“I am so excited that I can’t wait for December. I can only think of the white snow and ice covered pole,” he said.

Muhammad Aizuddin said that the flight will leave for the South Pole on 31st December 2008 from Sydney, Australia. However, it will not land on the South Pole, but instead fly low and around the South Pole.

He said that for a village boy like him, this is a wonderful opportunity and a momentous occasion in his life.

nazrey

October 18th, 2008, 11:56 AM

Appropriate To Upgrade ILKK To Health University - Dr Latiff
October 17, 2008 16:26 PM

KUANTAN, Oct 17 (Bernama) -- The time is ripe to upgrade the Health Ministry's Training Institute (ILKK) which existed before 'Merdeka' (independence) to a health university, said Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abd Latiff Ahmad.

He said this should be implemented under the Tenth Malaysia Plan since the 35 nursing colleges nationwide had adequate and comfortable training facilities and infrastructure.

The colleges which focus on nursing and support groups could accommodate 15,000 students at any one time producing an average 3,000 graduates annually compared to other private university colleges.

"It is appropriate to upgrade ILKK to a health university as it is the oldest in the country and had produced thousands of nurses, medical assistants, laboratory assistants and x-ray assistants," he told reporters at the convocation of Pahang ILKK here today.

Dr Latiff said the existence of 35 nursing colleges was an indicator that it was time to upgrade ILKK to a university as what was needed were lecturers at Phd level.

He added the ministry had also sent ILKK lecturers to pursue higher studies and that there was a need to offer degree courses on top of the diploma courses currently.

On the melamine issue, the deputy minister urged the public to follow developments to help them avoid food containing chemicals.

He was satisfied with the cooperation given by food manufacturers to ensure that their products were free from melamine.

Some 269 graduates from Kolej Kejururawatan Kuantan and Kolej Kejururawatan Masyarakat Jerantut received their certificates and diplomas from Dr Latiff.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

October 19th, 2008, 04:24 PM

UPM Confers Honorary Doctorate On Asean Sec-Gen
October 18, 2008 19:15 PM

SERDANG, Oct 18 (Bernama) -- Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Saturday conferred a honorary doctorate in economics on Asean secretary-general Dr Surin Pitsuwan.

UPM Chancellor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah of Selangor presented the degree to Dr Surin at the university's convocation.

The award is for Dr Surin's contributions as an eminent statesman in the Asean region fighting for democratic rights, sustainable development and human safety.

Speaking to reporters later, Dr Surin said strong support and participation from an academic institution such as UPM would contribute to the building of a solid Asean community.

"So, to ensure that the solid Asean community becomes a reality we need to do networking because the Asean Secretariat does not have the capacity to do everything.

"That's why the Asean Secretariat wants to co-operate and extend its relationship with academic institutions in order to create the Asean identity," he said.

Dr Surin said the Asean Secretariat was prepared to work with UPM to conduct academic research in the Asean region.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

October 20th, 2008, 02:19 PM

Mapping Towards Becoming A Competitive University
October 20, 2008 20:00 PM
By Nabilah Saleh

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 (Bernama) -- Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) located near the Malaysian-Thai border, in Perlis, is little known to many.

Yet UniMAP has been an active proponent in mapping and executing strategic plans to emerge as an education institution of excellence.

Previously known as Kolej Universiti Kejuruteraan Utara Malaysia (KUKUM), UniMAP is the 17th higher institution of learning to be established from the 30 existing today.

Seven years has passed since it opened its doors to undergraduates and recently held its third convocation ceremony with 650 graduates receiving their scrolls.

UniMAP currently has about 5,000 undergraduates and 300 academic staff.

SCATTERED CAMPUS GROUNDS

One thing that differentiates UniMAP from other public higher learning institutions, at least for now, is the absence of a permanent campus.

Nonetheless, the institution strives to provide the best academic programmes for its undergraduates.

According to UniMAP Vice-Chancellor Brigadier General Datuk Prof Dr Kamarudin Hussin, the campus premises are currently located in Kangar, Kubang Gajah and Jejawi.

However, the university is expected to see physical changes when the two new campuses in Pauh and Sungai Chuchuh are ready.

The 420 hectares Pauh campus will house the main administrative centre and faculties of the university while the Sungai Chuchuh campus is smaller, situated on 101.2 hectares land.

"Though the new campus too is not centralised, students still undergo learning sessions in one central building at both locations.

"Providing a permanent set up and learning facilities for the undergraduates remains the priority at the moment," says Prof Dr Kamarrudin.

Prof Dr Kamarruddin emphasises that UniMAP is committed in producing critical minded and self reliant graduates who will help fulfill the nation's development needs.

As a technical education centre, UniMAP's programmes are based on electronic engineering, computer and telecommunications, mechatronic, electrical systems, manufacturing processes, material science, bioprocess and environmental studies.

UniMAP's RM150 million teaching and learning facilities that include labs, engineering centres, semiconductor clean rooms, and many other state of the art facilities help in churning out highly competent graduates.

GRADUATES WELL RECEIVED

UniMAP's engineering programmes are tailored to produce competent and all rounded graduates. UniMAP's qualifications are well received in the employment market and the testimony to this is the institute's graduates securing employment in reputable companies and multinationals even before graduation.

Many of UniMAP's graduates today are employed by leading multinationals among others Intel, Spansion, Altera, Motorola Technology and Silterra.

"This achievement clearly demonstrates how far we have come. Obviously UniMAP's graduates are well received in the employment market which in turn also serves as a recognition for the courses offered by the institution," notes Prof Dr Kamarudin with great pride.

EMPHASIS ON PRACTICAL TRAINING

In general, all engineering programmes at UniMAP are laboratory intensive with the emphasis on hands-on training as well.

The courses offered are catered for the industrial needs with a good balance between theoretical (40 percent) and practical (60 percent) elements.

Though academic excellence remains the priority, the institution also emphasises on producing graduates who are not only knowledgeable in their respective fields but also people who are valuable to the society.

"Students not only undergo intensive training in their core subjects but also in soft skills that includes entrepreneurship and effective communication.

"For instance, through entrepreneurship skills training we build up their self confidence and this will certainly help them to meet new challenges and innovations," explains Prof Dr Kamarudin.

In benchmarking its innovative ability, UniMAP actively participates in engineering design competitions that also helps to boost its research capabilities.

UniMAP has won several international and local awards among others; the Best Invention & Innovation Award for Public Higher Learning Institutions, National Research and Innovation Competition 2008 and the special 'Humanitarian Award' at the INPEX 2008 Exposition in Pittsburgh, United States.

RESEARCH MISSION

According to Prof Dr Kamarudin, UniMAP strives to maintain the quality of its graduates. This is not only to ensure that they fulfill the job market needs but because some of them will be returning to their alma mater as teaching staff and researchers to impart their knowledge.

Though balancing the quality and undergraduate numbers is a delicate task, Prof Dr Kamarudin is highly optimistic that UniMAP can emerge as a highly regarded academic and research institution in the local and international scene.

UniMAP has also drawn up the 2008-2010 Strategic Planning blue print to stay ahead in the race for excellence.

The three virtues underscored in UniMAP's motto "Knowledge, Sincerity, Excellence" is the underlying principle of the institution's quest in achieving excellence.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

October 20th, 2008, 08:35 PM

Govt Urged To Study New Employment Mechanism For Graduates
October 20, 2008 23:47 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 (Bernama) -- The government has been asked to study a new mechanism to reduce unemployment rate among university graduates in the country.

Ismail Mohamed Said (BN-Kuala Krau) said there were an estimated 100,000 university graduates who were currently unemployed.

"The Higher Education Ministry should study and plan a new mechanism to make it easier for university graduates to obtain jobs.

"Through the 2009 Budget, it is hoped that they are not only given practical training, but also with industrial training," he said when debating the 2009 Supply Bill in the Dewan Rakyat here Monday.

Ismail said unemployment problem, if not addressed, could lead to social, economic and political problems.

He also suggested that graduates to be given special allocation to take up training to prepare them for the employment market after completing their university studies.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

October 21st, 2008, 11:04 AM

Universities Urged To Create Co-curriculum Explaining Social Contract
October 21, 2008 16:28 PM

PENANG, Oct 21 (Bernama) -- Universities in Malaysia have been urged to create a new co-curriculum to explain issues regarding the social contract which has often drawn the attention of various parties off late.

Umno vice president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said explaining the issues to the younger generation especially university students was important so as to avoid confusion.

"The important thing is not that to question the social contract but to give an explanation so that they understand what the social contract is all about especially among the younger generation, because not all of them understand the social contract.

"Therefore, giving the explanation with proper methods and linking it with the country's history are important," he told reporters after delivering a lecture on "Malay-Muslim Politics - Crisis and Solution" at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) here today.

The lecture, organised by the Centre of Islamic Development Management Studies and Nurul Yaqeen Foundation, was attended USM students and lecturers.

Besides, he said, university lecturers should play a crucial role in giving the explanation.

"An effective explanation is important because when the students leave and mix around with the community, it will be easy for them to understand the concept of democracy and the constitution that we have," said Muhyiddin who is International Trade and Industry Minister.

He said the social contract issues had been solved long ago and all parties should accept it.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

October 22nd, 2008, 01:01 PM

USM's Ranking In World Table Has No Effect On Its Selection As Apex University
October 22, 2008 17:03 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 (Bernama) -- The declining position of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), the country's first Apex university, in the world table has no effect on its selection for the Accelerated Programme for Excellence, Deputy Higher Education Minister Dr Hou Kok Chung.

He added this was because of the Apex programme's approach which did not consider the world ranking to be the main objective in a university's pursuit of excellence.

Instead, he said, USM should focus on its plans to accelerate transformation, which was submitted to the selection committee, that it had the potential to be a world class university in the next five to 10 years.

"The ranking made by several agencies in the country and abroad is not important, but the ministry is still concern because it is a point of reference although it need not be that we have to follow a particular system," he said in response to supplementary questions by Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit (BN-Mambong) and M.Manogaran (DAP-Teluk Intan) on USM's selection as the country's first Apex university in the Dewan Rakyat here today.

However, Dr Hou said, the ministry would review USM's selection for the programme if its position in the THES-QS World University Rankings did not improve within the stipulated period.

USM was announced as the country's first Apex university on Sept 3, beating three other universities -- Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM).

USM's selection was based on its transformation plan and the university's preparedness to make changes to its proposal paper.

An Apex university is a university of excellence used as a yardstick in higher education worldwide.

With the apex status, USM is expected to move up the World University Rankings with a target of top 100 in five years' time and top 50 by 2020.

An Apex university is promised autonomy in finance, service scheme, management, student intake, study fees and to determine the top leadership.

-- BERNAMA

rizalhakim

October 23rd, 2008, 06:01 AM

Apex: Tempoh lima tahun USM bukti kekal cemerlang

UNIVERSITI Sains Malaysia (USM) diberi masa antara lima hingga 10 tahun bagi membuktikan pemilihannya sebagai universiti Apex selaras dengan objektif kecemerlangan yang digariskan kerajaan.

Timbalan Menteri Pengajian Tinggi, Dr Hou Kok Chung, berkata dalam tempoh itu, USM diharap mampu melaksanakan pelan transformasi seperti dibentangkan kepada jawatankuasa pemilihan sebelum ini.

"Bagaimanapun, pada bila-bila masa sebelum tempoh ditetapkan itu tiba, kementerian berhak mengkaji semula sama ada penarafan universiti Apex terhadap USM perlu dikekalkan atau universiti lain pula diberi penarafan sama... ia bergantung kepada kajian akan dibuat nanti.

"Bagaimanapun, kementerian berkeyakinan warga USM mempunyai keazaman tinggi untuk menjayakannya," katanya menjawab soalan tambahan Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit (BN-Mambong) mengenai sama ada kementerian akan memberi penarafan Apex kepada universiti awam lain selepas ini.

Mengulas soalan tambahan James mengenai sama ada benar dakwaan sesetengah pihak bahawa kementerian tidak mementingkan ranking universiti awam dalam beberapa senarai penilaian terhadap universiti Apex pertama, Kok Chung berkata, faktor itu tetap diberi perhatian tetapi tidak menjadi keutamaan pemilihan.

"Ranking yang dikeluarkan beberapa agensi dalam dan luar negara sememangnya penting kerana ia menjadi rujukan ramai dan kementerian memahami kehendak ramai supaya universiti kita berada pada tahap dihormati," katanya.

rizalhakim

October 24th, 2008, 05:19 AM

USM plans to bar cars from entering Penang campus

UNIVERSITI Sains Malaysia plans to ban vehicles from entering its Penang campus in a move to promote healthy living.

Nanyang Siang Pau reported that initially, vehicles were barred from entering the campus for a day in each month.

The move, given a test run in August, received lukewarm response from university staff members and students.

To encourage them to take part in the project, the university plans to lend out free bicycles.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, the university would implement the project soon.

rizalhakim

October 24th, 2008, 07:49 AM

SPACETOON MALAYSIA AWARDS TH PROPERTIES RM80 MLN PROJECT
Bernama - Friday, October 24KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 (Bernama) --

SpaceToon Malaysia, has awarded TH Properties Sdn Bhd, a RM80 million project to built its SpaceToon Academy in Meru Raya, Perak.

To be completed by 2010, the academy will comprise a Multimedia University College, an animation production centre, studios and administrative offices, SpaceToon Media Group International president and chief executive officer, Fayez Al-Sabbagh said.

He said the 50-acre facility, a collaboration with the Perak State Economic Development Corporation and K-Perak Inc Corporation, is expected to bring in about RM700 million worth of projects over the next few years.

The animation warehouse, the first of its kind in Malaysia,will offer short and long-term courses in 2D and 3D animation, film production and the media business as a whole.

"We have been looking at Malaysia for some time. We realise that Malaysia has a very strong talent tool particularly in the areas of creative content and the digital space.

"We are not just here to build the infrastucture and provide the real estate for production houses.

"We want to be directly involved in developing a new generation of talent in the country," he said at a signing ceremony between SpaceToon and TH Properties,a wholly-owned subsdiary of Lembaga Tabung Haji, here today.

Spacetoon is an integrated media group involved in television, radio, licensing, merchandising, online and interactive products, with operations now extended to Indonesia, Korea and India.

He said that the company was also looking for local talent and animation studio players to serve the company worldwide.

Fayez said that the collaboration would also see Spacetoon and local animation studios producing content for its own channel as well as other globally appealing content.

"Those with talent will have the opportunity to pursue a long-term career with us ast SpaceToon has offices in the Middle East and Africa as well as in the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Seoul, India and Indonesia.

"There are many animators and creative talent in Malaysia, waiting to be discovered. With the right training and guidance, we believe they can go far," he said.

Fayez also said that the collaboration would create more job opportunities and indirectly help expand the local animation market.

--BERNAMA

nazrey

October 26th, 2008, 05:45 AM

From Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)
Science

http://img156.exs.cx/img156/8767/table51ud.gif

Mathematics

http://img156.exs.cx/img156/912/table66jg.gif

From Philippine Education Thread (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=143978&page=4&pp=20)

how do they even measure these things?

TIMSS uses the curriculum, defined broadly, as its major organizing concept. TIMSS is based on a model of curriculum that has three components: the intended curriculum, the implemented curriculum, and the achieved curriculum. The intended curriculum consists of the mathematics and science that society intends for students to learn and the education system that society believes is best designed to facilitate such learning. What is actually taught in the classroom, who teaches the curriculum, and how it is taught make up the implemented curriculum. Lastly, the achieved curriculum includes what students have learned and their attitudes towards mathematics and science.

