A 21-year-old has done Malaysia proud when she was adjudged top student in English at the University of London’s Queen Mary College recently.
Adelina Raisa Sufian, who obtained a Bachelor of Arts (English) degree with first class honours, won the coveted 2009 Westfield Trust Prize for outstanding academic achievement in English at the university last month.
Commenting on her achievement, Adelina attributed her success to encouragement from her parents, businessman Datuk Sufian Majid and Datin Alissa Fitri.
Top scorer: Adelina (left) posing for a photo with friends after she won the Westfield Trust Prize at the University of London recently. — Bernama
“I set a target throughout my study,” she said. “Most importantly, we must have the determination and confidence to succeed.
“I am glad that I was able to compete with native speakers of English, as well as students from other countries,” she told Ber- nama.
Adelina, who is also an accomplished pianist, has represented Queen Mary College in choir and mathematics competitions.
While pursuing higher education at the Oakham School, Britain, in 2004, she won the Headmaster’s Prize and was adjudged top student in Mathematics, English and Chemistry.
On her future, Adelina said she planned to write, pursue a Master’s degree and work in Malaysia.
“I love my country,” she added.
September 15, 2009
Students turn homework essays into a book
A class of 33 fifth formers from Five Arif at SMK Bandar Baru Sungai Buloh decided to turn their English essays into a book rather than waste their hard work.
One of the fifth formers, Azalea Azarae, said the class was given the task of writing 30 essays, each 1,500 words long, during their year-end holidays last year.
“Our English teacher Puan Shantini (Karalasingam) wanted us to hand in our work on the first day of school this year,” she said, after representing her class in presenting copies of the book, entitled You Should Read This ... From Teens to Teens, to Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin at the Education Ministry.
Well done: Muhyiddin congratulating the students of SMK Bandar Baru Sungai Buluh for the hard work they have put in to compile their essays into a book.
She said Muhyiddin congratulated them on their book and encouraged them to work hard.
Fellow student Amizah Sulaiman, said after handing over the 900-odd essays to the teacher, they held a discussion and decided to compile the essays into a book.
“But as we could not put all 900 essays in, we formed an editorial panel, comprising fellow students who are good in English, to decide,” she said.
Classmate Lee Lai Fong said every student’s essay is in the book, with some having two.
“All the hard work is worth it now,” she added. SMK Bandar Baru Sungai Buloh principal Abdul Hakim Kassim said he was proud of his students as they had done all the work themselves.
One of the fifth formers, Azalea Azarae, said the class was given the task of writing 30 essays, each 1,500 words long, during their year-end holidays last year.
“Our English teacher Puan Shantini (Karalasingam) wanted us to hand in our work on the first day of school this year,” she said, after representing her class in presenting copies of the book, entitled You Should Read This ... From Teens to Teens, to Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin at the Education Ministry.
Well done: Muhyiddin congratulating the students of SMK Bandar Baru Sungai Buluh for the hard work they have put in to compile their essays into a book.
She said Muhyiddin congratulated them on their book and encouraged them to work hard.
Fellow student Amizah Sulaiman, said after handing over the 900-odd essays to the teacher, they held a discussion and decided to compile the essays into a book.
“But as we could not put all 900 essays in, we formed an editorial panel, comprising fellow students who are good in English, to decide,” she said.
Classmate Lee Lai Fong said every student’s essay is in the book, with some having two.
“All the hard work is worth it now,” she added. SMK Bandar Baru Sungai Buloh principal Abdul Hakim Kassim said he was proud of his students as they had done all the work themselves.
Teach children to know the difference between tattling and helpful reporting
MUMMY! Jack hit me!” yells your five-year-old daughter. Your son shouts back: “No! I did not do anything to her. She is always lying.” Many parents have to deal with tattling among siblings. It takes a toll on worn-out parents when the whining and tattling get too much.
We want our children to speak up when they are hurt or in trouble. But we hardly encourage them to do so. We often respond to them with mixed messages such as: “Stop telling lies about your brother.” Or “Please stop all this bad talk at once! I don’t want to listen anymore.”
