NST Online: StreetsJohor
NST Online: StreetsJohor |
| Posted: 23 Jun 2011 10:32 AM PDT PRIMED FOR SUCCESS2011/06/24 The disabled who received training at SMPK Vokasional Indahpura in Kulaijaya have moved on to greater things in life SOME live in a realm of silence, some in a world of darkness, but with determination and drive, equal opportunities await the deaf and the blind. Nazri Haswan, for instance, was born blind but he is a self-taught musician who also runs a foot reflexology centre in his homestate of Pahang.
Nazri, the eighth in a family of nine siblings and the only one blind, said his foot reflexology centre is doing moderately well. "When I am not there, my sister will manage the place," he said.
In November 2002, the first Special Education School with a three-in-one concept for the learning disabled and the hearing- and visually-impaired was set up in Johor. Two adjacent schools, SMK Indahpura 2 and SK Indahpura 3 in Kulaijaya, merged to create this school SMPK Vokasional Indahpura.
It has produced artists, graphic designers, professional photographers and entrepreneurs. The courses include computer graphics, hairdressing and beauty, foot reflexology, hotel room housekeeping, laundry and cooking, academic subjects, music, sports and religious studies. The school currently has 172 students and 69 teachers, most of whom are well-versed in sign languages. Najiha Imirin, an English language teacher, said it is the teacher's duty to assess the strengths and weaknesses of each student. "Some may not be able to cook, but are more adept at housekeeping or laundry. "Just like those who are normal, children with special needs also have talents," said Najiha, who has been teaching at the school for the past five years. Carolence Jaulin, who teaches how to do facials to the hearing-impaired, said some of the students were quick to forget what they had been taught. "Teachers need to have patience when teaching at this school, but the challenge is worth it, and the experience satisfying," said Jaulin. She has eight students in her class so she can give more attention to each of her students. Nur Hafaidah Mohd Najamudin, who teaches cooking, said her students were taught how to handle food, make stock and soup and come up with a variety of dishes and desserts. The Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, accompanied by his children, the Tunku Mahkota of Johor, Tunku Ismail, Tunku Aminah, Tunku Abdul Jalil and Tunku Abu Bakar, paid a visit to the school in conjunction with Kembara Mahkota Johor 2011. The royal guests were treated to a marching drill by the deaf and hearing-impaired students and to a demonstration of goalball, which is a game for the blind and visually-impaired. Muhamad Khairul Anuar Hussin, a teacher and goalball coach from Maktab Sultan Abu Bakar (MSAB), said the game was introduced in 2002. "Johor is the first state to produce a team comprising teenage players," said Khairul. "SMPK Vokasional Indahpura invited MSAB and students of Sekolah Kebangsaan Pendidikan Khas Princess Elizabeth for today's exemplary goalball demonstration," he added. The game consists of six players wearing eye-shades trying to push the ball into their opponent's goal net, which is 9m long. SMPK was declared a cluster school of excellence by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in 2009. The school also garnered four goal medals, three silvers and a bronze in the 15th Malaysian Paralympic Games at the Stadium Hang Jebat in Krubong, Malacca, last year for bowling, swimming and petanque (lawn bowls). Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
| Who do you call to remove the mess? Posted: 23 Jun 2011 10:03 AM PDT Who do you call to remove the mess?2011/06/24 AS I was warming up my four-wheel-drive on Friday morning before heading for work, I saw a man who I thought to be in his 20s. The well-built man was about 170cm tall, had blond hair and was sticking advertisement notices of illegal money-lenders onto road signage at my housing estate in Bandar Baru Uda, Johor Baru. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera on me to capture him red--handed.
So, I honked at him and gestured him to stop, but he ignored me and gave me a stare. Then he continued what he did. There were several other residents in the vicinity, including a resident in his 40s who works with the Fire and Rescue Department.
He told me that he, too, had seen these "runners" (a term used for those working with illegal money-lenders, whose job is to paste the ads) but did not know who to report them to. Often when I write articles, the powers-that-be always stress that cooperation between the public and the authorities are the best way to curb the problems, be they crimes or vandals.
I, too, did not have the relevant agency's hotline number, thus I immediately called the Johor Baru City Council's public relations officer Firdaus Hamid and told him about what had happened. He promised that an enforcement team would be dispatched to the scene as soon as possible. I could not wait for the enforcement officers to arrive, as I was already running late for an assignment. I believe many of us have experienced times when we wanted to inform relevant authorities to take action or alert them of a certain problem, but were clueless as to who to call. For instance, almost everyone knows that the emergency number is 999, but often we are given the runaround when calling this number. Thus most of us dread calling. Now, it seems, most agencies have their own hotlines or toll-free numbers, including the Johor police's 24-hour hotline (07-221 2999). So far, the Johor Police hotline has been reliable. At anytime, the call would be answered by an experienced officer by the time it rings thrice. The officer will immediately get information about the situation, instead of asking petty details about the caller. Even commercial vehicles and lorries have stickers behind, asking motorists to call a particular number when the driver is found to be driving recklessly or the vehicle is emitting too much smoke, for instance, but that phone would not normally be picked up, based on my personal experience. The same can be said of emergency lines, hotlines, and even customer service lines such as ordering pizza at peak hours, especially on weekends. Back to the matter of stickers promoting illegal money-lenders. This might create the impression that Johor Baru is a loan shark city. It also makes it difficult for the public to locate addresses and makes housing estates look messy. Municipals councils are in fact spending much money to remove these stickers. As citizens, we can play our part by calling the Johor Baru City Council toll-free number 1-300-880-146 or its enforcement unit at 07-226 1025/07-221 4623, when we spot the runners pasting the stickers. Or we could organise gotong-royongs in our respective housing estates and remove these stickers. By doing so, we ensure that our guests and deliverymen do not lose their way finding our houses. We can also foster closer ties among our neighbours as we work hand-in-hand to clean up our housing estates. United we stand, divided we fall. Thus, let's pool our resources and do our part for the benefit of all. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
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