Based on this model, TIMSS collects information through mathematics and science achievement tests and questionnaires. The questionnaires request information to help provide a context for the performance scores, focusing on such topics as students' attitudes and beliefs about learning, students habits and homework, and their lives both in and outside of school; teachers' attitudes and beliefs about teaching and learning, teaching assignments, class size and organization, instructional practices, and participation in professional development activities; and principals' viewpoints on policy and budget responsibilities, curriculum and instruction issues, and student behavior, as well as descriptions of the organization of schools and courses. The assessments and questionnaires are designed to specifications in a guiding framework. The TIMSS framework describes the mathematics and science content to be assessed by providing grade-specific objectives, an overview of the assessment design, and guidelines for item development.

For each administration of TIMSS, the effort begins with a review of the framework that guides the construction of the assessment. The framework for TIMSS 2007 has been updated to reflect changes in the curriculum and instruction of participating countries (view the TIMSS Assessment Frameworks and Specifications 2007).Extensive input from experts in mathematics and science education, assessment, curriculum, and representatives from national educational centers around the world, including the United States, contribute to the final shape of the framework. Maintaining the ability to measure change over time is an important factor in revising the framework.

After each administration of TIMSS, approximately one-third to one-half of the assessment items are released for public use (view released items). The unreleased items are used to measure trends from administration to administration. To replace assessment items that are released after each TIMSS, countries submit items for review by subject-matter specialists, and additional items are written to ensure that the content areas, as explicated in the framework, are covered adequately. Items are reviewed by an international Science and Mathematics Item Review Committee and field-tested in most of the participating countries. Results from the field test are used to evaluate item difficulty, how well items discriminate between high- and low-performing students, the effectiveness of distracters in multiple-choice items, scoring suitability and reliability for constructed-response items, and evidence of bias towards or against individual countries or in favor of boys or girls. As a result of this review, replacement items are selected for inclusion in the assessment.

Students in every participating country are required to answer the same assessment and questionnaire items, albeit in the language of instruction. Thus it is possible to compare the performance of students in the United States on mathematics and science items to that of their peers around the world.

What is TIMSS?

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) was developed by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) to measure trends in students' mathematics and science achievement. Offered in 1995, 1999, and 2003, TIMSS provides participating countries with an unprecedented opportunity to measure students' progress in mathematics and science achievement on a regular 4-year cycle. Through participation in TIMSS, the United States has gained reliable and timely data on the mathematics and science achievement of our students compared to that of students in other countries. The next cycle of TIMSS is scheduled for 2007.

What is the schedule for TIMSS 2007?

September 2005 TIMSS 2007 Framework available
March-April 2006 Field test instruments
August 2006 Revised instruments distributed to countries
October-December 2006 Southern hemisphere countries collect data
March-June 2007 Northern Hemisphere countries collect data
December 9, 2008 Results released

nazrey

October 27th, 2008, 03:37 PM

MARA Will Sponsor 200 Students To Romania
October 27, 2008 18:43 PM

TEMERLOH, Oct 27 (Bernama) -- MARA will sponsor 200 students to Romania to take up medicine, petroleum and gas studies starting next year, said Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Minister Datuk Noh Omar.

This followed the signing of memorandum of agreements (MOA) between MARA and two prestigious universities in Romania - Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest and Petroleum-Gas University, Ploiesti recently.

The agreements were signed during Noh's visit to Romania from Oct 21-25.

"The 200 MARA students will do medicine at Carol Davila University and petroleum and gas at Ploiesti University ," he told reporters at an Aidilfitri open house of the Temerloh parliamentary constituency here Monday.

Noh said the government was hopeful that Malaysia and Romania could undertake more cooperation in education and other areas in future.

-- BERNAMA

rizalhakim

October 28th, 2008, 05:53 AM

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3241/2980570186_11730e9890_o.png

nazrey

October 29th, 2008, 01:41 PM

Government Aims To Create More Researchers, Scientists And Engineers By 2020
October 29, 2008 15:32 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 (Bernama) -- Malaysia aims to create 100 researchers, scientists and engineers in every 10,000 workforce by 2020, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said.

He said during the Eighth Malaysia Plan (2001-2005), the country had 21 professionals in those fields in every 10,000 workforce.

He said among the measures taken to achieve the target was to strengthen the country's research and innovation sector as well as implementing initiatives under the MyBrain 15 programme.

"MyBrain 15 is aimed at creating a larger pool of professional workforce in the field of science and technology, targeting 100,000 Doctor of Philosophy degree holders within the next 15 years," he said in reply to Mohd Yusmadi Mohd Yusof (PKR-Balik Pulau) at the Dewan Rakyat today.

Mohamed Khaled said research and development activities in local institutions of higher learning would also be strengthened.

Among the efforts to encourage research and development and commercialisation in local universities was the creation of the post of deputy vice-chancellor in charge of research and innovation, he said.

Mohamed Khaled said lecturers would also be sent overseas through exchange programmes in the field of research and development.

Replying to Mohd Yusmad's supplementary question on the Apex university programme, Mohamed Khaled said the selection was based on the university's past achievements and its potential to be a successful institution in the future.

Universiti Sains Malaysia had been chosen as Malaysia's Apex university, with a target of placing it among the world's top 100 universities in the next five years and top 50 by 2020.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

October 29th, 2008, 06:17 PM

500 M'sian And Thai Students, Staff Attend Regional Convention
October 29, 2008 23:34 PM
From Shuhaida Mohd Said

PHUKET, Oct 29 (Bernama) -- About 500 Malaysian and Thai students and staff of institutions of higher education attended a regional convention on student development here.

University Utara Malaysia (UUM) Vice-Chancellor Tan Sri Dr Nordin Kardi said the purpose of the convention themed 'Enhancing Student Development' was to provide the different stakeholders in student development a tertiary context.

He said it provided an opportunity to establish or renew ties, and engaged one another in an open forum to exchange news, views and ideas.

"Participants will be able to generate new ideas in managing and enhancing student development in institutions of higher learning, especially in the Southeast Asia Region.

"This convention is most timely as it seeks to address issues of concern about student development in tertiary institutions which has to respond to new challenges and opportunities of internationalisation in an increasingly borderless world," he said at the convention here tonight.

Dr Nordin said the convention was an effort towards creating an opportunity to collaborate and network amongst participants from the various tertiary institutions of the region.

Participants are from Prince of Songkla University (PSU) Thailand, UUM, University Sains Malaysia, University Malaya, University Technology Mara, University Malaysia Sarawak and University Malaysia Pahang.

The three-day convention which began today, is organised by UUM, Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia, National Civics Bureau Malaysia and PSU.

-- BERNAMA

rizalhakim

October 31st, 2008, 05:14 AM

HP launches campus project
By CHARLES FERNANDEZ

HEWLETT-PACKARD has unveiled its plan for a 24ha campus in Cyberjaya recently.

The campus, unveiled by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, will be the largest facility of its kind and the single largest investment by a multi-national technology leader in Malaysia.

http://thestar.com.my/archives/2008/10/31/central/m_pg24campus.jpg
Ready in 2010: Visitors and guests viewing a model of HP’s campus in Cyberjaya.

“This investment by HP, the world’s largest technology company, signals a strong commitment to our country and will bring a major economic and employment boost,’’ said Najib.

The campus is unique as it will host multiple core functions in one integrated location.

In addition, it features two rooms that include HP’s Halo Telepresence Solutions to allow a uniquely lifelike real-time video collaboration environment.

“We are pleased to partner with MDeC (Multimedia Development Corporation) and the Malaysian government on this initiative,’’ said executive vice-president and chief information officer Randy Mott.

He said HP’s investment was expected to generate up to 4,000 job opportunities for knowledge workers over the next 10 years.

HP began investing in Malaysia over three decades ago and has a presence in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and 11 service centres nationwide.

The Cyberjaya campus is expected to be completed by early 2010.

nazrey

October 31st, 2008, 05:15 AM

233 graduate primary school headmasters promoted
NST Online » NewsBreak
2008/10/30

KUALA LUMPUR:

A total of 233 graduate primary school headmasters have been promoted from grade DG41 to grade DG44 based on their qualifications and three years in service.

This move, made for the first time, was in response to the call by the teachers’ union for the promotion of these graduate headmasters in primary schools to be accelerated, Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said today.

Previously, headmasters who obtained degrees had to wait for about seven years before being promoted to the next grade.

The promotion carries a salary increase of between RM100 to RM300 and certain incentives and allowances, he said.

“Headmasters are an important part of the education system, and it is my sincere hope that with this acknowledgement of their services, they would be motivated to give their best,” Hishammuddin told reporters after officiating at the Excellent Teacher Conference here.

nazrey

October 31st, 2008, 05:16 AM

Parents group want Maths and Science to continue to be taught in English
NST Online » NewsBreak
2008/10/30

KUALA LUMPUR:

The Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) said it is set on trying to get the Education Ministry to maintain its policy of teaching Mathematics and Science in English.

It, however, does not advocate the abolition of vernacular schools as it respects their positions as provided for in the Federal Constitution.

PAGE chairman and founding member Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim also clarified that the group was not a governmental organisation as had been reported by certain media.

“We are merely a group of parents who want to voice our concerns about education,” she said today in response to an article in a Chinese daily that allegedly reported a representative of the group had called for all vernacular schools to be abolished and replaced with national-type schools.

This remark was supposed to have been made during the fourth round table to discuss the use of English to teach Mathematics and Science.
“The person who made the remark was a participant who was airing his own views and is not related to the group.”

Noor Azimah said the group’s main concern now was the decision that the Education Ministry would be making soon with regard to the policy of teaching Mathematics and Science in English.

“We have almost 1,000 parents supporting us from all over the country, 95 per cent of whom are for continuing the policy.”

This number is in addition to the 120 parent-teacher associations (PTAs) that had responded for, and 20 against the policy being continued.

She said it was a misconception that only urban parents were for the continuation of the policy.

A strong advocator of the policy is Mohamed Saufi Shafie, president of the 13-strong Coalition of Rawang Zone Parent-Teacher Associations, who said the PTAs under the coalition were all for the policy continuing.

Support came recently via an email from parents of a school in Long Lama, Sarawak.

The group is calling for more parents to voice their take — whether for or against the policy — by early next month to be compiled into a comprehensive report.

To contact the group, email scienceandmath@skbd.edu.my.

nazrey

October 31st, 2008, 05:39 AM

Discuss Maths and Science at Cabinet level first
Friday October 31, 2008
By KAREN CHAPMAN
TheStar

http://thestar.com.my/archives/2008/10/31/nation/n_22hishamudin.jpg

Making a point: Hishammuddin (third from right) having an informal chat with
some of the excellent teachers at the teaching conference Thursday.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Education Ministry cannot decide whether to continue having Science and Mathematics taught in English or revert to Bahasa Malaysia before the matter is discussed in the Cabinet.

Minister Datuk Seri Hisham-muddin Tun Hussein said the ministry must also wait for the release of the UPSR results which is expected in the middle of next month.

“We also have to analyse what has been said in the four roundtable discussions we have held with stakeholders for their views,” he told reporters after presenting certificates to 331 excellent teachers at a teaching conference.

Asked whether it was possible to make an announcement at the end of this year or early next year, Hishammuddin said it would depend on how long it took to analyse the differing views.

“Whatever we decide, we can’t start in January anyway as it is far too soon,” he said, adding that any decision would not affect those already in the system and that it would start with a new group of Year One pupils.

He advised people not to worry about pupils’ ability to master English as there were plans to strengthen the subject in primary school.

“Whatever decision we make will not fulfil everyone’s wish or satisfy everyone but at least we have the facts and figures to back our decision,” he said, adding that the decision could include fine-tuning the existing policy.

Hishammuddin said the decision “did not have to be black and white, or a yes and no”.

The policy of teaching Science and Mathematics in English was implemented in phases, starting with Year One, Form One and Lower Six in 2003.

Hishammuddin also announced that 233 graduate headmasters in primary schools have created history by being promoted to grade DG44 from DG41 with a minimum salary increase at about RM300.

The Government, he added, considered requests from teaching unions for faster promotions for headmasters who had served at least three years in the DG41 grade.

National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) secretary-general Lok Yim Pheng who welcomed the move hoped that the Government would also consider extending the scheme to senior assistants who had to wait at least 10 years to be upgraded to DG44.

nazrey

October 31st, 2008, 07:10 AM

Awards for top UiTM undergrads
Friday October 31, 2008
TheStar

UNIVERSITI Teknologi Mara (UiTM) branch campus in Machang, Kelan-tan, recently organised an excellent students award night at the New Pacific Hotel in Kota Baru where diners were treated to a sumptous mixture of Hari Raya food, goodies and the musical talents of the undergraduates.

The campus, which has 5,000 students, organised the event to spur the undergraduates in their quest for both academic and co-curriculum excellence.

UiTM Kelantan alumni coordinator and lecturer Norzaida Mohamad said the occasion was even more meaningful as campus director Datuk Prof Dr Hussin @ Mohammad Ab Rahman’s contract was extended till 2010 by the Higher Education Ministry.

“Prof Dr Hussin is an affable educationist and since holding the post for the past 10 years, he has been at the forefront of developing the campus into a major entity for UiTM,” said Norzaida.

She said the professor has also motivated the faculty of academics and student bodies until the campus has won several awards of late.

The top student for degree holder was local-born Noor Zafarina Mohd Fauzi, who graduated with honours in statistics and plans to become a renowned sta-tistician soon.

For the diploma holder level, the award went to Nur Azia Mohd Kamarudin.

She earned a diploma in banking management and the lass has the ambition to one day become the governor of Bank Negara.

nazrey

October 31st, 2008, 09:23 AM

Top Malaysian University

1. Universiti MALAYA (UM)
2. Universiti Kebangsaan MALAYSIA(UKM)
3. Universiti Sains MALAYSIA (USM)
4. Universiti Putra MALAYSIA (UPM)

UKM Latest Corporate Video
(Bahasa Malaysia)

kZp-eBoCC_M

(English)

F_TqvCvOw_Q

rizalhakim

October 31st, 2008, 10:37 AM

IUCTT rancang wujud universiti francaisor

BANGI: Kolej Universiti Antarabangsa Teknologi Twintech (IUCTT) muncul antara tiga institusi pengajian tinggi swasta (IPTS) tempatan dilantik kerajaan sebagai universiti francaisor bagi membimbing pengurusan dan pembangunan kolej swasta kecil milik Bumiputra yang beroperasi di seluruh negara.

Naib Canselornya, Senator Prof Datuk Dr Ismail Md Salleh berkata, pemilihan dibuat Badan Bertindak Negara menerusi Jabatan Perdana Menteri tahun lalu itu, berdasarkan pengenalan Sistem Collegiate bertujuan memantapkan kredibiliti, pengurusan seterusnya imej IPTS yang sering diperlekehkan ketika ini.

Katanya, mengikut sistem berkenaan, IUCTT dipertanggungjawabkan memilih dan membimbing kira-kira empat kolej kecil milik Bumiputera melalui pemindahan kepakaran, sistem pengurusan, pengetahuan dan teknologi bagi memantapkan kolej terbabit.

“Melalui sistem ini, kita latih kolej kecil sehingga mereka sendiri berkembang, mantap dan menjadi universiti francaisor serta mampu membimbing kolej kecil lain pula.

“Sasaran IUCTT melahirkan kira-kira 11 universiti francaisor daripada kolej kecil yang kita latih dalam tempoh lima tahun,” katanya pada sidang akhbar di sini, semalam.

Dr Ismail berkata, selain IUCTT, dua lagi IPTS iaitu Management Science University (MSU) dan Universiti Tun Abdul Razak (Unitar) turut dipilih universiti francaisor, bakal menerima insentif termasuk kemudahan pinjaman sehingga RM200 juta setiap universiti bagi melengkapkan kemudahan pembelajaran.