We want to teach children to know the difference between tattling and helpful reporting. If your child knows someone is in trouble and helps to tell an adult about it, that is helpful reporting. But if you tell on someone to get him in trouble, then that is tattling.
Parents have to teach children how to report clearly to protect them from those who want to hurt them. It is known that dangerous characters would tell children that nobody would believe them or they have to keep it a secret.
Children in the early years have difficulty sorting out what is right and wrong. It is up to parents to keep sharing with them ideas on doing the right thing. They need to know that certain words they use will hurt other people’s feelings. They must also learn how to tell so that people will believe them.
Sometimes they act impulsively to tattle on a friend or a sibling. In doing so, they get the attention they want or get the other person in trouble. Young children can be confused by what others do to them. They tell an adult using the wrong choice of words that will make matters worse.
One eight-year-old told her mother that a prefect in school scolds her all the time. Her mother probed further and found out that this prefect was telling her not to make friends with certain girls in class.
We want children to tell if they need help or if someone is in need of help. For example, a primary school child tells her friend that her uncle is touching her inappropriately. This young friend must know how to tell her parent or teacher instead of keeping mum.
Parents and teachers can teach children how to use certain words that will get them the appropriate attention. Siblings usually tell on one another to seek favour from parents. You do not want to punish the other child unfairly or reinforce the tattling behaviour.
Preschoolers and early primary school age children know certain rules and they may not like it when others do not follow these rules. A primary school teacher who taught Year One pupils, once told me that a student handed her a ruler and reminded her that she had set the rule that anyone who talked in class would be punished.
Listen carefully to what your child tells you. Do not brush her off by saying, “I don’t want you to tell on your brother.”
This can make your child feel slighted and ridiculed. Sometimes all you need to do is to listen; do not get roped into sibling fights.
If you want to do something, you can respond to “John took my colour pencils without asking for permission,” by teaching your child how to clearly state her feelings and opinion to her sibling.
Teach her to use words that will empower her to get things done properly. Together you can work out ideas on what she should do next. Turn-taking, sharing, negotiating or exchanging may be possible solutions for your child to solve the problem by herself.
Teach your child how to use appropriate words. Let her know that she can approach the person directly. “You are angry with your brother. Let him know this. Tell him that you don’t like it when he takes your things without asking you first.”
Parents can set the right example for their children by using “feeling” words in their messages. You can say: “I’m very happy that you told me how you feel instead of lashing out in anger.”
Children learn from parents how to use “feeling” words appropriately and understand their own feelings better.
For children to have self-confidence and respect for others, they need to be equipped with the knowledge and skill to act and speak appropriately
We want our children to speak up when they are hurt or in trouble. But we hardly encourage them to do so. We often respond to them with mixed messages such as: “Stop telling lies about your brother.” Or “Please stop all this bad talk at once! I don’t want to listen anymore.”
We want to teach children to know the difference between tattling and helpful reporting. If your child knows someone is in trouble and helps to tell an adult about it, that is helpful reporting. But if you tell on someone to get him in trouble, then that is tattling.
Parents have to teach children how to report clearly to protect them from those who want to hurt them. It is known that dangerous characters would tell children that nobody would believe them or they have to keep it a secret.
Children in the early years have difficulty sorting out what is right and wrong. It is up to parents to keep sharing with them ideas on doing the right thing. They need to know that certain words they use will hurt other people’s feelings. They must also learn how to tell so that people will believe them.
Sometimes they act impulsively to tattle on a friend or a sibling. In doing so, they get the attention they want or get the other person in trouble. Young children can be confused by what others do to them. They tell an adult using the wrong choice of words that will make matters worse.
One eight-year-old told her mother that a prefect in school scolds her all the time. Her mother probed further and found out that this prefect was telling her not to make friends with certain girls in class.
We want children to tell if they need help or if someone is in need of help. For example, a primary school child tells her friend that her uncle is touching her inappropriately. This young friend must know how to tell her parent or teacher instead of keeping mum.
Parents and teachers can teach children how to use certain words that will get them the appropriate attention. Siblings usually tell on one another to seek favour from parents. You do not want to punish the other child unfairly or reinforce the tattling behaviour.