Katanya, kerajaan turut bersetuju membantu menempatkan kira-kira 4,000 pelajar gagal ke IPT awam di ketiga-tiga IPTS berkenaan bagi setiap pengambilan sebelum sebahagian pelajar ditempatkan di kolej kecil bawah universiti francaisor.

nazrey

November 1st, 2008, 06:02 AM

Service Scheme Needed For 100,000 Public University Staff
October 31, 2008 22:58 PM

TANJUNG MALIM, Oct 31 (Bernama) -- Cuepacs has urged the Higher Education Ministry to create a service scheme for public university staff to safeguard the welfare of some 100,000 academic staff, support staff and administrators.

Its president Omar Osman said the scheme was necessary as university staff were laggging in aspects like staff transfer, salary and annual leave compared to public sector staff under other ministries.

"It is time that a scheme is created to coordinate things like facilities as some universities enjoy them while others have to refer to the Public Service Department circular. The university staff are not getting equal rights," he told reporters here Friday.

Omar who is also president of the Affiliation of Malaysian University Staff Union (Gakum) said of the 100,000 public university staff, 45,000 were support staff, 10,000 administrators and over 30,000 academic staff.

He said Cuepacs wanted academic and support staff in Universiti Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia and Universiti Putra Malaysia be given a special incentive of RM500-RM1,000 per month.

The incentive proposed was deemed reasonable as the staff were burdened with lots of research work aimed at enhancing their quality.

"The research work is heavy and need team work, not individuals. As such, the entire staff involved should be given a special incentive," he added.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

November 1st, 2008, 07:32 AM

Schools' top readers bag Nilam awards
NST Online » Local News 2008/11/01
By : Brenda Lim

http://www.picamatic.com/show/2008/11/01/08/27/1286679_340x215.jpeg

IPOH: Bookworms are made, not born.

The love for books was inculcated in Form Four student G. Vikhnapriya even before she could read, as her parents would read bedtime stories to her, filling her mind with legends and fairy tales.

"As I read to her, I pointed out the words. When the words were repeated, she was able to identify them," said 42-year-old senior teacher M. Devi, reminiscing about her daughter's childhood.

Vikhnapriya, who later chose her own reading materials and stocked up on books by Enid Blyton and the Harry Potter series, was named the Nilam award winner for being the most avid reader among Perak's secondary school students.

The Nilam award is an initiative by the state Education Department to encourage good reading habits among students. Winners receive trophies, certificates, books and cash prizes ranging from RM200 to RM500.
Vikhnapriya said the reading habit was shared by the entire family, whose members all clamoured to read their favourite section of the newspaper at the same time.

She also preferred to study by herself rather than attend tuition classes, said her father S. Ganesan, a senior assistant of a school in Tanjung Malim.

"We don't have to tell her to study. We have to tell her to play," he said jokingly.

The two represented their daughter to receive the award from the state Education Department's sector head (academic management), Pakhrurrazi Arshad, as Vikhnapriya was in Yokohama, Japan, representing Malaysia at the "World Robotics Olympiad 2008".

Among those in attendance at the ceremony was Nuur Diana Syuhada Abd Ghaffar, 11, of Parit Buntar, who won the top Nilam award for primary school pupils.

Nuur Diana said she only had about 30 books of her own, as she borrowed books from public libraries and Universiti Sains Malaysia's engineering campus in Nibong Tebal with the help of her mother, who works as a secretary there.

To date, she has read 1,180 books and regards A. Samad Said as her favourite author, claiming to have read his books since she was in Year One.

Meanwhile, Arni Mazlina Arof, 11, of Pos Kemar in Grik, was declared the Nilam award winner for the newly created category of "primary schools in remote areas".

"I started reading by myself when I was in Year Two. Now, I find it difficult to tear myself away from books. I want to read until I finish the book."

nazrey

November 1st, 2008, 10:09 PM

Four More Matriculation Colleges Under Ninth Malaysia Plan
November 01, 2008 22:02 PM

PEKAN, Nov 1 (Bernama) -- Four more matriculation colleges will be built under the Ninth Malaysia Plan while four earlier colleges will be upgraded, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak.

He said the Selangor Matriculation College will have its first intake in 2010 followed by the ones in Kelantan, Sabah and Terengganu.

"Four matriculation colleges built earlier will be upgraded physically and in terms of facilities," Najib said in his speech at the officiating ceremony for the third national-level 'With the People Matriculation Programme' at Felda Chini Timur near here Saturday.

His speech was read out by Deputy Education Minister Datuk Razali Ismail.

Najib said the government also wanted to build five more Science Learning Centres (PPS), three in Johor and two in Negeri Sembilan, to enable more children of Felda settlers to study science subjects.

He said besides allocating finances for the PPS centres Felda also allocated RM20 million each year for the Felda Tuition Scheme which was started in 2005 and had benefited about 60,000 Felda students in the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah, Penilaian Menengah Rendah and Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia exams.

On the matriculation programme, Najib said it had succeeded in increasing the number of bumiputera students in public institutions of higher education who went on to get degrees in the critical fields of medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, engineering, architecture, accounting and management.

"Selection of students uses the meritocracy method that is fair to all sides. As such, non-bumiputera students also benefit from this as 10 per cent of places are for them," he said.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

November 1st, 2008, 10:13 PM

USM campus to be free of plastic bags
2008/11/01

PENANG, Sat:

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has taken the campaign against the harmful plastic bag another step further with a plan to make the main campus here free of plastic bags.

The chairman of the university’s board of directors, Tan Sri Ani Arope, said today the campaign was student-driven and that was what would make it more effective.

The students found that a campaign to recycle plastic bags was ineffective and opted to not use plastic bags at all in the campus, he told reporters after opening a forum on plastic organised jointly by USM and Tupperware Brand Malaysia.

Ani said that since January last year, USM had launched many environmental campaigns.

“The students are encouraged to use eco-friendly, biodegradable containers made of oil palm waste instead of the harmful plastic bag and styrofoam to carry their meals daily,” he said.
He also said that the public should not use plastic bags as freely as they did today.

The public should stop receiving plastic bags from hypermarkets and they should bring their backpacks or containers when they do their shopping or buy food,” he said.

Ani pointed out the danger posed by indiscriminately discarded plastic bags, saying that sea creatures like dolphins and turtles mistook them for food and died after consuming them.

“For the record, about 10 per cent of plastic waste is discarded in the seas and rivers, which pollute the environment and harm sea creatures,” he said. — BERNAMA

nazrey

November 2nd, 2008, 06:03 AM

Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP)
Originally known as KUKUM (Kolej Universiti Kejuruteraan Utara Malaysia, or Northern Malaysia University College of Engineering)
Kampus UniMAP Ulu Pauh (Oct 2008)
by ramzan2007

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3010/2972079414_ea8f474119_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3187/2971241241_81e58c86aa_b.jpg

nazrey

November 2nd, 2008, 06:09 AM

by ramzan2007

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2267/2245842777_f20ed7da8f_b.jpg

rizalhakim

November 3rd, 2008, 06:56 AM

IUCTT bina kampus induk di Bangi

BANGI 2 Nov. - Kolej Universiti Teknologi Antarabangsa Twintech (IUCTT) merancang untuk membina sebuah kampus induk yang lengkap dengan segala kemudahan infrastruktur di Bangi, menjelang penghujung tahun ini.

Naib Canselor IUCTT, Senator Prof. Datuk Dr. Ismail Md. Salleh berkata, tujuan utama pembinaan itu adalah untuk menempatkan semua kampus cawangan IUCTT di bawah satu bumbung bagi memudahkan urusan pentadbiran.

"Kita akan membina sebanyak empat blok bangunan 10 tingkat dan sebuah blok bangunan setinggi 13 tingkat yang boleh menempatkan seramai 14,000 pelajar dalam satu-satu masa.

"Keluasan tapak bangunan berkenaan adalah 800,000 kaki persegi dan akan dibangunkan di atas tanah seluas 18.21 hektar di sini," katanya ketika ditemui di sini.

Ismail berkata, kos keseluruhan pembangunan itu akan dibiayai sepenuhnya daripada pinjaman mudah yang diberikan kerajaan sebanyak RM200 juta.

"Projek tersebut akan mula dilaksanakan pada bulan Disember ini dan dijangka siap sepenuhnya dalam tempoh 14 hingga 16 bulan dari tarikh ia dimulakan.

"Setelah siap, kami akan memindahkan kampus-kampus cawangan kami sepenuhnya ke dalam kampus induk ini," jelasnya.

Beliau berkata, kampus tersebut akan menempatkan kesemua fakulti dari seluruh kampus cawangan IUCTT yang sedia ada.

"Antara fakulti yang akan dipindahkan ke sini adalah Sains Kesihatan, Fakulti Optometri, Fakulti Pengajian Perniagaan, Fakulti Kejuruteraan, Fakulti Bioteknologi, Fakulti Seni Bina dan Perancang Bandar, Fakulti Pendidikan, Fakulti Muzik dan Fakulti Kejururawatan.

"Kami juga sedang dalam proses untuk mendapatkan kelulusan daripada kerajaan untuk membuka Fakulti Perubatan di sini dan kami mendapati peluang kami adalah sangat cerah untuk tujuan itu," jelasnya.

Beliau turut memberitahu, kampus tersebut juga akan turut dilengkapi dengan kemudahan sukan dan rekreasi seperti kolam renang, gimnasium dan kompleks sukan untuk kemudahan para pelajar.

Sementara itu, IUCTT juga telah melancarkan program perkembangan kolej yang dikenali sebagai Sistem Collegiate yang bertujuan menggabungkan kolej-kolej swasta kecil di bawah satu pengurusan seragam.

Program seperti sistem francais itu akan membolehkan kolej kecil terbabit diurus dengan lebih efisien.

Ismail berkata, sistem itu telah mendapat kelulusan daripada Badan Bertindak Negara (BBN) pada tahun lalu dan kini sedang dalam proses implementasi.

"Program ini menggunakan konsep francais seperti mana yang digunakan restoran makanan segera antarabangsa di mana kita akan menyelaraskan segala program berdasarkan satu sistem yang ditetapkan.

"Kesemua kolej yang diserapkan ke dalam program ini akan berkongsi segala kemudahan dan infrastruktur yang sama dan modul pembelajaran yang seragam," katanya.

Beliau menjelaskan, tujuan utama program itu dilaksanakan adalah bagi memantapkan sistem pembelajaran dan juga sistem pengurusan di setiap kolej yang terlibat.

Tambahnya, di bawah sistem itu, beberapa buah institusi pengajian tinggi swasta (IPTS) akan bertindak sebagai mentor dengan menyerap sebanyak tiga atau empat kolej swasta ke dalam sistem pengurusan mereka.

"Selepas tempoh lima tahun, kita berharap kolej kecil itu sudah boleh berdikari dan mampu pula menjadi mentor kepada kolej-kolej kecil yang lain," jelasnya.

IPTS yang terlibat sebagai mentor pada peringkat pertama ini ialah IUCTT, Universiti Tun Abdul Razak (Unitar) dan Universiti Pengurusan dan Sains (MSU).

Ismail berkata, setiap IPTS yang terlibat dalam program itu akan diberikan pinjaman mudah sebanyak RM200 juta dengan kadar faedah sebanyak tiga peratus untuk tujuan penyediaan infrastruktur dan kemudahan kediaman kepada para pelajar.

Di samping itu, beliau berkata, kemudahan lain yang bakal disediakan ialah makmal pembelajaran, perpustakaan, peralatan dan kemudahan penginapan yang dilengkapi pusat rekreasi serta pusat sukan.

"Kemudahan-kemudahan yang bakal disediakan itu bertujuan untuk menyediakan suasana pembelajaran yang kondusif serta kualiti pendidikan setaraf institusi pengajian tinggi awam (IPTA) atau lebih baik daripada itu.

"Kami juga memberi jaminan, pembiayaan pendidikan akan turut diberikan kepada para pelajar yang mendapat tempat di kolej yang terlibat," jelasnya.

rizalhakim

November 3rd, 2008, 08:44 AM

UPM menang lima anugerah di London

KUALA LUMPUR: Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) mencipta sejarah apabila berjaya memenangi lima pingat termasuk dua anugerah khas sekali gus mengharumkan nama Malaysia pada pameran British Invention Show (BIS) di London, Britain, baru-baru ini.

Anugerah itu diberikan apabila tiga penyelidik Fakulti Kejuruteraan UPM berjaya membuktikan kepakaran dengan mengalahkan lebih 131 projek penyelidikan yang dipertandingkan dari seluruh dunia termasuk 38 daripadanya disertai institusi pengajian tinggi awam (IPTA) Malaysia.

Tiga penyelidik terbabit iaitu Prof Madya Dr Abdul Rashid Mohamed Shariff mengenengahkan projek GIS-Based System For Paddy Precision Farming; Dr Norhafizah Abdullah (Projek Supercritical Antosolvent for Nanoparticles Encapsulation) dan Prof Madya Dr Sabira Khatun, bagi projek Intelligence Traffic Management System (ITMS) with Smart Auto Driven Vehicle.

Ketua Unit Media dan Publisiti Bahagian Komunikasi Korporat UPM, Khairul Anuar Muhamad Noh, berkata ketiga-tiga penyelidik memenangi pingat emas, manakala dua anugerah khas iaitu Double Gold Award dimenangi Dr Norhafizah bagi kategori industri, dan Diamod Award dirangkul Prof Madya Dr Abdul Rashid bagi kategori Natural Earth.

Katanya, ini membuktikan hasil penyelidikan anak tempatan mampu bersaing di peringkat dunia sekali gus mengiktiraf kebolehan mereka.

“Kejayaan ini membuktikan kebolehan rakyat Malaysia bersaing hingga peringkat dunia sekali gus membuktikan rakyat negara mampu berjaya.

“Ini sememangnya satu kejayaan buat Malaysia amnya dan UPM sendiri khususnya,” katanya.

Menurutnya, GIS-Based System For Paddy Precision Farming produk berkaitan penggunaan teknologi pertanian untuk tanaman mengoptimumkan penggunaan baja dan racun tetapi memaksimumkan pengeluaran hasil, manakala Supercritical AntoSolvent for Nanoparticles Encapsulation cara membungkus ubat dalam kapsul.

nazrey

November 3rd, 2008, 08:20 PM

Students Can Excel Internationally, Says Education Minister
November 03, 2008 21:57 PM

SEPANG, Nov 3 (Bernama) -- Malaysian students can make a name for themselves globally if they are exposed to more international programmes, said Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.

"Such success is a bench mark of our students' capability internationally and this should be shared by all. The concept of esprit de corps will bring sweet returns," he told reporters here, Monday.

He was asked to comment on the success of Malaysian participants who won six main prizes at the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) 2008 in Yokohama, Japan that took place from Oct 31 till yesterday.

He said the commitment of all quarters, including teachers who provided guidance, in the success should appreciated.

Meanwhile, the national contingent's chief, Hassan Mohamed, said the national contingent of six teams that participated in four categories took six of 18 medals at stake. They were one gold, two silvers and two bronzes.

The Robotuner group from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Sultanah Hajah Kalsom, Kuantan, Pahang took the gold in the upper secondary open category through their creation named Skav-lised which had the theme 'Save The Environment'.

Met at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport today after arriving from Japan, Robotuner team leader, Abdul Hakim Azir, said their robot cost RM20,000 and had five functions including clearing air pollution, collecting garbage and taking water samples for analysis.

In the lower secondary open category, SMK Methodist Tanjung Malim, Perak took silver while the second silver went to Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina (SJKC) Sebiew from Bintulu, Sarawak.

The bronzes went to SMK Bintulu in the Recycle Keeper event for upper secondary and SJKC Seng Keow, Seberang Perai Tengah, Penang for lower secondary.

SJKC Seng Keow was picked as the Most Popular Team.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

November 7th, 2008, 06:23 PM

UUM can help rebrand Kedah
Friday November 7, 2008

KEDAH Sultan wants Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) to help rebrand the state to become “the food basket of Malaysia”.

Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah, who is the university’s chancellor, said the university should help boost the agriculture development in the state and the northern region.

“Kedah is known as the rice bowl of Malaysia and the state is the major rice producer. Due to the changes in the current economic scenario, I hope the state will transform itself as a producer of various types of food products for the nation and also for export.

“I believe UUM has the capability and expertise to help the state achieve this new status,” he said.

The Sultan said this after receiving the honorary doctorate degree in Development Management from UUM during a Royal Convocation here yesterday.

UUM Pro Chancellor Tan Sri Dr Abdul Hamid Pawanteh conferred the honorary doctorate degree to the Sultan.

Sultanah Kedah Tuanku Haminah Hamidun, Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak and UUM vice-chancellor Tan Sri Dr Nordin Kardi were also at the function.

The conferment was in conjunction with the Sultan’s Golden Jubilee reign and his 20 years as the university chancellor.

nazrey

November 9th, 2008, 05:37 AM

UTeM team wins awards at invention show
Saturday November 8, 2008

MALACCA: University Technical Malaysia (UTeM) did the country proud when it brought home several gold medals from the British Invention Show 2008 (BIS) in Hertfordshire, Britain, recently.

Several teams representing the university won one double-gold, three gold and one silver medal in the international competition from Oct 15 to 18.

Among the winners were the university’s Electrical Engineering Faculty which came out tops for its computerised wireless helicopter control system.

“The win was a surprise for us, and we were the last to be announced. I had packed up and was getting ready to leave,” said Alias Khamis, who represented his team.

The team’s research project required it to design and implement a PC-based remote control system for a model helicopter capable of aerial surveillance across 60m to 4km, depending on the size of the helicopter.

The helicopter’s control was designed with Visual Basic software and using a Graphic User Interface linked to a wireless camera attached to the helicopter’s body.

“I was happy and immediately called my team mates in Malaysia to tell them the good news.

“Being at the show was great but winning the competition was a bonus,” he added.

Alias, a 29-year-old lecturer who holds a Masters Degree in electrical engineering, said he gained invaluable experience at the show and made friends who shared the same interest.

He said he and his team mates initiated the project from scratch about a year ago.

“It was good exposure and a learning experience for us in technical know-how and conceptual proficiency. We took on a trial-and-error approach before we succeeded,” he added.

Present at victory celebrations at the university in Ayer Keroh were his team mates Hyreil Anuar Kasdirin, Muhammad Herman Jamaluddin, Ahmad Zaki Shukor, Hairul Mizam Mohd Shah and Norsarizan Mat Youb.

He said the win proved that humans and machines could interact with the use of computers from a distance.

“Our application can be used for safety and monitoring or research on other intelligent-control and embedded-control systems,” he said, adding that the team was looking at integrating its design with a global positioning system.

rizalhakim

November 10th, 2008, 08:07 AM

UUM can help rebrand Kedah

KEDAH Sultan wants Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) to help rebrand the state to become “the food basket of Malaysia”.

Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah, who is the university’s chancellor, said the university should help boost the agriculture development in the state and the northern region.

“Kedah is known as the rice bowl of Malaysia and the state is the major rice producer. Due to the changes in the current economic scenario, I hope the state will transform itself as a producer of various types of food products for the nation and also for export.

“I believe UUM has the capability and expertise to help the state achieve this new status,” he said.

Kedah Sultan flanked by Tuanku Haminah and his daughters Datuk Seri Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz (right) and Datuk Seri Tunku Soraya (second right) and husband Datuk Seri Raja Iskandar Dzulkarnain Sultan Idris Afifillah.

The Sultan said this after receiving the honorary doctorate degree in Development Management from UUM during a Royal Convocation here yesterday.

UUM Pro Chancellor Tan Sri Dr Abdul Hamid Pawanteh conferred the honorary doctorate degree to the Sultan.

Sultanah Kedah Tuanku Haminah Hamidun, Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak and UUM vice-chancellor Tan Sri Dr Nordin Kardi were also at the function.

The conferment was in conjunction with the Sultan’s Golden Jubilee reign and his 20 years as the university chancellor.

nazrey

November 11th, 2008, 06:40 PM

Lap top computers to replace school bags in Terengganu
2008/11/11

KUALA TERENGGANU, TERENGGANU:

Carrying heavy school bags to school would be a thing of the past for 25,000 standard five pupils when they receive a lap top computer each from the Terengganu state government next year.

Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said said the pilot scheme, aimed at reducing the burden of school children who carry heavy book loads to school, would cost the state government RM30 million for the purchase of computers from Malaysia Intel Electronics that would become electronic text books.

“By April next year, we expect to distribute lap tops to 25,000 standard five pupils who will than use them in place of books with text incorporated into their lap tops through cooperation from Dewan Bahasa & Pustaka (DBP).

“After buying the first batch of computers, we will work with Intel to set up a factory in Gong Badak to produce similar lap top computers for those in standard four, three, two and one. We expect to produce 10,000 units a month,” said Ahmad after handing out prizes to winners of the Cleanest Schools in Terengganu competition, at Wisma Darul Iman here today.

Also present was state Education, Higher Education, Human Resource, Science and Technology committee chairman Ahmad Razif Abdul
He added that by three to four years, all primary school children in Terengganu would be equipped with lap tops to eliminate the burden of carrying heavy school bags to school.

To cater for the transformation in the mode of teaching which will be the first of its kind in the country, Ahmad said the state government would enroll more than 100 graduates in the field of information technology to train school children and teachers on ways to use the lap tops that would become electronic books.

Meanwhile, speaking of cleanliness, Ahmad said though RM40 million was spent for cleaning and maintenance yearly, including payment for contractors, he was not satisfied with the level of cleanliness due to the lackadaisical attitude of the public.

“We need to change our mindset towards cleanliness and stop throwing rubbish everywhere. We must try to emulate countries like China that has transformed its image from a dirty to clean country,” he said.

nazrey

November 12th, 2008, 09:11 PM

Education Ministry to categorise special students according to their disabilities
2008/11/12 BERNAMA

MALACCA, Wed.:

The Education Ministry plans to upgrade the teaching and learning system for special education students by categorising them according to their disabilities.

Its deputy minister, Datuk Wee Ka Siong, said the current system which grouped together these students in one class needed to be improved as they had different levels of learning ability.

“If the situation permits with enough allocations provided, we will place the special students under different categories such as visually impaired, hearing impaired, Down’s syndrome and dyslexia,” he told reporters after opening the 4th National Conference on Special Education at a hotel, here, last night.

The conference between the ministry’s Special Education Division and non-governmental organisations is aimed at forging a smart partnership to help improve the lot of special students and the administration and management of special education in schools.

Wee said the ministry’s goal was to ensure that the special education students would not lag in learning or drop out of the education system.
“Their disability should not be a stumbling block or problem for them if the the special students really aim to be successful and productive individuals who can contribute to the nation,” he said.

Wee said there were now 300,000 special students out of the total 5.4 students in the country.

He said the government provided services and facilities for students with special needs so that they could gain access to and equity in quality education.

“We are studying the teaching techniques used in Norway and Germany which are known to be innovative, to be incorporated into our teaching methods,” he added.

nazrey

November 13th, 2008, 05:54 PM

Upgrade of teaching institute to English academy
Thursday November 13, 2008

KUALA TERENGGANU: The Education Ministry has set aside RM29.5mil to upgrade the Kuala Terengganu Teaching Institute in Batu Rakit here into an English academy by 2010.

Deputy Education Minister Datuk Razali Ismail said the academy would cater to the needs of trainee teachers from Kelantan, Pahang and Terengganu.

“Upgrading work at the institute is being carried out, and once completed, it will be the second academy in the country offering intensive English courses, besides the International Language Centre in Lembah Pantai, Kuala Lumpur,” he said after opening an education expo here.

Razali said the academy would be equipped with facilities to coach trainees on the best methods to teach English.

He said the ministry would introduce a new concept to enhance the ability of students in hearing, conversing, reading and writing English.

The concept was gleaned from an Australian learning module which enabled students to learn English quickly and efficiently.

“Some 1,000 schools in the country will use the concept next year,” he said.

Meanwhile, Razali said the ministry would use a star grading system, similar to that used by hotels, to gauge the performance of smart schools.

He said the exercise would cover 88 smart schools nationwide, which would receive their grades by the end of the year.

nazrey

November 13th, 2008, 05:55 PM

UPSR: Larger number of pupils answering in English
Updated: Thursday November 13, 2008 MYT 7:58:00 PM
By KAREN CHAPMAN

PUTRAJAYA: Between 31% to 46% of pupils who sat for the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) this year answered the questions set for the Science and Mathematics paper entirely in English.

Education director-general Datuk Alimuddin Mohd Dom said a total of 159,234 pupils answered the Science paper completely in English. For Mathematics it was 238,153.

This is a significant increase compared to last year’s figure of 1,324 for Science and 1,075 for Mathematics.

“The 518,616 pupils who sat for the UPSR this year are the first group to have started studying the two subjects in English since the policy was introduced in 2003,” he told a press conference Thursday after giving an analysis of the UPSR 2008 results at the ministry.

He said pupils had the option of answering the two subjects entirely in English, in Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese/Tamil (mother tongue) or a combination of all three.

Alimuddin said that this year’s UPSR results would be discussed by stakeholders at round table meetings before a final decision to continue teaching Science and Mathematics in English or to revert to Bahasa Malaysia would be made.

Ministry officers would also compile all the data related to the issue including newspaper articles and memoranda received to Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, he added.

“The minister will then bring the matter to the Cabinet for a decision,” he said.

The policy of teaching Science and Mathematics in English was implemented in phases, starting with Year One, Form One and Lower Six in 2003.

Hishammuddin had said that whatever was decided, the ministry would not implement the new policy in January next year as it was too soon.

He said any decision would not affect those already in the system and that it would start with a new group of Year One pupils.

Meanwhile, Alimuddin said the ministry had compared this year’s UPSR results with the last five years’ to compare pupils’ performance.

“The pupils’ UPSR results were better this year compared to the average measured over the last five years,” he said.

He said 9.2% (46,641) scored all As this year compared with an average of 7.8% over the last five years.

The number of pupils who achieved grades A, B and C in all subjects was 62.7% this year compared to the 60.5% average over five years.

Alimuddin said the ministry would not be releasing information on the top pupils and also the states’ results to the public.

“The information will be released to the state education department, district education office and school but we don’t want parents or pupils to feel pressured,’’ he said.

nazrey

November 14th, 2008, 07:28 AM

Malacca quins score 23As
Friday November 14, 2008
TheStar

http://thestar.com.my/archives/2008/11/14/nation/n_18alya.jpg

High Five: (From left) Alya Zulaikha, Muhamad Azhar, Muhamad Azfar,
Muhamad Azzam and Alya Su’aidah looking at their result slips.

MALACCA: They did not sit down and study for the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) together but the Nur Adnan siblings became the only quintuplets to score a combined total of 23As in the examination.

“We studied with our respective friends. But if one of us was weak in one subject, the other would help out,” said Muhamad Azzam, one of the siblings yesterday after they obtained their results at SK Dato Palembang, Bukit Baru, yesterday.

“Besides this, our mother sent us for motivational talks and camps. Our parents also motivated us.”

Muhamad Azzam and his siblings – Alya Zulaikha, Muhamad Azfar, Alya Suaidah and Muhamad Azhar – who were born on May 20, 1996, achieved an almost perfect score with three of them obtaining 5As and two siblings scoring 4As and a B.

On hand to receive the good news were their elated 45-year-old parents Nur Adnan Taib and Datuk Siti Zainab Omar.

Siti Zainab, who is the state legal adviser, said she could hardly believe her ears when it was announced that her five children had created history as she did not expect them to do that well.

nazrey

November 15th, 2008, 12:38 AM

Call To Maintain Teaching Of Maths, Science In English
November 15, 2008 00:05 AM

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 14 (Bernama) -- The Cheras Education Foundation (YPC) has called on the Education Ministry to maintain the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English following the positive response of Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) candidates who answered questions on the two subjects in that language.

YPC chairman Senator Datuk Wira Syed Ali Alhabshee said: "It was a remarkable success achieved by the students and I am totally proud of their achievement in handling the examination in English."

Syed Ali, who is Cheras Umno chief, spoke to reporters after presenting awards to outstanding UPSR students of Kuala Lumpur at Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri Bintang Utara, here.

He said maintaining English as the medium of instruction for both subjects would be beneficial for the students if they planned to pursue their studies abroad.

At the function, Syed Ali presented certificates and cash to 273 students who garnered 5A's in this year's UPSR.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

November 15th, 2008, 04:25 PM

Autobiography Of First Uitm Director Launched
November 15, 2008 22:06 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 (Bernama) -- An autobiography of the first Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) director Tan Sri Dr Arshad Ayub was launched Saturday.

It gives account of his involvement in setting up and developing the university four decades ago and how he set out three levels of commitment to ensure it grew in line with the New Economic Policy (NEP) objectives.

The book entitled "A Second Chance: Life and Mission of Arshad Ayub" was written by sociologist and former Universiti Malaya lecturer Dr Rokiah Talib and sponsored by UEM Group. It is sold at RM80 per copy.

At the launching ceremony here, Arshad thanked UEM Group, and said: "Four decades ago, the younger Malays were unsure of themselves and lacked direction. Moreover, they did not have paper qualifications.

"As a result of a vision by the country's leadership at the time, focus was given on providing the younger Bumiputeras education opportunities," he said.

Speaking to reporters later, he said people who were calling for the university to be opened to the non-Bumiputeras should first understand the objectives of its establishment.

"Then, we should ask them whether the objectives have been achieved. If you ask me, I say not yet; not in full. Although the figures are rising, the percentage is not," he said.

He said many Bumiputeras were now capable of leading government-linked companies (GLCs) but the participation of the Bumiputeras in other big companies and multinationals was still small and had not reached the 30 percent target.

"So, not only the NEP has to continue but the opportunities for Bumiputera to obtain employment at the professional and semi-professional levels should also remain open," he said.

Present at the function where Arshad was also feted to his 80th birthday celebration were UEM Group Bhd chairman Tan Sri Dr Ahmad Tajuddin Ali and chief executive officer Datuk Ahmad Pardas Senin.

The autobiography reveals how Arshad, lauded as "Bapa Pembangunan UiTM", set out three levels of commitment in his duties and the first was to ensure UiTM grew in line with the NEP objectives.

Secondly, to draw up strategies to market UiTM graduates and make sure the private sector accepted them. The third was to ensure their involvement in the private sector would lift up the status and brigthen the future of Bumiputeras in general.

The book also tells what Arshad went through when he was young. The boy born in Parit Korma Laut, Jalan Abdul Rahman, Muar, Johor, had to work as a cleaner to provide for his siblings after his parents died.

Throughout his career, he had served as Deputy Bank Negara Governor and Secretary-General to three ministries. He was picked by Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein to helm UiTM in 1965.

Under his leadership, UiTM graduates were accepted to Ohio University for further studies through a programmed inked in September 1968.

He was very meticulous in selecting UiTM courses and programmes, and sometimes the courses and programmes were his idea, according to the book.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

November 16th, 2008, 06:19 AM

Nurul Farhana: No pressure to do well
Friday November 14, 2008

http://thestar.com.my/archives/2008/11/14/nation/Nurul.jpg

PETALING JAYA: Although she was sometimes teased by her friends about being the Education Ministry secretary-general’s daughter, Nurul Farhana Zulkurnain (pic) never felt pressured from her parents to perform.

“Sometimes my friends would say ‘what would happen if you don’t get an A?’ and I would just reply that I would have to work harder,” she said when she collected her Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah results yesterday.

The SK Kampung Tunku Year Six pupil’s father is Tan Sri Dr Zulkurnain Awang.

Nurul Farhana, who scored 5As, said she did exercises every day and discussed trial questions with friends.

The 12-year-old did not have any problems answering her Mathematics and Science papers in English although her favourite subject was still Bahasa Malaysia because it was easy to score.

Dr Zulkurnain said that although he could not spend a lot of time with his daughter because of his work schedule, he always prayed for her success.

“The most meaningful gift for a parent is to see his child do well in school,” he said.

Two blind pupils of SK Pendidikan Khas Jalan Batu cried with joy when they received their UPSR results.

Azree Feekree Zamzuri, 12, who obtained 2As and 3Cs, and Nurfadzreen Pasbullah, 12, who passed with 1A, 1B and 3Cs, received handphones as a reward.

nazrey

November 17th, 2008, 12:01 AM

Fifth roundtable on teaching maths, science in English
Published: Sunday November 16, 2008 MYT 6:56:00 PM

KUALA LUMPUR: The Education Ministry will conduct a fifth roundtable to get more input before deciding whether to continue with the policy of teaching mathematics and science in English.

Deputy Ministers Datuk Razali Ismail and Datuk Wee Ka Siong said the roundtable would involve academicians, education professionals, parent-teacher associations and other interested parties.

Among other things, the meeting would discuss the analyses of the 2008 UPSR, 2005-2007 PMR and 2007 SPM examinations results, they said.

“To obtain a high standard of assessment and the best practice at the international level, the Malaysian Examination Board always invite experts from world renowned examination bodies to attend meetings to determine the standard for the UPSR, PMR, SPM and STAM examinations,” Razali and Wee said in a joint statement.

They said the ministry was now analysing the 2008 examination results, of which findings would be tabled at the fifth roundtable.

“We would like to stress that UPSR results will not be the only factor to be considered; we will also look into the findings and views raised in various fora,” they said. -- Bernama

rizalhakim

November 17th, 2008, 07:37 AM

Newcastle University invests RM100m in Nusajaya
By EILEEN HEE

KUALA LUMPUR: Newcastle University will set up a RM100mil medical faculty in Nusajaya, Johor, via a joint venture with Iskandar Investment Bhd by 2011.

According to Dean of International Medical Education and CEO of Newcastle Medicine Malaysia Sdn Bhd Professor Reginald Jordon, students will be able to obtain a Newcastle University medical degree at about half the cost of doing so in Britain when Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia (NUMed) is set up in Iskandar Malaysia.

“At the moment, we have about 40 Malaysian students on our medical programme in Britain. A large number of those students is sponsored by Mara,” he told StarBiz.

With this five-year programme, the Malaysian Government would be able to fund more students for the medical degree at NUMed, Jordon said.

Set on a 13-acre site and comprising 16,000 sq m of academic space, the campus aims to produce 180 medical students per year by 2017.

“We will start taking 40 students by next year. While the campus is being built, students will do their first two years in Britain. They will then come back to the NUMed campus when it is completed in 2011,” he said.

“Once the campus is completed, we expect to have the whole programme in Malaysia. We are now in discussions with the Health Ministry and hospitals in Johor which will be working with us.”

Jordon was optimistic on the prospects of the education industry, citing that the World Bank had predicted that by 2025 there would be 60 million people from Asia demanding higher education.

“Malaysia has also set an ambitious target of 100,000 international students by 2010. Furthermore, it was recently announced by the Indian government that over the next 10 years, they would need an additional five million doctors,” he said.

Plans were also in the pipeline to establish a post-graduate centre in the campus, Jordan said, adding: “This is to enable us to provide continuing professional development for our own staff and also extend that facility to doctors in the public and private hospitals in Johor.

“We hope to not just contribute by educating the undergraduates but also in post-graduate development. In 2011, we will be introducing our Masters degree.”

rizalhakim

November 18th, 2008, 07:14 AM

Metropolitan remains a top choice for business studies

KUALA LUMPUR: With over two decades of experience, Metropolitan College is one of the top choices for students pursuing business studies.

The college has also established partnerships with institutions of higher learning globally to ensure the degree and postgraduate programmes are internationally recognised.

As a member of the INTI Education Group, Metropolitan College also enjoys the benefits of being part of Laureate International Universities - the world's leading provider of private international education.

The course focuses on learning based on employer needs, training in competencies and the E2E (Enrollment to Employment service) which is to get greater exposure and training to think beyond the classroom.

It also provides education that centres on imparting knowledge and skills to meet industry and workplace standards.

This is especially through the master in accounting, master in finance and master in marketing courses offered at the college.

Also a popular choice among students is the bachelor of commerce degree, with options of 3+0, 2+1 or 2+1 programmes for students to choose from.

But that is not all. At Metropolitan College, students need to socialise and understand what the real world is all about by participating in a wide range of student organisations and social activities.

Among them are the Young Entrepreneurs Society (YES), Thespian, Circle-K, International Students Society, Basketball Club, Bowling Club and Motorsports Club.

Metropolitan College also offers summer courses by Curtin University of Technology. For details, visit www.metropolitan.edu.my or call 03-5634 4711 or email admissions@metropolitan.edu.my.

nazrey

November 18th, 2008, 07:21 AM

UM To Introduce New Method To Detect Structure Damage
November 17, 2008 21:23 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 17 (Bernama) -- Universiti Malaya (UM) will be introducing a new method of detecting structural damage in bridges and buildings which involves processing of existing data on the damaged structure.

Through the "Damage Detection of Off-shore Structures Using Model Testing Data", which was pioneered by Assoc Prof Dr Zubaidah Ismail, no new equipment is needed to detect structural damage.

Dr Zubaidah said the method she used utilised processing of existing data by specialised software which could tell if a structure is experiencing defects.

The method currently used in the country was just detecting damage using the naked eye, Dr Zubaidah told reporters after receiving a cheque worth RM30,000 from ExxonMobil at UM today.

The cheque was presented to Dr Zubaidah by ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Malaysia Inc's Senior Technical Advisor of its Geoscience Department and Academic Affairs Officer, Mohd Rohani Elias.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

November 20th, 2008, 07:06 AM

Pahang Bioscience Signs MoU With IIUM For Clinical Studies
November 19, 2008 17:57 PM

KUANTAN, Nov 19 (Bernama) -- Pahang Bioscience Sdn Bhd (PBSB) today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) to carry out clinical studies on "Fetal Precursor Stem Cells" to treat chronic diseases, including AIDS.

PBSB, the result of a partnership between state-owned Pahang Technology Resources and BCRO Stem Cell Transplantation Sdn Bhd, was represented by Pahang Information, Science, Technology and Innovation Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Sharkar Shamsuddin and BCRO chief executive officer Amir Ismail at the signing ceremony, and IIUM by its rector, Prof Datuk Dr Syed Arabi Idid.

It was witnessed by Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob.

Mohd Sharkar later told reporters that with the MoU, the findings of the clinical studies on patients with AIDS, Down's Syndrome, diabetes and autism would be documented for international medical reference.

He said the clinical studies were also to prove the effectiveness of stem cell transplants from rabbits.

"The MoU is part of the state government's efforts to create a biotechnology valley in the state, in particular a stem cell culture centre in Lanchang, Temerloh."

He said the building of high-tech facilities such as veterinary laboratories, and for rabbit farming, stem cell culturing and medical treatment would begin next year on a 80-hectare site.

Meanwhile, Syed Arabi said the clinical studies on selected patients would be carried out according to international guidelines and closely supervised by the Stem Cell Clinical Study Committee involving Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia and Universiti Malaysia Pahang.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

November 20th, 2008, 10:28 PM

NUMed Faculty To Completed By 2011, Says Professor
November 21, 2008 01:16 AM

JOHOR BAHARU, Nov 21 (Bernama) -- The construction of Newcastle University of Medicine (NUMed), Malaysia's faculty in EduCity, Iskandar Malaysia will be completed by 2011.

NUMed's chief executive officer Professor Reginald Jordan said earth levelling works had been carried out and physical construction of the branch campus would be started soon.

Met by reporters after the signing of a definitive agreement to set up the faculty between the university and Iskandar Malaysia's investment arm, Iskandar Investment Berhad (IIB) at the Persada Johor International Convention Centre here Thursday, Jordan said the first batch of the students of the branch campus would be enrolled early next year.

"We will bring the initial batch of students to our home campus and they will come back here when the branch campus is compeleted in 2011," he said, adding the NUMed would be fully operational by 2012.

Jordan represented NUMed while IIB was represented by its managing director, Arlida Ariff.

The setting up of the faculty is in line with Newcastle University's expansion plans in Southeast Asia and is its first outside the United Kingdom.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by Iskandar Region Development Authority co-chairman Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman, who is also Johor Menteri Besar, British High Commissioner Boyd McCleary, Newcastle University's vice chancellor Professor Christopher Brink and IIB chairman Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

November 21st, 2008, 11:05 AM

Agong Praises UiTM For Creating Highly Marketable Graduates
November 20, 2008 19:15 PM

SHAH ALAM, Nov 20 (Bernama) -- Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin today paid tribute to Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) for having successfully created graduates with highest marketability compared to graduates from other universities.

He attributed the success to the university's quality academic system and commitment among the staff.

He said the success was also due to the "Q-Q-5E" concept -- or efficient, effective, economical, ethical and esprit de corps -- practiced by the university in its quest to strike a balance between quantity and quality.

"I'm confident that UiTM graduates will be able to work professionally anywhere, either in public or private sector, in the country or abroad.

"They can also be successful entrepreneurs and businessmen," he said at the UiTM 69th convocation here today.

A total of 16,425 graduands received their doctorate, master's and bachelor degrees at the convocation which would take place until Dec 2.

Tuanku Mizan, who is UiTM Chancellor, said UiTM's success had brought about positive impact on the country's development and harmony among the people.

He also called on successful UiTM graduates to give back to the university in any which way they could and urged university staff to continue the strong commitment and comradeship.

"I am happy to note that a young UiTM lecturer has won the Obelisk award at the British Innovation Show 2008 in London recently," he said.

Meanwhile, Noorul Syuhada Mohd Razali, 24, a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Food Technology won the Chancellor's Award while Mohd Khairul Irwan Mansor, 23, a Bachelor of Mass Communication (Honours) in Broadcasting won the Vice-Chancellor's Gold Award.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

November 23rd, 2008, 10:55 AM

PM to open USIM campus on Tuesday
2008/11/23 Bernama

NILAI, Sun:

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will officially open the Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) in Bandar Baru Nilai on Tuesday, USIM said in a statement today.

Among the objectives of establishing USIM are to raise the status of Islamic education and bring it into the national education’s mainstream and to stress the use of information technology in education and research.

Besides the national language, the university will also focus on fluency in the Arabic and English languages.

USIM has eight faculties, which are, the Quran and Sunnah Faculty; the Leadership and Management Faculty; the Syariah and Law Faculty; the Economics and Muamalat Faculty; the Science and Technology Faculty, the Medical and Health Sciences Faculty; the Eminent Languages Faculty; and the Faculty of Dentistry.

The chancellor of USIM is the Tunku Ampuan of Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Najihah Tunku Besar Burhanuddin while the vice-chancellor is Prof Datuk Dr Abdul Shukor Husin. — BERNAMA

nazrey

November 24th, 2008, 07:30 AM

Robot wows folks during visit at UTM
Monday November 24, 2008
By MEERA VIJAYAN

http://thestar.com.my/archives/2008/11/24/southneast/se_03asimo.jpg

Wonderful: Mohsen (left) and others watching Asimo demonstrating its
capabilities at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia in Johor Baru recently.

J0HOR BARU: The world famous Asimo, an advanced humanoid robot manufactured by Honda, impressed students and visitors with a demonstration of its capabilities.

Asimo, an acronym for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility, was an instant hit with those present during its visit to Universiti Teknologi Malaysia — its first appearance at a local university.

The moment the robot came on stage, it was greeted with cheers and people rushed to the stage to take photos of it walking, speaking, running and even serving drinks.

UTM student Mohsen Habibi, 27, from Iran, who is pursuing postgraduate studies in the Mechatronics and Robotics Engineering Department of the Electrical Engineering Faculty, said he heard of Asimo five years ago.

“When it was announced that Asimo was coming here, I did an Internet search. It is among the most famous robots in the world,” he said.

Mohsen said he was impressed by Asimo as it could run and imitate humans, including shaking hands, talking and walking up stairs.

“I think everyone was impressed,” he said when met after the demonstration.

Honda manufacturing division general manager Azhar Abd Wahab said that UTM was picked as it was the country’s premier university in engineering and technology with its leading School of Mechatronics and Robotics.

“After 22 years of research and development, the new Asimo can run faster with an airborne time of 0.08 seconds and top running speed of 6km per hour. It can grasp objects and recognise people,” he said.

UTM vice chancellor Prof Datuk Ir Dr Zaini Ujang said it was an honour to host Aimo, adding that he hoped the visit would inspire students to study engineering and robotics.

Asimo arrived in Malaysia in October and has made appearances at the Kuala Lumpur City Centre and 1 Utama Shopping Centre in Petaling Jaya.

His next stops will be Penang Adventist Hospital and Queensbay Mall in Penang from Nov 27-30.

rizalhakim

November 24th, 2008, 07:44 AM

Abdullah to open university
BERNAMA

http://pic90.picturetrail.com/VOL2250/10695075/19071848/313686129.jpg

NILAI: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will officially open Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) in Bandar Baru Nilai tomorrow, the university announced yesterday.

The university has been set up to raise the status of Islamic education, bring it into the mainstream of national education and to stress the use of information technology in education and research.

Besides Bahasa Malaysia, the university will also focus on Arabic and English.

USIM has eight faculties -- the Quran and Sunnah Faculty; Leadership and Management; Syariah and Law; Economics and Muamalat; Science and Technology; Medical and Health Sciences; Eminent Languages and Dentistry.

The chancellor of USIM is the Tunku Ampuan of Negri Sembilan Tuanku Najihah, while the vice-chancellor is Prof Datuk Dr Abdul Shukor Husin. -- Bernama

http://www.usim.edu.my/v7/

rizalhakim

November 24th, 2008, 09:55 AM

RM450mil for agriculture college campus
By MAZWIN NIK ANIS

PUTRAJAYA: The Government has approved RM450mil to build a main campus for Kolej Pertanian Malaysia in Tangga Batu, Kedah, aimed at churning out more skilled and knowledgeable workers for the agriculture industry.

Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed said once operational, the new campus would be able to accommodate most of the 2,500 students expected to have enrolled at the college.

Kolej Pertanian Malaysia now has about 300 students in seven branches nationwide.

“This is the Government’s way of acknowledging how important it is to have skilled people working for the agriculture and agro-based industry, a sector of the economy that is thriving and has enormous potential.

“We hope more young people would be interested in acquiring knowledge on agriculture and making it their profession,” he said at the college’s third convocation ceremony on Monday.

Mustapa said groundwork on the main campus would start in the first quarter of next year and is expected to be completed in three years.

He said the college would continue to offer certificate and diploma courses in areas such as food processing and distribution, rearing, aquaculture, farming and marketing.

He noted that degree programmes for such courses were already being offered in several universities.

rizalhakim

November 25th, 2008, 09:10 AM

Work on RM450 million campus to start in March
By : Kristina George

PUTRAJAYA: Construction on the new RM450 million main campus for the Malaysian Agricultural College (KPM) in Bukit Tangga, Kedah, is slated to begin by March

Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Mus-tapa Mohamed said at the the college's third joint convocation ceremony at the ministry yesterday that the campus should be completed by 2010.

"We are also aiming to increase the capacity of the college by increasing the number of lecturers and trainers from the current 300 to 2,500 lecturers and trainers by 2011."

He said the increase in the number of lecturers would help the ministry reach its target of producing 111,335 skilled professionals in the agricultural sector, an important segment of the country's economy.

He said there were seven agricultural colleges nationwide that offered diploma courses and short certificate courses.