Preschoolers and early primary school age children know certain rules and they may not like it when others do not follow these rules. A primary school teacher who taught Year One pupils, once told me that a student handed her a ruler and reminded her that she had set the rule that anyone who talked in class would be punished.
Listen carefully to what your child tells you. Do not brush her off by saying, “I don’t want you to tell on your brother.”
This can make your child feel slighted and ridiculed. Sometimes all you need to do is to listen; do not get roped into sibling fights.
If you want to do something, you can respond to “John took my colour pencils without asking for permission,” by teaching your child how to clearly state her feelings and opinion to her sibling.
Teach her to use words that will empower her to get things done properly. Together you can work out ideas on what she should do next. Turn-taking, sharing, negotiating or exchanging may be possible solutions for your child to solve the problem by herself.
Teach your child how to use appropriate words. Let her know that she can approach the person directly. “You are angry with your brother. Let him know this. Tell him that you don’t like it when he takes your things without asking you first.”
Parents can set the right example for their children by using “feeling” words in their messages. You can say: “I’m very happy that you told me how you feel instead of lashing out in anger.”
Children learn from parents how to use “feeling” words appropriately and understand their own feelings better.
For children to have self-confidence and respect for others, they need to be equipped with the knowledge and skill to act and speak appropriately
July 29, 2009
120 pupils cramped in two double-storey premises
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk T. Murugiah has expressed shock at the plight of some 120 pupils of a Tamil school in Lukut near here.
Murugiah, who made an unscheduled stop at SJKT Ladang Singai Salak yesterday, was dismayed to see the pupils studying in cramped conditions in two rented, double-storey shoplots.
“This looks like a fire-trap, it certainly doesn’t look like a school to me. I will do whatever I can to help them move to a better place,” he said.
Not an ideal location: It may not be that old but the two double-storey shophouses in Lukut cannot be a conducive learning place and certainly not a place to call school for the 120 pupils of SJKT Ladang Sg Salak.
The school was previously located in Siliau but was moved when its student population dwindled. It was then allowed to squat at SJKT Bandar Springhill for two years.
It was moved to its present location when the student population increased.
Parents, when met outside the school, also expressed hope that the authorities would help to relocate the school.
Murugiah said the school was unable to accept more students as there was no space for expansion. It has been operating from the shoplots for the last two years.
Murugiah said he would consult with Deputy Education Minister Datuk Wee Ka Siong on the possibility of moving the school to a plot reserved for another Tamil school.
It is learnt that the other Tamil school, at the seventh kilometre of Jalan Pantai, was supposed to have moved to the plot but the plan was aborted.
“I will appeal to the Education Ministry to allow this school to be moved there,” he said.
Murugiah, who made an unscheduled stop at SJKT Ladang Singai Salak yesterday, was dismayed to see the pupils studying in cramped conditions in two rented, double-storey shoplots.
“This looks like a fire-trap, it certainly doesn’t look like a school to me. I will do whatever I can to help them move to a better place,” he said.
Not an ideal location: It may not be that old but the two double-storey shophouses in Lukut cannot be a conducive learning place and certainly not a place to call school for the 120 pupils of SJKT Ladang Sg Salak.
The school was previously located in Siliau but was moved when its student population dwindled. It was then allowed to squat at SJKT Bandar Springhill for two years.
It was moved to its present location when the student population increased.
Parents, when met outside the school, also expressed hope that the authorities would help to relocate the school.
Murugiah said the school was unable to accept more students as there was no space for expansion. It has been operating from the shoplots for the last two years.
Murugiah said he would consult with Deputy Education Minister Datuk Wee Ka Siong on the possibility of moving the school to a plot reserved for another Tamil school.
It is learnt that the other Tamil school, at the seventh kilometre of Jalan Pantai, was supposed to have moved to the plot but the plan was aborted.
“I will appeal to the Education Ministry to allow this school to be moved there,” he said.
July 23, 2009
Shame on spectators for booing our boys
I WAS among the many who watched the Manchester United-Malaysia football match at Bukit Jalil last Saturday. I think the Malaysian boys did us proud that night and I found myself rooting for our national team despite being a Manchester United supporter.
What disappointed me though was the attitude of the Malaysian spectators. Not cheering for the national team is one thing but to boo them is quite another. Countless times, when a Malaysian player misplaced a pass, the stadium would start ringing with boos and taunts for the players to “balik lah”. When our two-goal hero Amri Yahyah was substituted, only a handful of spectators stood up to applaud him off.
Many of them didn’t even recognise who was the one who dragged Malaysia back into the game. Even our national team coach Rajagopal said he was disappointed with the lack of support for our players.
The same happened when the Malaysian players applauded the crowd after the match. The ovation granted to our players was relatively minuscule compared to that when the United team sat down for a warm-down.
Of course, I realise Manchester United are the main draw here, but this is our country for crying out loud! We see letters in The Star all the time criticising the national team but when they finally do us proud, where is the support?
Are Malaysians not patriotic enough to put country before club – a foreign club 6,000 miles away at that?
What disappointed me though was the attitude of the Malaysian spectators. Not cheering for the national team is one thing but to boo them is quite another. Countless times, when a Malaysian player misplaced a pass, the stadium would start ringing with boos and taunts for the players to “balik lah”. When our two-goal hero Amri Yahyah was substituted, only a handful of spectators stood up to applaud him off.
Many of them didn’t even recognise who was the one who dragged Malaysia back into the game. Even our national team coach Rajagopal said he was disappointed with the lack of support for our players.
The same happened when the Malaysian players applauded the crowd after the match. The ovation granted to our players was relatively minuscule compared to that when the United team sat down for a warm-down.
Of course, I realise Manchester United are the main draw here, but this is our country for crying out loud! We see letters in The Star all the time criticising the national team but when they finally do us proud, where is the support?
Are Malaysians not patriotic enough to put country before club – a foreign club 6,000 miles away at that?
Hard to cope with increase in food prices
Ninety-five per cent of families in the country are finding it hard to cope with the rise in food prices.
National Population and Family Development Board director-general Datuk Aminah Abdul Rahman said this was revealed in an opinion research survey conducted in 2008 on the impact of inflation on families.
“Some 44% of women in the lower-income group also said that misunderstandings arose over finances due to the increase,” she said in her speech after launching a family finance management programme here yesterday.
Aminah said there were also complaints of harassment from loan sharks and bank warnings issued to families for failing to pay their loans just because they did not know how to manage their finances.
Participants of the programme learnt to differentiate between their wants and needs when managing their household budget.
Family Development Department head Fauwas Hasbullah said the programme was organised to educate the public on how to live within their budget without having to borrow from loan sharks.
“Through interactive activities, participants get to play the role of a family member and learn how to manage money as a family,” he said.
The programme will be held nationwide until the end of this year with the help of Bank Negara’s Counselling and Credit Management Agency.
A participant, Syahizwan Osman, 25, said the programme taught him how to manage his income in an orderly manner.
“It will take some time for me to change but this programme is a kick-start for me to make changes in my lifestyle one step at a time,” he said.
TS
National Population and Family Development Board director-general Datuk Aminah Abdul Rahman said this was revealed in an opinion research survey conducted in 2008 on the impact of inflation on families.
“Some 44% of women in the lower-income group also said that misunderstandings arose over finances due to the increase,” she said in her speech after launching a family finance management programme here yesterday.
Aminah said there were also complaints of harassment from loan sharks and bank warnings issued to families for failing to pay their loans just because they did not know how to manage their finances.
Participants of the programme learnt to differentiate between their wants and needs when managing their household budget.
Family Development Department head Fauwas Hasbullah said the programme was organised to educate the public on how to live within their budget without having to borrow from loan sharks.
“Through interactive activities, participants get to play the role of a family member and learn how to manage money as a family,” he said.
The programme will be held nationwide until the end of this year with the help of Bank Negara’s Counselling and Credit Management Agency.
A participant, Syahizwan Osman, 25, said the programme taught him how to manage his income in an orderly manner.
“It will take some time for me to change but this programme is a kick-start for me to make changes in my lifestyle one step at a time,” he said.
TS
June 29, 2009
Keep youths from crime, cops tell Indian leaders
INDIAN community leaders need to play a more important role in helping to reduce the crime rate among Indian youths, Tamil Nesan quoted Larut Matang Selama OCPD ACP Raja Musa Raja Razak as saying.