Asked if the college would be upgraded to a university in the near future, Mustapa said it was too soon to tell as that depended entirely on the college's achievements once it was operational.

A total of 322 KPM students received their diplomas and certificates from Mustapa yesterday.

In his speech at the ceremony, he stressed the importance of agriculture, especially in the wake of the global economic crisis.

"There are huge profits to be reaped in the agricultural sector, as the demand for agricultural products in the country during unstable economic times will skyrocket because of the high cost of imports."

nazrey

November 25th, 2008, 09:25 PM

Kedah govt to help poor private schools
2008/11/25 Bernama

ALOR STAR, Tues:

The Kedah government will provide assistance to poor private schools by way of a special financial allocation under Budget 2009, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak said today.

The assistance might be given in the form of equipment, books and physical development in accordance with the needs of the schools, he told reporters after the ground-breaking for a hostel of the private Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Keat Hwa, here.

On the new mayor of Alor Star, Azizan said the name would be announced after getting the consent of the Sultan of Kedah, Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah, and the new mayor was expected to be sworn in on Nov 30.

The contract of mayor Datuk Abdul Mukhti Abdullah expired recently.

nazrey

November 25th, 2008, 09:27 PM

UPNM plans to introduce Military Medicine, Aeroscience Flight studies
2008/11/25 Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR, Tues:

Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) plans to set up new faculties focusing on Military Medicine and Aeroscience Flight.

UPNM Vice Chancellor Datuk Zulkifli Zainal Abidin said the plan would be forwarded to the Higher Education Ministry by year end at the latest for approval.

“We have raised the matter with the university’s Board of Directors and are waiting for the ministry’s response.

“If approved, we will set up the medical faculty in 2012 using the Military Hospital that will be opened in Genting camp soon,” he told reporters here today.

UPNM presently focuses on three fields, namely Science and Technology, Defence Technologies and Engineering.

Earlier, Zulkifli said 254 cadet officers would be commissioned as military officers on Dec 4 after completing their four or five year studies at the university.

nazrey

November 25th, 2008, 09:28 PM

Working paper by UUM lecturer receives award in Turkey
2008/11/25 Bernama

KEDAH, Tues:

A working paper on Thaipusam written by a Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) lecturer has won an award at an International Tourism Conference at Akdeniz University , Antalya, Turkey.

The paper entitled “The Significance of Thaipusam in Motivating Domestic Travel Amongst the Malaysian Indian Community” by Prof Madya Dr Azilah Kassim was among over 100 working papers presented at the conference recently.

Dr Azilah of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) received a plaque from the International Journal of Hospitality Management.

The conference organised by Akdeniz University was attended by more than 500 participants from 27 countries including United Kingdom, Portugal, Spain, New Zealand, Australia and Thailand.

“I am pleased with the award as it has put UUM on the international stage,” said Dr Azilah who spent three months on the paper.

The paper focused on the management of heritage destination in the context of Thaipusam celebration at Batu Caves, its popularity among foreign tourists, and its negative impact on the local community and environment.

“I stressed the importance of sustainable management by controlling the number of tourists during Thaipusam,” said Dr Azilah.

She proposed that focus be shifted to domestic tourists particulalry Hindus on the importance and why they need to celebrate Thaipusam at Batu Caves.

The paper also proposed that niche marketing be used to attract tourists who respect and truly understand the celebration.

nazrey

November 25th, 2008, 09:32 PM

Vocational subject to be introduced in all schools from 2010
2008/11/25 Bernama

PORT DICKSON, Tues:

Vocational studies will be introduced in Form One to all schools in 2010, Deputy Education Minister Datuk Razali Ismail said today.

He said that currently the subject was only taught in certain normal stream secondary schools and only involved Form Four students.

“Vocational studies, which involve skills, will hone students’ abilities and offer them a choice to excel in skills if they are found to be disinterested in academic studies,” he told reporters after opening the Vocational and Skills Teachers Convention here.

He said the introduction of the subject would also help reduce disciplinary problems because the students would focus on skill activities and not solely on theory in academic subjects.

“We are actually late. In Australia, this skill-based subject starts in kindergartens,” he added.

Razali said preliminary studies by the minsitry showed that vocational studies could easily capture the interest of students and keep them in class.

Three hundred teachers had been sent for vocational courses and the ministry has set aside a big allocation to build workshops and provide the relevant equipment.

“I believe that the big allocation will be worth it because we are giving all the opportunities and access to our children to acquire meaningful training in school,” he added. — BERNAMA

nazrey

November 25th, 2008, 09:39 PM

Sarawak Govt Injecting RM15 Mln Into Curtin's Research Institute Development
November 25, 2008 13:41 PM

MIRI, Nov 25 (Bernama) -- The Sarawak state government will inject RM15 million into the initial development of an industrial research institute at the Curtin University of Technology campus at Senadin, about 20 kilometres north of the city here.

In stating this today, Sarawak's Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan said the project would be a collaboration between Curtin and the state's Industrial Development Ministry, of which he is the minister.

The first stage of the project will involve construction of a building to house the institute and work is expected to start early next year and be completed in 18 months, he said.

He was speaking at a press conference after officiating the university's science and engineering international conference.

Dr Chan said an area of about four hectares in the campus had been earmarked for the research institute and the state government would consider allocating additional funds for the project when required in the future.

Describing the setting up of the institute as a major development for Curtin in Sarawak, he said it is expected to attract a number of international research and development (R&D) scientists.

In his speech at the conference's opening, Dr Chan said that Curtin University in Western Australia had accorded RM6 million for its Sarawak campus for R&D efforts and this sum would be matched ringgit-to-ringgit by Malaysian government.

According to him, the provision of these funds showed the commitment of Curtin and the government to enhance R&D capabilities in Sarawak to accelerate economic growth and the quality of life.

"This can also contribute greatly to regional and global efforts in resource management and help to put the country on the map of R&D powerhouses," he said.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

November 26th, 2008, 01:17 AM

British varsities eye campuses in Johor
Wednesday November 26, 2008

JOHOR BARU: A number of British universities aim to set up campuses here to tap the local and regional markets, including Singapore and Indonesia.

British High Commissioner Boyd McCleary expressed confidence that, in one or two years, a number of British and foreign universities would invest in Malaysia.

Newcastle University had made the first move in Johor, he said, adding that setting up a medical faculty was not as easy as setting up faculties in engineering, creative arts and technology.

Another British university with a campus in Malaysia is Nottingham University in Kuala Lumpur.

McCleary was speaking to reporters after witnessing the signing of a MOU between Newcastle University and Iskandar Investment Berhad (IIB) at the 2nd Iskandar Malaysia Information Day attended by key players, investors and the media here recently.

Newcastle University will set up a RM100mil medical faculty in Nusajaya, Johor, via a joint venture with Iskandar Investment Bhd by 2011.

Once the campus is ready, students may obtain a Newcastle University medical degree at about half the cost compared to doing it in Britain.

Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said that Newcastle University Medicine (Numed) Malaysia would be the first international university to be part of Iskandar’s Educity in Nusajaya.

“We hope to get eight international universities to have campuses here as part of development plans in Educity,” he said.

NUMed Malaysia CEO Prof Reg Jordan said that Iskandar Malaysia was chosen for its reliable market as medicine was in demand.

“Medicine is one of the university’s historic strengths.

“We have a long-standing relationship with Malaysia as 700 of its doctors had graduated from our university,” he said.

He added that construction for the medical school started in January and hoped to have 900 students by the 10th or 11th year of operation.

“We will start by taking a batch of 40 students to our home campus while construction is being conducted in the first two years.

“We hoped to have the whole operation in Iskandar Malaysia by 2012,” he said.

Besides the MOU with Newcastle University, IIB signed a MOU with Cempaka International School to set up a private boys’ boarding school in Medini within Iskandar Malaysia.

rizalhakim

November 26th, 2008, 04:27 AM

http://thestar.com.my/archives/2008/11/26/southneast/se_03ghani.jpg
Impressive: Abdul Ghani (second from right) looking at a model of the Newcastle University campus in Johor Baru recently. With him is the university’s vice chancellor Prof Chris Brink (third from left), the dean of international medical education Prof Reg Jordan (first from left) and Khazanah Nasional managing director Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar (second from right).

nazrey

November 26th, 2008, 09:43 AM

Education fair focuses on getting jobs after studies
NST Online » Local News
2008/11/26

KUALA LUMPUR: Employability was the order of the day as Facon Education Fair exhibitors outlined their agendas to their prospective students.

"We want to assure students that their future careers are secure and their respective degrees are relevant," said University College of Technology and Innovation (UCTI) student services manager Mu-hammad Anis Ur Rehman.

Employment upon graduation has become an issue as many graduates find themselves jobless.

However, this year, Anis said 98 per cent of UCTI students were offered jobs even before graduation.

At the fair, UCTI will offer guidance to students to develop life-long careers by choosing the right courses.
"It is compulsory for our students to undertake work placements during their course to facilitate future employment," said UCSI business development local marketing head Lim Boon Wah.

With 600 participating employers, the university provides a wide variety of job opportunities for professional degree holders.

Taylor's University College, meanwhile, emphasises training its students to develop their personality to increase their interpersonal skills.

Its vice-chancellor and president, Prof Datuk Dr Hassan Said, said: "We are embarking on home-ground and collaborative programmes to provide better opportunities for students."

Universiti Tun Abdul Razak is also cooperating with potential employers like Bank Rakyat School of Entrepreneurship.

The two-day fair, to start on Dec 6 at the Putra World Trade Centre, will be open from noon to 6pm.

The fair will also make its rounds nationwide: Holiday Villa Hotel, Alor Star (Dec 9); Traders Hotel, Penang (Dec 10); Syuen Hotel, Ipoh (Dec 11); the Avillion Legacy, Malacca (Dec 12); and Hyatt Regency, Johor Baru (Dec 14).

Admission to the fair is free. For more information, visit www.faconex.com/.

nazrey

November 27th, 2008, 05:02 PM

UiTM Clinches Prime Minister's Quality Award
November 27, 2008 22:45 PM

PUTRAJAYA, Nov 27 (Bernama) -- Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) outclassed the competition to bag the Prime Minister's Quality Award.

Together with the prestigious award, it also received a RM50,000 cash prize, a trophy, certificate and the right to use the symbol 'Q' and print 'Winner of the Prime Minister's Quality Award' on all letterheads over the next three years.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi presented the award at the 2008 Public Sector Quality Award ceremony here Thursday.

UiTM defeated 40 other contenders, including Universiti Sains Malaysia, Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ), Employees Provident Fund (EPF), Malaysian Nuclear Agency, Historic Melaka City Council, District and Land Office of Dungun, Terengganu and the Putrajaya Health Office.

UiTM Vice-Chancellor Prof Datuk Seri Dr Ibrahim Abu Shah said the win was another meaningful recognition for UiTM.

"UiTM staff will have more work and responsibilities to create more achievements, but most importantly, maintain the excellence," he told reporters here.

Asked what the factors were that led to UiTM's win, Ibrahim said UiTM had recently received many excellence awards, besides its success in improving research in various fields.

At the ceremony, EPF was announced winner of the Secretary-General's Quality Award with a cash prize of RM30,000, trophy and certificate.

The Public Service Director-General's Quality Award was given to MPSJ. The award carries a RM25,000 cash prize, trophy and certificate.

There was no winner for the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU) Director-General's Quality Award.

MPSJ also took home the Financial Management Quality Award for the Local Authorities category.

Meanwhile, the Ministry or State Government Category was won by the housing and local government ministry while the Armed Forces Provident Fund emerged winner of the Statutory Body Category.

There was no winner for the Department Category. Neither were there winners for the District and Land Administration Quality Award and the Local Authority Quality Award.

The five winners for the Public Service Innovation Award were Dental Specialist Clinic in Kuching, Sarawak, Perak Irrigation and Drainage Department, Department of Survey and Mapping, Seremban Municipal Council and MAMPU.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

November 27th, 2008, 09:39 PM

HeiTech gets RM2.9m contract
27-11-2008:

KUALA LUMPUR: HeiTech Padu Bhd has been awarded a RM2.91 million contract by Universiti Malaya Medical Centre for the upgrading of the latter’s pharmacy information application system.

HeiTech said yesterday it had received the letter of acceptance from the medical centre and the contract was for a one-year period.

nazrey

November 28th, 2008, 01:45 AM

College to offer degree in nursing
Friday November 28, 2008
By ROSLINA MOHAMAD

KUANTAN: A memorandum of agreement was signed between Kolej Shahputra and University of Hertfordshire (UH) from England to pave the way for the private college to offer a nursing science degree course.

Kolej Shahputra was represented by its executive chairman Datuk Dr Azman Zaini Abdul Ghanie and managing director Datin Suzieyati Idham and UH by its vice-chancellor Prof Tim Wilson and health and human sciences dean Lyn Karstadt.

According to the college’s marketing and corporate development director Norhisyam Ab Rahman, the agreement was signed in early November and they were awaiting the approval of the Malaysian Quality Agency (MQA).

“Once the approval is obtained, the course can be offered to students. The first intake is expected in June next year. It is open to up to 50 students,” he said in an interview.

He added that the two-year degree course would be open to those with diplomas and a few years of working experience.

“It is a way for them to enhance their skills in nursing and keep abreast with modern technology,” Norhisyam said.

He also said that UH would provide the syllabus, examination questions and lecturers.

“The lecturers will be flown in from England. This shows the commitment that UH and Kolej Shahputra have in ensuring quality education,” he added.

He said the collaboration was seen as a recognition for Kolej Shahputra, which had similar cooperation with universities such as Universiti Putra Malaysia and Australia’s Flinders University.

Kolej Shahputra currently managed two nursing diploma programmes, said Norhisyam, adding that one was in collaboration with Universiti Teknologi Mara and the other an in-house programme.

The programmes were recognised by the Higher Education Ministry’s Malaysian Nursing Board and MQA, he added.

Parents and students need not worry about the programmes offered by the college, he said.

nazrey

December 2nd, 2008, 02:16 PM

XPERT Technologies To Introduce New Online Learning Programme
December 02, 2008 17:19 PM

By Ravichandran D.J. Paul KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 2 (Bernama) -- Xpert Technologies Sdn Bhd is rolling out the @school online education programme that provides teaching and learning resources based on the British curriculum for the primary school students and teachers.

The @school (www.atschool.co.uk) is a subscription-based online programme that provides educational materials which are updated regularly. It includes subjects taught in schools and those of special interests that can help establish a creative mind.

Xpert chief executive officer, Santhira Velu, said the programme complemented the classroom education and was useful for the teachers, parents and the children who were looking for reliable resources.

Santhira said the interactive programme, with colourful illustrations, was also suitable for kindergartens, children with special needs, private schools, language centres and in learning English as the second language.

"Apart from covering the subjects in the school curriculum, it makes the learning process interesting by adding games, physical exercises, information and communications technology, music, art and links to quality sites for games, computer, films, news, music and sports," he said.

He was confident the Education Ministry and interested parties would subscribe to @school in providing holistic contents to all the schools in the nation without the need to fork out big investment.

School resource centres with Internet connectivity can access the online learning site with a monthly fee of RM83 and the home subscription is only RM17 per month.

The subscription is on yearly basis and the low rates will be maintained to ensure wider outreach.

Xpert will appoint agents for the online programme all over the nation and will work with the communication companies, organisations and foundations to encourage the use of @school.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

December 3rd, 2008, 11:11 PM

Bina Puri to build Unimas buildings
Published: 2008/12/04

Bina Puri Holdings Bhd has signed a deal with Variasi Baru Sdn Bhd to carry out the construction of buildings for Universiti Malaysia Sabah (Unimas) for RM161.6 million.

The buildings include a lecture hall and a student centre.

Work is due to be completed in 30 months, it said in a statement to Bursa Malaysia.