Some of the youths have realised their mistakes while serving their sentences in the prisons.
“Political parties, social organisations and religious groups should monitor these youngsters and organise events or activities to keep them occupied,” he said.
TS
Some of the youths have realised their mistakes while serving their sentences in the prisons.
“Political parties, social organisations and religious groups should monitor these youngsters and organise events or activities to keep them occupied,” he said.
TS
May 29, 2009
10-subject limit for SPM from next year
From next year, students sitting for the SPM examinations will only be allowed to sit for a maximum of 10 subjects.
The grading system for the examination will also be improved to better reflect the academic achievements of the students.
Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the ministry decided to do away with the open certificate system, which allows students to sit for as many subjects, as the majority only took 10 subjects or fewer.
“Records show that some 90% of students sitting for the SPM exam take 10 or fewer subjects,” the Deputy Prime Minister told reporters yesterday after laying the foundation stone for the new RM1.3bil Education Com-plex at Bandar Enstek near here.
“We want to streamline this as it will also be an easier way to determine the awarding of scholarships.”
Some 450,000 students sat for the SPM exam last year.
Muhyiddin said teachers would also be able to focus better if students were only allowed to take up to 10 subjects because they would not be burdened with teaching other subjects.
“Parents also will not have to rush their children for too many tuition classes.”
On the grading system, Muhyid-din said instead of giving students 1A, B or C, their grades would include A+, A and A- from next year to make it more effective in deciding who was most qualified for a scholarship.
The Star
The grading system for the examination will also be improved to better reflect the academic achievements of the students.
Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the ministry decided to do away with the open certificate system, which allows students to sit for as many subjects, as the majority only took 10 subjects or fewer.
“Records show that some 90% of students sitting for the SPM exam take 10 or fewer subjects,” the Deputy Prime Minister told reporters yesterday after laying the foundation stone for the new RM1.3bil Education Com-plex at Bandar Enstek near here.
“We want to streamline this as it will also be an easier way to determine the awarding of scholarships.”
Some 450,000 students sat for the SPM exam last year.
Muhyiddin said teachers would also be able to focus better if students were only allowed to take up to 10 subjects because they would not be burdened with teaching other subjects.
“Parents also will not have to rush their children for too many tuition classes.”
On the grading system, Muhyid-din said instead of giving students 1A, B or C, their grades would include A+, A and A- from next year to make it more effective in deciding who was most qualified for a scholarship.
The Star
May 25, 2009
MCA to help students get funding
The MCA will continue to help students facing difficulty in getting matriculation scholarships, says president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat.
He said more non-bumiputras were applying for matriculation now although there was only a 10% allocation for them.
Ong added that the Public Service Department scholarship issue was not racial.
“It is rather the transparency and the criteria that many people are concerned about,” Ong said.
Citing an example, he said two Chinese students from the same class with almost similar background and curricular activities applied for a PSD scholarship but the student who did better did not get the scholarship.
“To classify it as a racial issue is not accurate. It is the criteria used in the selection process and it is not a racial quota,” he told reporters after chairing the party central committee meeting yesterday.
He said the MCA had received more than 1,000 appeal cases for scholarships and he had instructed the education bureau to follow up on the matter.
The Star
He said more non-bumiputras were applying for matriculation now although there was only a 10% allocation for them.
Ong added that the Public Service Department scholarship issue was not racial.
“It is rather the transparency and the criteria that many people are concerned about,” Ong said.
Citing an example, he said two Chinese students from the same class with almost similar background and curricular activities applied for a PSD scholarship but the student who did better did not get the scholarship.
“To classify it as a racial issue is not accurate. It is the criteria used in the selection process and it is not a racial quota,” he told reporters after chairing the party central committee meeting yesterday.
He said the MCA had received more than 1,000 appeal cases for scholarships and he had instructed the education bureau to follow up on the matter.
The Star
May 18, 2009
Cabinet to hear cases of 800 top scorers who didn’t get scholarships
More than 800 straight-A students will have their appeals for Public Services Department (PSD) scholarships taken up to the Cabinet for discussion.
Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong said the group, comprising 280 who scored straight 1As, had submitted their appeals to the MCA.
Recurrent problem: Dr Wee talking to students who failed to get PSD scholarships in Kuala Lumpur in a May 16, 2006, file photo.
“I have just briefed the party president (Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat) on the matter and the four MCA ministers will bring it to the Cabinet,” he said here yesterday.
Dr Wee said the situation this year had shocked even him – although the MCA Youth chief and party national education bureau chairman had been handling education and scholarship issues since 2001.
He cited the case of a student with 6A1 and 4A2 who obtained a scholarship to study engineering. On the other hand, there were complaints from students with 13A1s and 14A1s that they were given places to do matriculation instead of being awarded with scholarships.
He stressed that such alternatives should be made known earlier, not just dished out to the students.
Dr Wee added there must also be a transparent system of awarding scholarships.
Asked whether publishing the names of the scholarship recipients could help address the question of fairness and transparency in selection, Dr Wee said he hoped this would be done by the PSD not too long from now.
The Cabinet had in January refined the distribution of scholarship: 20% solely on merit, 10% for the underprivileged, 10% for those from Sabah and Sarawak and the remaining based on ethnic quota, co-curriculum, results and socio-economic background.
Meanwhile students, parents and teachers who contacted The Star said they were shocked by the “consolation prize” (getting a place to do matriculation instead of a scholarship to study overseas) given to many of those with 13A1s and 14A1s.
They also raised a host of other problems, including that the scholarship recipients were not told which country they would be sent to study.
Meanwhile, the DAP wants the Government to show the selection criteria for the PSD scholarships and explain why there was a shift in implementation.
DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz had reiterated in Parliament that 55% of the scholarships would be given to bumiputras while the rest was reserved for non-Malays.
“All of a sudden, they just changed the selection criteria. We want to know how many percent of the scholarships are given to bumiputras and non-bumiputras,” the Ipoh Timur MP told a press conference here yesterday.
Lim, three other DAP MPs and three state assemblymen had met with PSD director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Adam to discuss the matter.
The Star
Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong said the group, comprising 280 who scored straight 1As, had submitted their appeals to the MCA.
Recurrent problem: Dr Wee talking to students who failed to get PSD scholarships in Kuala Lumpur in a May 16, 2006, file photo.
“I have just briefed the party president (Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat) on the matter and the four MCA ministers will bring it to the Cabinet,” he said here yesterday.
Dr Wee said the situation this year had shocked even him – although the MCA Youth chief and party national education bureau chairman had been handling education and scholarship issues since 2001.
He cited the case of a student with 6A1 and 4A2 who obtained a scholarship to study engineering. On the other hand, there were complaints from students with 13A1s and 14A1s that they were given places to do matriculation instead of being awarded with scholarships.
He stressed that such alternatives should be made known earlier, not just dished out to the students.
Dr Wee added there must also be a transparent system of awarding scholarships.
Asked whether publishing the names of the scholarship recipients could help address the question of fairness and transparency in selection, Dr Wee said he hoped this would be done by the PSD not too long from now.
The Cabinet had in January refined the distribution of scholarship: 20% solely on merit, 10% for the underprivileged, 10% for those from Sabah and Sarawak and the remaining based on ethnic quota, co-curriculum, results and socio-economic background.
Meanwhile students, parents and teachers who contacted The Star said they were shocked by the “consolation prize” (getting a place to do matriculation instead of a scholarship to study overseas) given to many of those with 13A1s and 14A1s.
They also raised a host of other problems, including that the scholarship recipients were not told which country they would be sent to study.
Meanwhile, the DAP wants the Government to show the selection criteria for the PSD scholarships and explain why there was a shift in implementation.
DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz had reiterated in Parliament that 55% of the scholarships would be given to bumiputras while the rest was reserved for non-Malays.
“All of a sudden, they just changed the selection criteria. We want to know how many percent of the scholarships are given to bumiputras and non-bumiputras,” the Ipoh Timur MP told a press conference here yesterday.
Lim, three other DAP MPs and three state assemblymen had met with PSD director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Adam to discuss the matter.
The Star
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