Bina Puri now has orders worth some RM2 billion.

rizalhakim

December 5th, 2008, 08:50 AM

Sementara itu, Noh pada sidang media selepas perasmian bangunan kampus baru German-Malaysian Institute (GMI) di Kajang berkata, GMI akan dinaikkan taraf sebagai universiti atau sekurang-kurangnya kolej universiti menjelang 2010.

“Sudah sampai masa bagi GMI, yang diselia Mara dinaikkan taraf kepada universiti atau kolej universiti berikutan pencapaian cemerlangnya apabila 87 peratus pelajarnya yang menamatkan kursus diploma berjaya mendapat pekerjaan manakala 9.2 peratus lagi berjaya melanjutkan pengajian luar negara.

“Kertas kerja bagi menaikkan taraf GMI sedang dilakukan bagi membolehkan institut ini menawarkan kursus ijazahnya sendiri di samping menawarkan latihan kepada negara luar atau organisasi yang berminat,” katanya.

rizalhakim

December 9th, 2008, 04:58 AM

Citroen, college set up training centre
By Zuraimi AbdullahPublished: 2008/12/09

AUTOMOBILES Citroen and The Otomotif College (TOC) have set up a training centre for automotive after-sales professionals to be more skillful with the vehicles produced by the French carmaker.

Called the Franco-Malaysian Training Centre, the initiative is also supported by the French Ministry of Education and Brooklands Motors Sdn Bhd, the local franchise holder of Citroen.

Citroen regional general manager Benoit de Lassus said the centre is a "one-step further" in relaunching the Citroen brand in Malaysia, after an absence of three years.

"On one hand, we are putting in place with our partner TOC, the structures which will allow our networks in Malaysia and other Asean countries to improve on its quality.

"On the other hand, we are preparing for the future, giving many students the opportunity to be introduced to the Citroen models and develop their skills," de Lassus said.

He was speaking at the official inauguration of the centre by France ambassador to Malaysia Marc Barety at the TOC college in Petaling Jaya last Friday.

Barety also presented certificates to the first batch of 10 trainees who attended the classes for over six weeks, which started on October 6 this year.

Citroen provides the centre with all the necessary equipment, mock-ups and cars as well as technical documentation and diagnostic tools and methods.

TOC founder and chief executive officer Adelaine Foo said the partnership with Citroen is part of the college efforts to provide opportunities for students to gain professional training and industrial recognition in the automotive industry.

TOC is the country's only private automotive college, having been set up in 2004.

rizalhakim

December 10th, 2008, 05:23 AM

Indian Education Group To Invest RM100 Million In Iskandar Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 7 (Bernama) -- One of India's leading education groups, the Vinayaka Missions University, is keen to invest RM100 million to set up an engineering, technical and management branch campus in Iskandar Malaysia.

By 2015, the VMU group has earmarked RM220 million to be invested in various education based projects as part of its expansion plans in Malaysia.

"The concept of educity or Iskandar's education-hub ambitions appeals to us and VMU is keen to be part of this development, said VMU Pro-Chancellor, Dr. S Sharavanan.

VMU which currently manages 21 colleges and universities in India, Canada, USA, Thailand and in Penang in Malaysia, sees great opportunity in attracting students, not just from Malaysia but also from the region, he said in a statement here Sunday.

"A major advantage that Iskandar Malaysia offers is location, logistics and world class infrastructure. Foreign students will also enjoy the lower cost of getting quality education at the branch campus which can cater for up to 8,000 students," Dr. Sharavanan.

Dr. Sharavanan, who is also managing director and CEO of the Penang International Dental College (PIDC) which is operated by VMU, expressed confidence that Iskandar Malaysia has the required incentives to attract more local and foreign investments.

"We at VMU view Malaysia as a strategic location to invest especially with the government's push towards creating an education hub in the region. We certainly have ambitious plans in Malaysia," he said.

He said RM55 million has been set aside for PIDC and RM25 million for the Surya College, an allied health sciences college scheduled to open early next year in Butterworth.

"Another RM40 million has been set aside to be invested in education related ventures in Penang up to 2015. We will announce the details in due time," he said.

The proposed branch campus in Iskandar Malaysia will widen access to affordable education, extend VMU's global footprint and help meet the university's mission to spread education globally in the field of medicine, dental, paramedical, homeopathy, engineering, management and basic science using existing resources and technology.

"We have started initial discussions with representatives from Iskandar and our intention is to establish the branch campus as soon as possible. If everything goes well, we could see this materialize within the next three years", said Dr. Sharavanan.

VMU, established in 1981 has been granted the prestigious "Deemed University" status by the Indian Ministry of Human Resources and Development in recognition of its continued thrust to achieve excellence in education.

Nearly 20,000 students are presently studying in its various colleges and universities in the full time mode, and 75,000 students are enrolled in the distance education mode and every year, about 5,000 graduates pass out from its campuses.

-- BERNAMA

rizalhakim

December 12th, 2008, 05:40 AM

College offers nursing course
By JEREMY TAN

IN light of the growing shortage of nurses locally and worldwide, as well as the great potential of a nursing career, SEGi College Penang is now offering a Diploma in Nursing programme.

Accredited by the Malaysian Qualification Agency (MQA) and the Ministry of Higher Education (MOE), the three-year programme will have its first intake in January 2009.

It is open to both male and female candidates interested in exploring the field of healthcare, which includes behavioural, health and nursing sciences.

Speaking during the launching of the nursing programme at the college’s campus in Green Hall recently, principal Jeffrey Goh said the nursing school would cater to students from the northern region, especially Penang, which is a medical tourism hub.

http://thestar.com.my/archives/2008/12/12/north/segi.jpg
Wee (third left) taking representatives of various hospitals on a tour of the college's mock-up ward.

He added that the programme was specially tailored to produce nurses that were not only proficient with medicines and healthcare equipment but possess the human touch as well.

“This is because a pleasant personality will aid the communication process with patients and ensure a better recovery period,” Goh said.

Nursing school head Elaine Wee said SEGi’s Diploma in Nursing sought to fulfil the need for healthcare professionals to support people through all stages of life.

“The opportunities for those in the field is endless, as nurses can be found in all sorts of areas from health promotion, education and illness prevention,” she said.

Present to witness the launching were representatives from the Gleneagles Medical Centre, Island Hospital, Mount Miriam Cancer Hospital, LohGuanLye Specialists Centre, Tanjung Medical Centre and Hope Children Hospital.

The guests were later taken on a tour of the college’s nursing facilities, which include a full sized mock-up ward complete with isolation room, a nursery, anatomy room and nursing stations.

nazrey

December 15th, 2008, 07:32 PM

Bernama Signs MOU With HELP University College On Journalism Training
December 16, 2008 00:13 AM

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 15 (Bernama) -- Bernama signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with HELP University College (HELP) today to broaden its talent recruitment and offer training to aspiring journalists.

Bernama editor-in-chief Yong Soo Heong said the MOU was significant in providing more training opportunities for young people seeking a career in journalism to experience working in a news organisation before they sought employment.

"On our part, we are very happy to be able to receive students from HELP so that they can see how things work (in the journalism world)," Yong said after the signing here.

Bernama Acting General Manager Visvakumar Sangiah and Yong signed the MOU on behalf of Bernama while HELP University College (HUC) president and founder Datuk Dr Paul Chan and HUC Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder Datin Chan-Low Kam Yoke signed for HUC.

Ten students from the Mass Communication Faculty of HELP would undergo internship with Bernama every year, Yong said.

Yong said that besides the internship programme, the MOU would also explore ways to hold joint seminars on topical issues and courses on leadership training, public speaking and communications.

He said a committee would be formed soon to work on the collaboration between the two organisations.

Dr Chan said that with Bernama's support, his educational institution would have a good platform to promote Malaysia as a centre of training in communications.

"This is because HELP has a good network of students from more than 80 countries who will become its ambassadors when they return to their respective countries.

"In this borderless world, we need to make our presence felt not only in the traditional modes of communication but also in using new technologies, and we feel that our partnership with Bernama will help in this direction," he said.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

December 16th, 2008, 06:33 AM

USM Ready To Lend Expertise For Sustainable Development
December 15, 2008 14:26 PM

PENANG, Dec 15 (Bernama) -- Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) is ready to share and lend its expertise to the state and federal governments for sustainable development in the country.

USM Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Sstudent Affairs and Development) Professor Omar Osman said sustainable development depended on economic growth, social progress and protection of the environment and natural resources, hence conservation and restoration of resources were vital.

He was speaking at the International Conference on Environment (ICENV) 2008 which was opened by Yang Di-Pertua Negeri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas here today.

When asked about hillside development in the country, he said the government should strike a balance between development and environmental management for public safety.

Development should not endanger nature's system capacity nor compromise the ability of the next generation to fulfil its own needs and aspirations, he added.

He said the conference was aimed at highlighting environmental management and protection as one of the most essential prerequisites for sustainable development worldwide.

"This conference aspires to provide the foundation for future engineering endeavours through the identification of new and innovative areas of environmental engineering, research and development and professional practices while maintaining sustainability in our enterprises," he said.

The three-day conference organised by USM's School of Chemical Engineering is attended by about 300 participants from 24 countries.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

December 16th, 2008, 09:52 PM

Education Minister To Study Report From Roundtable Discussions
December 16, 2008 23:55 PM

PUTRAJAYA, Dec 16 (Bernama) -- The findings from the series of roundtable discussions on the policy of teaching and learning Mathematics and Science in English will be submitted soon to Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein before tabling the report to the Cabinet.

Deputy Education Minister Datuk Wee Ka Siong said the result from these thorough discussions among academics, representatives of political parties and non-governmental organisations was a report containing seven options on the future of the policy.

The options are:

(1) To continue teaching and learning of Maths and Science in English as it is now.

(2) To use Bahasa Malaysia or pupils' mother tongue as the medium of instruction from the primary school level and English for Maths and Science at the secondary level.

(3) To start using English for Maths and Science from Standard Four right into the secondary level.

(4) To use Bahasa Malaysia or mother tongue at the primary level, and Bahasa Malaysia fully at the secondary level.

(5) Schools to determine the medium of instruction for Maths and Science.

(6) To use Bahasa Malaysia or mother tongue from Standard One to Three, implement bi-lingual use from Standard Four to Six and full use of English at the secondary level.

(7) To abolish the Science subject from Standard One to Three and incorporate teaching of Science in other subjects.

Wee said Hishammuddin was currently on a working trip abroad and expected to be back soon to study the options.

"I wish to stress here that the roundtable discussions or the results of the 2008 Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) will not determine the decision on the use of English for Maths and Science, but the Cabinet will make the final decision," he said after chairing a roundtable discussion on the matter at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre Tuesday.

On preparations for the teaching of Mathematics and Science for the next school session, Wee said the policy would not change until the Cabinet made a decision.

He said the decision would not be made based on political sentiments but rather on professional considerations.

"Datuk Seri Hishammuddin had excluded himself from the series of roundtable discussions so that he could impartially look at all views.

"So, when the time comes, I do not want people to say that the government makes the decision without considering the views of various quarters," he said.

-- BERNAMA

rizalhakim

December 17th, 2008, 07:08 AM

UM to reduce undergraduate intake

KUALA LUMPUR: Universiti Malaya (UM) has now shifted its focus on postgraduate studies by increasing the number of places for such courses and reducing the intake of undergraduates.

Newly-appointed Vice-Chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Ghauth Jasmon said the move was in line with the university’s efforts to boost its rankings in the Times Higher Education Supplement within the next two years.

”We want more and better postgraduates and reduce the number of undergraduates, so that we can improve the quality of research output.

”The focus now is to bring up UM quickly so that we can get back in the league of the top 200 universities in the world over the next two years,” he said.

UM has slipped down the ladder since 2006, going from number 169 in 2005 to 192 in 2006. It was at the 245th spot last year but rose slightly to 230 this year.

And, just a month after his appointment on Nov 10, Prof Ghauth has already set his plans for the university into motion to rectify the problem.

He said, the top of the agenda was placing more focus into research and development productivity.

”I’m working to attract first-class honours graduates into the system, to come and do research and improve the quality of research output.

”We also want more people to be involved in research, and this will be the key performance index for measuring their academic performance,” added Prof Ghauth.

He said first-class graduates would also be offered postgraduate scholarships immediately.

Next on the list was filling up 300 academic posts with qualified academicians from around the world, he said.

”We need them to strengthen our academic body, “ he noted.

Prof Ghauth said he was also bringing in experts into niche areas which he wanted UM to develop, such as in the fields of medicine, engineering, business and economics. - Bernama

rizalhakim

December 17th, 2008, 07:09 AM

Limkokwing to open RM150mil branch campus in Sandakan
By CHOI TUCK WO

LONDON: Limkokwing University of Creative Tech***nology plans to set up a RM150mil campus in Sandakan, Sabah, in line with the state’s move to promote the town as an education hub.

It is learnt that the state government has identified a 40ha site in the Sim Sim coastal area, about 5km from the town centre, for the project.

The ground-breaking ceremony is expected to commence next month with the campus scheduled for completion within 18 months.

Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman confirmed that he had met university president Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing last week to finalise discussions for the new campus.

“We look forward to having the branch campus in Sandakan very soon,” he told The Star after visiting the Limkokwing London campus in Piccadilly recently.

The state government has identified a row of 10 shophouses in Sandakan to be converted into a temporary campus by March for the first batch of 300 pre-university students.

Once the campus is ready, they will be transferred to the university which will have an initial intake of 1,000 students, before increasing the number to 3,000 eventually.

Musa said he believed the university would do well in Sandakan as the state wanted to turn it into one of the most progressive towns in Sabah

rizalhakim

December 18th, 2008, 05:05 AM

UM shifts focus to postgrad studies

KUALA LUMPUR: Universiti Malaya (UM) is shifting its focus to postgraduate studies by increasing the number of places for such courses and reducing the intake of undergraduates.

New vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Ghauth Jasmon said the move was in line with the university’s efforts to boost its rankings in the Times Higher Education Supplement in the next two years.

“We want more and better postgraduates, and to reduce the number of undergraduates so that we can improve the quality of research.”

UM has slipped down the ladder since 2006, when it went from 169 in 2005 to 192 in 2006. It was in 245th spot last year but rose slightly to 230th this year.

Prof Ghauth, who was appointed on Nov 10, said: “I’m working to attract first-class honours graduates to come and do research and improve the quality of research.

“We also want more people to be involved in research; this will be the key performance index for measuring their academic performance.”

Prof Ghauth said that first-class graduates would be offered postgraduate scholarships immediately.

Prof Ghauth also said he was bringing experts into niche areas which he wanted UM to develop, such as in medicine, engineering, business and economics. On the decline in the quality of UM graduates compared to its heyday, he said it was a national problem.

“People mainly attribute it to poor communication skills, but one method employed by UM to alleviate the problem is to teach more subjects in English as well as conduct course work and assignments in English,” he said.

According to him, the poor ability to interact affected the marketability of graduates.

Prof Ghauth said this could be remedied with community work which was a good training ground for leadership and social skills.

“For example, if they do community work, we must give them marks for these. If they do work for their kampungs, that must be recognised.”

He said this could be done by widening the choices of co-curricular activities. He also called on the student affairs division to come up with ideas for student participation outside the classroom. — Bernama

rizalhakim

December 18th, 2008, 05:39 AM

Malaysia-Japan varsity's first intake in July

PUTRAJAYA: The cabinet last week approved the formation of a Malaysian-Japanese University (Maju) to boost educational co-operation between the two countries.

Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Minister Datuk Noh Omar said the university would be placed under Mara.

The first intake of about 70 students for its technology engineering faculty will take place in July.

"The university had been a subject of discussion between the two governments since 2001," he said after witnessing the signing of a memorandum of understanding on educational co-operation between his ministry and the Higher Education Ministry.

Present were Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, the ministry's secretary-general Datuk Dr Zulkefli Hassan and Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Ministry secretary-general Datuk Musa Muhamad.

Noh said the Japanese government would sponsor 15 Japanese professors to teach at the university. Its temporary campus will be the Mara Skills College in Beranang, Selangor.

"The curriculum and faculty's equipment will follow the Japanese university arrangements, but the medium of instruction will be in English."

He also said the government planned to upgrade the status of the Germany-Malaysian Institute (GMI) into a university.

He added that the ministry had set aside RM12.9 million to carry out entrepreneurship programmes in public universities next year.

Under the Ninth Malaysia Plan, he said the government targeted the participation of 1.5 million Bumiputera students, youth, graduates and women in business.

Until last month, he said, 800,630 Bumiputeras had undergone training and courses organised by the ministry.

Khaled said a career and entrepreneurship carnival would be held every year to attract as many graduates as possible to be businessmen.

The carnival would also serve as an entrepreneurship outreach medium for companies interested in hiring the graduates upon completion of their studies.

He said an entrepreneurship subject with one credit hour had been introduced for every course in public universities.

"To complement the subject, we plan to rope in adjunct lecturers to give talks or workshops to our undergraduates as part of the syllabus."

rizalhakim

December 18th, 2008, 07:31 AM

UiTM antara 3 universiti terbaik

SUBANG JAYA 17 Dis. - Pembaharuan yang dilakukan oleh Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) sejak 2001 membolehkan ia muncul antara tiga universiti terbaik di Malaysia.

Naib Canselor UiTM, Datuk Seri Dr. Ibrahim Abu Shah (gambar) berkata, pencapaian ini membolehkan siswazah UiTM mendapat tempat dalam pasaran kerja dengan setiap tahun, 75 peratus memperolehnya sebaik sahaja menamatkan pengajian.

''Kakitangan akademik juga mencapai pelbagai kejayaan di peringkat antarabangsa dengan memenangi pelbagai pingat emas dan platinum dalam banyak pertandingan inovasi di seluruh dunia,'' katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian ketika membentangkan kertas kerja bertajuk Pemenang Anugerah Kualiti Perdana Menteri Sektor Awam 2008: Strategi UiTM Menyampaikan Perkhidmatan Terbaik pada Persidangan Peningkatan Daya Saing Negara: Peranan dan Inisiatif Sektor Awam di sini hari ini.

Tambahnya, ijazah-ijazah yang dikeluarkan oleh UiTM juga mendapat pengiktirafan 16 badan profesional luar negara termasuk dari United Kingdom, Kanada dan Australia.

Sementara itu di dalam negara, katanya, sebanyak 19 badan profesional tempatan mengiktiraf ijazah UiTM.

''Kecemerlangan fasa kedua yang ingin dicapai oleh UiTM bermula tahun ini ialah untuk menjadi universiti terkemuka negara, menjadi universiti penyelidikan pada 2010, menjadi 200 universiti terbaik dunia pada 2015 dan menjadi universiti terkemuka dunia pada 2020,'' katanya.

Dalam pada itu, Ibrahim mendedahkan pem- baharuan-pembaharuan yang dilakukannya di UiTM tidak digemari sehingga memaksa beliau mendapatkan perlindungan pihak polis kerana menerima pelbagai ancaman termasuk bunuh.

Beliau berkata, tindakannya untuk meningkatkan kualiti UiTM tidak disenangi menyebabkan menerima banyak ancaman.

''Ketika mula-mula menjawat jawatan sebagai Naib Canselor UiTM pelbagai perubahan dilakukan untuk memastikan universiti dapat mencapai pelbagai kejayaan.

''Dalam tempoh sama juga sebanyak 42 kakitangan akademik dan bukan akademik UiTM sama ada dibuang, diturunkan pangkat, dipotong gaji dan pelbagai lagi tindakan disiplin bagi membersihkan universiti daripada gejala-gejala tidak sihat,'' katanya.

Ibrahim memberitahu, tindakan- tindakan itu perlu diambil bagi memastikan UiTM yang mempunyai lebih 120,000 pelajar dengan 20,000 kakitangan akademik dan bukan akademik perlu diuruskan dengan berkualiti serta cekap.

Katanya, UiTM melaksanakan strategi pengurusan kualiti yang dilaksanakan dengan penubuhan pusat pengurusan kawalan dan jaminan kualiti, pensijilan ISO peringkat korporat dan inisiatif kualiti dalam pengurusan.

''Universiti ini juga melaksanakan pelbagai strategi lain bagi memastikan lebih 120,000 pelajarnya mencapai kejayaan terbaik berbanding universiti-universiti awam lain,'' katanya.

nazrey

December 20th, 2008, 12:57 AM

RM70mil to retrain jobless grads
Friday December 19, 2008

SHAH ALAM: The Government has approved a RM70mil grant to retrain 10,000 unemployed graduates, said Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam.

He said the grant would be used to train them in skills like communication, language and creative thinking.

“Some have good qualifications but their hurdle is language. So, we want to train them in English,” he said.

He said this during a press conference after opening a training and consulting agency at Glenmarie on Wednesday.

He added that the training courses would be carried out over a period of two to three years.

“We want to make our unemployed graduates more marketable,” he said.

He said graduates who were unable to land a job were encouraged to register with the Human Resources Ministry to be retrained.

He said priority is given to those who have been jobless for more than a year.

Meanwhile, Sarawak Assistant Minister for Industrial Development Datuk Daud Abdul Rahman said Sarawakians need not worry about unemployment because the Sarawak Corridor for Renewal Energy (SCORE) would create some 1.6 million jobs by 2030.

“About 82,000 engineers and technicians and 217,000 semi-skilled workers are needed by 2030,” he said when opening a regional engineering conference yesterday.

Organised by Universiti of Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas), the conference themed “Sustainable Engineering Infrastructure: Development and Management” will see 180 papers presented by local and foreign participants.

Daud said the implementation of SCORE would speed up the state’s industrial and economic transformation.

He said SCORE had identified 10 priority industries, including aluminium and related downstream industries.

“Through SCORE, 30,000MW of electricity will be produced mostly through the implementation of hydroelectric dam projects,” he said.

To achieve sustainable growth, Daud said the state had to strengthen partnerships with others to improve knowledge and expertise among its 2.4 million people.

rizalhakim

December 22nd, 2008, 08:33 AM

80,000 foreign students by 2010

KUALA LUMPUR: The number of foreign students in the country is expected to reach 80,000 by the year 2010, the Senate was told Monday.

Deputy Higher Education Minister Dr Hou Kok Chung said Malaysia could have 80,000 foreign students pursuing higher education in the country as the number of such students had been on the rise lately.

“To date, an estimated 63,000 students from 150 countries are already here to pursue higher education,” he said when replying to Senator Datuk Azian Osman at the Dewan Negara sitting.

He said Indonesia led the list of countries with the highest number of students followed by China and Iran.

“The number of Indonesian students in the country stands at 9,348 followed by China with 9,081 students and Iran with 5,531 students,” he said.

Dr Hou also said that the ministry was endeavouring to attract more students from the developed nations to pursue higher studies in Malaysia. -- Bernama

nazrey

December 22nd, 2008, 09:00 AM

Flying High With Higher Education
December 22, 2008 14:10 PM
By Melati Mohd Ariff

PUTRAJAYA, Dec 22 (Bernama) -- The book "Mengangkasa Pengajian Tinggi" which means glorifying the tertiary-level education is the 15th penned by Universiti Teknologi Malaysia's (UTM) Vice Chancellor Datuk Dr Zaini Ujang.

Dr Zaini took some six weeks to complete his latest effort, a 271-page book that also includes his literary work that had been published in the media as well as discussed at seminars.

For Dr Zaini, this book reflected his effort to manifest the knowledge tradition, which stresses on the print culture.

"The verbal culture is vital particularly when delivering lectures or explaining a certain concept or issue. But the importance of the print culture took its roots in the field of academics and knowledge since thousands of years ago.

"To me, this situation and practice are getting less gleaming now, despite the various policies and initiatives to make Malaysia a regional hub for tertiary education excellence".

That was an excerpt of Dr Zaini's speech at the function to unveil his book by Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin here recently.

IDEALISTIC APPROACH

For Dr Zaini, "Mengangkasa" means the need for tertiary-level education to be placed on a higher pedestal. It also means that achieving excellence, glory and distinction.

As a theorist and an intellectual activist, Dr Zaini takes an idealistic approach when airing his views on the higher education particularly during the days when he was not yet involved in university management.

However when delving on current issues like accreditation, internationalization and performance indicators, his views are more practical and realistic.

The Higher Education Minister, in his foreword, said Dr Zaini who is a young academic personality should be an example as he dispenses knowledge and experience audaciously and brilliantly through, among others, the latter's suggestions, criticisms and observations.

The minister was also attracted to Dr Zaini's bold attempt in his write-ups that amalgamated university traditions of the Islamic perspective and that of the modern western world.

Former Higher Education Minister, Datuk Mustapa Mohamed who is now the Minister for Agriculture and Agro-based Industries, said "Mengangkasa Pengajian Tinggi" is Dr Zaini's immense contribution for the philosophy and illustration of Malaysia's tertiary-level education.

Mustapa said the book provides fitting perspective on development of the nation's higher education development, government' initiatives and in-house progress of the academic community.

"(Dr) Zaini is critical in terms of commitment and idealism among the academic community. For him, commitment is the pre-requisite for glorification of higher education while idealism is the beacon in the sea of knowledge", said Mustapa.

CONTENTS

The book is carved out into five parts that are university's concept and tradition, vision and philosophy, benchmark and grading, research as well development and perspective.

The book outlines the history of tertiary-level education in Malaysia covering the pre-Merdeka years like the setting up of 'pondok' and modern schools as well as colleges.

Several of the colleges were upgraded into universities. An example is Universiti Malaya (UM) that took shape in 1949 as the Straits and Federated Malay States Government Medical School in 1905.

It later became the King Edward VII College of Medicine (in Singapore) in 1912.

The Maktab Perguruan Sultan Idris in Tanjung Malim was established in 1922 and it became Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris.

According to Dr Zaini, there were tertiary-level institutions that began as schools.

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) began as a technical school in 1904, before developing into a college 38 years later. It was named Institut Teknoloji Kebangsaan in 1972 and finally, as UTM in 1975.

Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) started as an agriculture school in 1931, bloomed into Kolej Pertanian Malaya 16 years later and graduated into a university in 1971 as Universiti Pertanian Malaysia.

To Dr Zaini, this 'metamorphosis' is a firming up process of the national education at tertiary-level which is always experiencing improvement in terms of entity, role and focus.

In Dr Zaini's opinion, the country's higher education institutions, famously known as IPT, have transformed tremendously over the past one decade particularly after the then Education Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak reformed higher education with various policies and initiatives.

Dr Zaini thinks that the rapid transformation that occurred over the past 10 years 'overwhelmed' what had transpired for higher education in Malaysia some four decades before, in terms of the number of IPT, student population and new courses.

Also in the aspect of the establishment of Private Higher Learning Institutions (IPTS).

The UTM Vice Chancellor thinks that progress in knowledge is not merely based on certificate achievements but also on qualitative aspects of individuals.

This covers the person's spiritual quality, mental strength, unsullied aspiration, smooth oral and written expression as well as sustainable life.

Dr Zaini also expressed his opinion that quality of higher education should be viewed comprehensively as well as holistic and knowledge should be placed on higher pedestal as compared to that of materialism-related social status, hedonism, rank and understanding.

According to Dr Zaini, an 'ideal' graduate is defined by the person's ability to have critical thinking, speak and communicate well according to various dimensions and perspectives apart from being the person who seeks the truth and well in searching for knowledge as well as having noble values.

A REMARKABLE POSER

Should academically outstanding Malaysian students be sent to study at tertiary-level institutions abroad?

This is among the salient points highlighted by Dr Zaini in his book.

To him, the local universities are offering the first degrees of almost all courses required in the current job market in Malaysia.

In Dr Zaini's belief, excellent performing students are the best 'raw material' needed to produce a university's quality products.

He quoted the words of a renowned Harvard University lecturer who said:" Harvard's students are the cream among outstanding students. Even by skipping lectures, they would be able to perform very well in Harvard".

Dr Zaini has the conviction that the presence of outstanding students at local universities would provide the impetus and dynamism to boost the competitive edge of Malaysian universities, hence making the country the hub of knowledge growth for major courses.

READING MATERIAL

Dr Zaini hopes that "Mengangkasa Pengajian Tinggi" would be used as discussion material at least to brighten up the academic state of affairs among intellectuals and undergraduates particularly in the local universities.

The hard cover version of this UTM publication is priced at RM55 a copy while the soft cover books sells RM40 each.

The book is suitable for policy-makers, university management, researchers, academicians, intellectuals and undergraduates.

It is also fitting for anybody who desires to pursue higher education issues.

-- BERNAMA

rizalhakim

December 30th, 2008, 08:09 AM

Kampus cawangan UiTM di Rembau

REMBAU 24 Dis. - Sebuah kampus cawangan Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) bakal dibangunkan di sini tidak lama lagi selaras dengan hasrat kerajaan negeri untuk mewujudkan koridor pembangunan pendidikan di negeri ini.

Ahli Parlimen Rembau, Khairy Jamaluddin berkata, perbincangan mengenainya telah diadakan dengan pengurusan UiTM selain Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi malah maklum balas yang diterima amat menggalakkan.

Beliau berkata, setakat ini pihaknya masih lagi menunggu kata putus oleh kerajaan Persekutuan bagi membolehkan kampus cawangan berkenaan dapat didirikan di kawasan itu.

"Kita sebenarnya telah lama berhasrat untuk mengadakan satu kampus UiTM di sini. Saya dan Menteri Besar (Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan) telah meminta kepada kerajaan Persekutuan untuk membuat permohonan supaya diwujudkan kampus cawangan di sini," katanya ketika ditemui di sini hari ini.

Beliau berkata demikian selepas menghadiri Majlis Anugerah Kecemerlangan Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) 2008 Parlimen Rembau di sini hari ini.

nazrey

December 30th, 2008, 03:39 PM

PMR 2008 results better than last year, more preferred Maths and Science in English
2008/12/30 BERNAMA

http://www.nst.com.my/Tuesday/Frontpage/20081230132836/insidepix1

These are some of the 50 pupils from Sekolah Menengah Seksyen 9 Shah
Alam who scored five A's in the PMR exams. - NST picture by Wan Jailani Razak

PUTRAJAYA, Tues: A total of 26,378 students or 5.96 per cent of the 2008 Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) candidates scored grade A in all subjects they sat for compared with 5.65 per cent last year and 4.83 per cent in 2006.

Education director-general Datuk Alimuddin Mohd Dom said the PMR results this year was better than last year in terms of the number of candidates getting grade A to E in the subjects they had taken.

“The results in all subjects, except for Geography and Arabic Communication, are better than last year with English achieving the highest increase by 3.6 per cent,” he said when announcing the results here today.

He said the disparity in the performance between urban and rural candidates have narrowed especially in Bahasa Melayu, English, Mathematics and Science.

The number of rural students who obtained grade A in Mathematics increased by 2.7 per cent compared with urban students (2.1 per cent) while in Science, rural students who obtained grade A went up by 0.3 per cent while the performance of urban students dropped by 0.3 per cent.

“The reduced disparity shows that the second thrust of the Education Strategic Planning in the Education Development Masterplan, that is to bridge the performance gap between urban and rural students, has met its objectives,” he said.

On the number of candidates who failed to achieve the minimum standard by scoring at least grade D in all subjects, he said the figure had reduced from 63.53 per cent last year to 62.93 per cent this year.

On the number of students who scored grade E in all subjects, he said they accounted for 440 candidates (0.1 per cent) compared with 559 candidates (0.13 per cent) in 2007 and 524 (0.13 per cent) in 2006.

“The majority of the candidates